Wen Is the Manifestation of the Great Way

Abstract

From ancient times till today, as the foundation of culture and civilization, wen (文) has been playing a weighty role both materially and spiritually in Chinese society. Its meaning continues to build up and multiply, as the history of Chinese society progresses. Hua (化), when collocating with wen, refers to a situation wherein a change takes place for one side or both sides concerned, as a result of their contact with each other. The ancient Chinese understanding of wen hua is traceable to pre-Qin Confucian thought. The earliest cultural awareness arose no later than in the period of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty. In ancient China, a term similar to wen hua was wen ming (文明); Chinese classics also view wen ming as a progressive state of being.