Spring Festival Application for World Heritage Status in 200 Words
Professor Zhang has been so worried lately that his hair is about to fall out. As the backbone of the Folk Culture Research Center, he was entrusted with an important task—to write an English introduction for China's application for Spring Festival to become a World Heritage Site, with a word limit: 200 words.
200 words!
This is more difficult than writing a doctoral thesis.
What is Spring Festival? It's reunion, it's ancestor worship, it's bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new, it's red lanterns, crackling firecrackers, it's dumplings, it's New Year's Eve dinner, it's lucky money, it's the Spring Festival Gala…
What can 200 words explain?
"It's just a joke!" Professor Zhang couldn't help complaining.
His colleague Lao Wang was very optimistic: "Lao Zhang, don't be so worried, you can still write wonders with 200 words. Just think of it as writing a micro-novel, the essence is concentrated."
Professor Zhang smiled wryly: "A micro-novel? I'm introducing the most important festival of a nation, not writing a love story."
"Hey, I said Lao Zhang, you're just too serious," Lao Wang patted him on the shoulder. "Think about it, what's the most important thing now? Simplicity! Efficiency! You express the core spirit of Spring Festival with the fewest words, that's success."
Professor Zhang sighed and had to bite the bullet and start writing.
In the first draft, he wrote about the origin, development, various customs of Spring Festival, and its position in the hearts of Chinese people. As a result, he wrote more than five hundred words.
"No, it's too long." He deleted and deleted, revised and revised, but still exceeded the word limit.
In the second draft, he focused on introducing the symbolic meaning of Spring Festival, emphasizing the family values, social harmony, and other values contained in Spring Festival. As a result, although the number of words was controlled, the content seemed empty and boring.
"Still not good, no details, no warmth, foreigners can't understand it at all." Professor Zhang shook his head.
In the third draft, he decided to change his thinking and start with the scene of an ordinary Chinese family celebrating Spring Festival, describing their New Year's Eve dinner, pasting Spring Festival couplets, and setting off firecrackers. As a result, although the sense of picture was very strong, it seemed too trivial and could not reflect the cultural connotation of Spring Festival.
"This won't work either, it's too much like a tourism promotion film." Professor Zhang sighed, feeling at a loss.
With the deadline approaching, Professor Zhang was anxious and pacing around. He felt like a prisoner trapped in a 200-word cage, unable to express himself freely.
At night, he lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. He began to wonder, what is this application for Spring Festival to become a World Heritage Site for? Is it to let the world understand Chinese culture? Or is it to satisfy some kind of formalistic need?
He suddenly remembered the scene of celebrating Spring Festival when he was a child. At that time, there was no internet, no mobile phones, and no so many complicated rituals. The family sat around the stove, eating steaming dumplings, listening to the crackling sound of firecrackers outside the window, and their hearts were filled with happiness and warmth.
That is the true meaning of Spring Festival!
Thinking of this, Professor Zhang suddenly had an idea.
The next day, he rewrote an introduction.
This introduction only had 198 words, but it was full of emotion and power.
It didn't talk about the origin of Spring Festival, it didn't talk about the customs of Spring Festival, and it didn't talk about the symbolic meaning of Spring Festival.
It simply described the scene of a Chinese family celebrating Spring Festival:
"Chinese New Year, Spring Festival, is a time for family reunion. Millions travel home. Red lanterns glow. Firecrackers boom, chasing away evil spirits. Families gather for a feast, dumplings a must. Children receive red envelopes, wishing them luck. The old tell stories. The young play games. Laughter fills the air. It's a time for reflection, for gratitude, for hope. A new year begins, full of promise. Though the world changes, this tradition remains. A celebration of love, of family, of life."
Professor Zhang handed in this introduction.
A few days later, he received a call from the leader.
"Lao Zhang, you wrote well this time! Concise, clear, sincere, and very infectious." The leader praised.
Professor Zhang breathed a sigh of relief and asked: "Then… then the number of words? Did I exceed the limit?"
The leader smiled and said: "The number of words did not exceed the limit, and I added two words for you."
"Added two words?" Professor Zhang was stunned.
"Yes," the leader said, "I added a sentence at the end: 'Made in China.'"