HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.R. NO.

195

TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2007

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 


HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

 

DECLARING SEPTEMBER 28 AS CONFUCIUS DAY IN HAWAII.

 

 

 


     WHEREAS, citizens of Chinese heritage have made and continue to make significant contributions to the state and to the rest of the world in culture, education, agriculture, and business and industry; and

 

     WHEREAS, one such individual is Confucius (ca. 551-479), who is acknowledged to be one of the world's greatest thinkers and teachers, and who began a philosophy and way of life in China that spread through many countries of Asia, including China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam, deeply influencing life and thought; and

 

     WHEREAS, Confucius' philosophy emphasized personal and governmental morality, correctness of social relationships, justice, and sincerity, values which gained prominence in China over other doctrines such as Legalism or Taoism during the Han Dynasty; and

 

     WHEREAS, Confucius championed the principles of strong familial loyalty, ancestor worship, respect of elders by their children and of husbands by their wives, and the family as a basis for an ideal government; and

 

     WHEREAS, Confucius also preached not doing to others what you would not do to yourself, encouraged politicians to model themselves on the ways of honorable politicians of the past, and reminded us, "What the superior man seeks is in himself.  What the mean man seeks is in others"; and

 

     WHEREAS, although Confucianism is often followed in a religious manner, rather than building a systematic theory of life and society or establishing a formalism of rites, Confucius wanted his disciples to think deeply for themselves and study the outside world; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Center for Chinese Studies at the University of Hawaii (UH) at Manoa, has been educating students about and expanding scholarship of this and many other aspects of China, the Chinese, and Chinese culture since 1977, publishes the journal Chinese Review International, and has become one of the largest centers for Chinese studies in the United States (U.S.) with 47 faculty and staff who teach over 150 courses; and

 

     WHEREAS, Hawaii's ties to Confucius were further strengthened by the establishment of the Confucius Institute at UH-Manoa, which was one of 100 Confucius Institutes across the globe created to strengthen cultural awareness and offer more educational opportunities to learn and understand the Chinese language and Chinese culture; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Confucius Institute, with funds from UH, the U.S. government, and Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, conducts numerous community and child outreach programs, including Chinese language instruction, and a summer sports camp that involves learning traditional martial arts, table tennis, and swimming; and

 

     WHEREAS, these efforts complement the work of the Office of International Affairs of the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to expand Hawaii's reach into China through various programs and a Beijing office; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2007, that September 28 be designated as Confucius Day in Hawaii; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Director of the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism, President of the University of Hawaii, Director of the UH Center for Chinese Studies, and Director of the Confucius Institute at UH.

 

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

Confucius Day; September 28