Leadership Insights | Illustrated Lectures: Family Values of Loyalty and Righteousness

Family values and family education are the most valuable asset of a family and the best legacy for future generations. It is necessary to encourage the whole society to pay attention to family education and family values, so as to inspire younger generations to enhance their love for the family and the country and grow into talents who are useful to the country and society.

Meishan City, known as “Meizhou” in ancient times, located in Sichuan Province, is the hometown of renowned Northern Song Dynasty scholars Su Xun, Su Shi, and Su Zhe. Th ancestral hall of the Su family, known as the Sansu Ci (literally, the Memorial Temple of Three Sus) is not only a historical site carrying the literary achievements of the three prestigious scholars, but also a symbol of China’s excellent traditional culture. For thousands of years, the values of “studying hard, promoting filial piety, benevolence and righteousness, and acting as honest officials” have been passed on from generation to generation in the Su family. Family education and family values have become an important part of the cultural-ethical life of Meishan people.

In recent years, Meizhou has held a variety of activities to spread the culture related to the Three Sus and their family values. For example, the cultural spirit of openness and inclusiveness embedded in Sansu Ci has been passed down from generation to generation. This spirit not only conforms to contemporary values, but also contains global vision and shared values of humanity. With the deepening of cultural exchanges between China and other countries, the culture related to the Three Sus has become increasingly popular among people all over the world, with its influence reaching many countries and regions including Japan, South Korea, Europe, and the United States. Statistics show that among China’s top ten most popular and prestigious ci poets in the English-speaking world, Su Shi ranks third. Western scholars often conduct in-depth research on the literary and historical significance of his works.

Family education and family values are vital to the formation of national spirit. Family values represent the spiritual core of a family and an epitome of social values and social customs. In particular, we should combine traditional family values of ancient times such as upholding courtesy and righteousness and valuing education with modern family values, so as to let excellent traditional culture be deeply rooted in every ordinary family across the land of China.