To China, the first half of 2008 teemed with bad news: a series of serious natural disasters and riots fanned by Tibetan separatists. Before the Chinese could breathe a sigh of relief and rejoice after China successfully hosted the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Beijing, they were humiliated by the tainted milk scandal. Now China has just become the third nation capable of walking in space, the Chinese again felt relieved and joyous. But, and yes, a big but, who can guarantee that no other scandals will pop up and damage China’s image again and again?

I notice that Premiere Wen Jiabao recently pointed the finger at business people who were immoral. This is by far the first time I heard Chinese leaders blame scandals in China on immorality. This accusation, to some extent, is to the point. Lack of morality among the Chinese is indeed a big problem. Chinese have never been religious due to a mentality advocated by Confucius: Respect gods and ghosts but keep a distance from them (敬鬼神而远之). The advantage of being nonreligious lies in the fact that China has seldom had religious wars and been pretty much open to foreign religions such as Buddhism and Christianity. But the disadvantage is only too obvious; for people need religion. Without it, they would lose their sense of being and purpose of existence. And, what’s worse, other things will come in to fill in the void. One example is the popularity of Falun Gong, which according to the Christian standard would be considered infidel because of its worship of a real person, among the Chinese at home and abroad. The Chinese government have been trying hard to fill the void by setting up heroic examples like Lei Feng and Jiao Yulu for its people to follow, but that has never worked. While everyone else is trying all he or she can to scoop money into his or her pocket in a free market economy, how can you tell your people to give your money or even your life unconditionally to your neighbors? It may happen in a religious figure, but not in real life. This is the paradox that comfounds the Chinese government. Don’t mistake me, I am not saying that converting all the Chinese to Christians will solve China’s problems. But I do feel that the only thing that many, if not all, Chinese are worshiping today is MONEY! To get it, they don’t have any qualm, scruples, and fear of retribution in this or next life. They just do it. They behave in the same way when it comes to not losing money. I have heard too many incidents in the news like a victim of a car accident ending up being one of a murder: The perpetrator would rather pay a lump sum to the family of the dead than to be “blackmailed” by the family of the handicapped for the rest of his of her life. They either hit and run or roll over the victim until the victim is lifeless! This is abhorring! How can this happen!

China can produce wonders like the Olympics and the space walk with clock precision when things are right. But it can also be hit by milk scandals and fatal mine accidents when things are gone wrong. My question is what’s gone wrong? How can that be fixed? Meetings and reports from heroes have proved ineffective. China really needs to look at something else. A particular religion is not the answer, I know. Democratization may not be a panacea either (Taiwan’s Shen Shuibian has “said” it loud and clear). But I would like people to ponder the issue and come up with their views and answers.