“The grass looks greener on the other side of the fence (栅栏).” That’s an old saying in English. It means that other places often look better, more interesting than the place where you live. Some people worry about that young Chinese are beginning to feel that way. They see young Chinese ignoring (忽略) Chinese culture and, instead, buying Japanese cartoon books, watching Korean soap operas and even celebrating western holidays.
Foreign books and soap operas are good, but Chinese writers and actors are just as good. As for holidays, Christmas is nice, but it can never have the meaning for Chinese that the Spring Festival has, and the west has nothing to compare with Mid-Autumn Festival. And let’s not forget the part of Chinese culture I like best: its friendliness. Not all countries are as warm as China.
It’s good to enjoy other cultures and to learn from them, but they cannot replace (代替) your own culture. It’s good to look on the other side of the fence, but make sure you take a good long look. You will find that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side of the fence.
【小题1】The Spring Festival is more meaningful for Chinese people.【小题2】The old saying means the place where you live looks better than other places.
【小题3】Foreign culture can’t replace Chinese culture.
【小题4】Some people worry that young Chinese ignore Chinese culture.
【小题5】This passage mentioned three Chinese festivals.
