The majority of Indonesian people,
specifically those that follow Islam, are familiar with the phrase in this
essay’s title. Some of them have even said that it is a hadith (prophetic
saying), although Islamic scholars have already stated that it is fabricated[1].
This essay will not attempt to explain about the hadith authenticity problem,
but it will rather try to discuss why there is a phrase: “Seek knowledge, even
in China”.
Why China?
China is the fourth largest country in the world. It has one
of the oldest well-known civilization in the history of mankind. The origin of
its longest lasting dynasty, Han dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD), brings us to the
Yellow River (Huang He) Valley, the second largest river in China after the
Yangtze. The Yellow River is so named because it carries in suspension yellow
silt, which colors the water. It has a total length of 5,464 km[2,3].
The Han dynasty made great impacts to the
civilization development. One of the major inventions during the Han dynasty’s
era, which was capable to change the world, is the paper. Paper was first made by a court
official, Ts’ai Lun, in 105 AD. The raw material was the mulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera) plant fibers. A small amount of the
slurry was lifted up using a rectangular sieve consisting of a framed silk
sheet. Then, the sieve was shaken gently to spread the fibers evenly. After the
water was drained off, the sheet of paper was formed and dried in the sun.
Paper-making techniques were kept secret for more than 600 years until the Arab
conquerors managed to unveil them[4].
The invention
of paper was not the only one that spread widely outside of China.
Confucianism, one of the traditional ideologies which was founded by the great
philosopher – Confucius – who was deeply valuing education and its role, had
also spread widely. There is a fine correlation between the Confucianism and
the Han dynasty. During the Han dynasty’s era, many followers of Confucianism
became royal officials and many members of the royal families became
Confucianists as well. At that time, Confucianism greatly influenced how the
government was governed. This could be happen because of the control of
Confucianism by using its state examination system for state officials[3].
Now, China represents one of the most powerful countries
in the world. It holds a great economic influence and
has the second largest economy after the US. This is the reason for the high
number of Chinese citizens who leave abroad.
In many countries, the presence of “Chinese Town”, where the Chinese community
aggregates, is even common. Furthermore, Chinese language has become one of the
languages used by the United Nations. All of these happening because of the
good education system, which helps to create a strong nation. The inventions in
old civilization give their influence to the education system, as Confucius
said “Study the past if you would define the future.”
Education System in China
Based on the afore mentioned facts, many people are
wondering how China can train its people to be creative and productive. One of
the major reasons is represented by its education system. Confucius once said:
“By three methods we may learn wisdom:
first, by reflection, which is the noblest; second, by imitation, which is
easiest; and third, by experience, which is the bitterest.”
The methods are practiced by Chinese people until today.
The first method is by reflection. Chinese people are really concerned with the
importance of education. This attitude has given birth to the Chinese
philosophy, which understands the relationship between theory and practice. The
relationship is based on two cases that must be studied and explored in depth:
first, the general concept of 'truth' in Chinese philosophy; second, the
humanity in real life and the humanity taught by Chinese philosophers in their
philosophical system.
In general,
those two cases were interpreted from Confucianism. Confucianism has served as
the foundation of the educational philosophy in China for approximately 2000
years. It devoted much attention to the educational foundation of a nation. In The Record of Learning, there is a
statement which clearly says: “education should be prioritized in the founding
of a nation and in the governance of people." Education can make human
being civilized, thus it supports the good human behaviors for every nation[5,6].
The
second method is by imitation. We experience everyday assisting to the sale of
products with the “Made in China” tags. Some of them are made in China, even
though the real producent is based in another country. China’s big curiosity
and will to learn led it to be capable to create imitation products, which are
very similar to the original ones. The massive production of imitation products
has a strong impact to the economic growth in China, since the price of its
goods is way cheaper to the ones “Made outside of China”.
The education
system is also implementing the imitation method. In Education for 1.3 Billion, a book written by Li Lan Qing (former
deputy prime minister of China), China carried out educational reforms which
succeeded in forming a modern character. His policy on educational reforms was
inspired by the knowledge of the danger in education system that overemphasizes
the memorization, drilling, rigid teaching, and passing examinations oriented.
He also “imitated” the thoughts of Howard Gardner (American psychologist) on
multiple intelligences and enthusiasm to implementing them in the education
system in China[5].
Last but not
least, the third method is by experience. China has been improved its
experience in education system. It is reflected in a variety of education
curriculum changes from the elementary level to secondary one. Curriculum’s change is fundamental for China to adapt
itself and its education system to the global economic policies and labor
markets. In the 2007 seventh curriculum change, the government became very open
to the results of education research and input from education practitioners,
entrepreneurs, parents, and communities concerned about education from both the
sub-district and national levels[7].
What Indonesia can Learn from China?
I believe that Indonesia, as one of the most populous
countries in the world, can learn many things from China. We can adapt the
Confucius’s learning methodology (reflection, imitation, and experience)
without changing our cultural identity.
Firstly, Indonesia has many cultures, each of them has their
own philosophy. If the education practitioners in Indonesia can implement the
cultural philosophy to their teaching method, then students can easily
understand the theory and practice it in real life. The cultural philosophy can
also build the student character for showing respect to their educators. This
is really important, because we see many cases of students who does not have
any respect for their teachers in Indonesia. This is a very different scenario
compared to China, where the educators hold a very important position in the society, since the
Confucianism still plays an important role in shaping the character of Chinese
people.
Secondly, the
Indonesian government can consider to “imitate” the Chinese education system,
which is more open and prioritize the educator’s welfare. Students are free to
evaluate their educator’s quality objectively and this affects the educator’s
position and rank. The salary (in this case the teacher’s) ranges from 3,000 to
5,000 yuan each month. If 1 yuan equals to 1,200 rupiah, teachers in China receive
the average salary of 3.6 million - 6 million rupiah each month. They also
receive the welfare benefit equals to 10 percent of basic salary. This payroll
system is 10% higher than ordinary employees[7]. While in Indonesia,
there is a different perception. Our people are less motivated to become
teachers, because the welfare of teachers is not considered. I hope that the
Indonesian government can begin to address this issue, because otherwise, it
will influence the teaching performance of the Indonesian’s educators.
Thirdly, the socialization of the Chinese education
system in Indonesia should not be exaggerated. For example, there was an issue
if communism is being taught to the Indonesian students in China. No wonder if
it worried Indonesian people to continue their study there. Therefore, Chinese
education institutes should clarify about this matter. I believe that it also
can help strengthening Indonesia-China bilateral relations, specifically in the
education field. Furthermore, as mentioned in the beginning of this essay,
seeking knowledge in China will bring new insights to Indonesian people,
despite of the fabricated hadith about it.
References:
[1] M.S. Al-Munajjid, “Seek knowledge
even if you have to
go as far as China” is a false hadeeth
[2] The World Delta Database, The
Huang He Delta.
[3] D. Hartati, Konfusianisme dalam
Kebudayaan Cina Modern. Paradigma, Jurnal Kajian Budaya 2016; 2:174–179.
[4] Kew Plants People Possibilities, Paper,
www.plantscafe.net/media/files/enar03_Paper.pdf.
[5] M.S Pratama, F. Zakiri, A.A.
Rahmatulloh, and I.A. Alimudin, Perbandingan Sistem Pendidikan Indonesia dan China.
UPI:2013.
[6] M. Gu, An Analysis of the Impact of
Traditional Chinese Culture on Chinese Education. Front. Educ. China 2006;
1:169-190.
[7] C. Anwar, Sistem Pendidikan di
China. Beijing: KBRI,
2014.
