The Construction of Value Identity Through Ritual Education: Its Internal Logic and Practice Approach Based on a Case Study of Ritual Education in Jiangsu

Li Xin

Jiangsu Provincial Academy of Social Sciences

Abstract: Ritual education has become an important social approach to disciplining individuals and constructing value identity because of its unique attributes and its capacity to reshape individual behaviors and values through ritual practice. Only by properly grasping the internal logic of the construction of value identity through ritual education can we accurately identify problems arising from ritual education and put forward practical countermeasures and suggestions accordingly. Through the “eight etiquette rules and four ceremonies” campaign and the national memorial ceremony for the Nanjing Massacre victims, Jiangsu has accumulated rich experience in ritual education. Still, in theory, there remain misconceptions; in practice, old problems persist, such as the preference of form to content and lack of refinement and effective use of ritual symbols. The solution to these problems must be based on a thorough understanding of the internal logic of the construction of value identity through ritual education. It is also necessary to further improve ritual space, ritual practices, ritual symbols, and ritual themes to develop an exemplary Jiangsu approach to ritual education in China.

Keywords: ritual education, value identity, ritual practice, practice approach

Discipline and value identity are crucial to both a particular group and society as a whole. The formation of group consciousness and the maximization of group interests are only possible when everyone consciously abides by social norms and shares a value identity.

Ritual refers to a collection of symbols with expressive functions, and it is a symbolic and repetitive behavioral system that is highly pervasive and subject to specific social norms. Ritual education, with the aid of ritual practice and in the light of behavioral norms, is an important social means to discipline individuals and construct a value identity. Ritual education in China now falls into two categories: school-led ritual education (for students) and government/social organization-led ritual education (for all citizens).

School-led ritual education, which is characterized by patriotism, also involves rites of passage targeting different age groups. For example, there is a coming-of-age ritual education program①The coming-of-age ritual education (to prepare adolescents for turning 18) involves three steps: civic awareness education for the 16-year-olds about to receive the Resident Identity Card; volunteer service during the preparation for adulthood (i.e., transition from 16 to 18); and the coming-of-age oath ceremony in front of the national flag at the age of 18. The coming-of-age ritual education came out of the first session of the Huangdu Township Group Celebration of the 18th Birthday held by the Communist Youth League Committee of Huangdu Township, Jiading County, Shanghai Municipality, on April 29, 1990. With endorsements from the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (the CPC Central Committee) and the State Council, the celebration was successively included in several outlines and policies such as the “Outline on Conducting Patriotic Education in the New Era,” the “Program for Improving Civic Morality,” and in “Several Opinions of the CPC Central Committee on Further Strengthening and Improving the Ideological and Moral Construction of Minors.” The Central Committee of the Communist Youth League of China has also been attaching great importance to this campaign and has issued multiple documents to regulate the coming-of-age ritual education (to prepare adolescents for turning 18) so that this campaign can be promoted smoothly by local Communist youth leagues. Among those documents are the “Interim Opinions of the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League on Regulating the Coming-of-Age Ritual Education to Prepare Adolescents for Turning 18” (1996), the “Notice on Deepening the 1999 Coming-of-Age Ritual Education to Prepare High School Students for Turning 18” (1999), the “Notice on Continuing to Vigorously Promote the Coming-of-Age Ritual Education to Prepare Adolescents for Turning 18” (2000), the “Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League on Commending the 1999 Excellent National Organizers of Coming-of-Age Ritual Education to Prepare Adolescents for Turning 18” (2000), the “Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League on Commending the 2000 Excellent National Organizers of Coming-of-Age Ritual Education to Prepare Adolescents for Turning 18” (2001), as well as the “Notice on Deepening the 2002 Coming-of-Age Ritual Education to Prepare High School Students for Turning 18” (2002). The documents are combined to give a strong impetus to the development and popularization of coming-of-age ritual education (to prepare adolescents for turning 18) nationwide.designed to prepare high-school students for adulthood. Social organization-led ritual education covers a wide range of rituals and activities related to traditional Chinese culture and folkways, aiming to inspire a feeling of citizenship, promote traditional culture, and build cultural confidence. Some examples of such culture-themed rituals and activities include the New Year bell ringing and blessing ceremony and the dragon boat racing during the Dragon Boat Festival. Government-led ritual education is primarily patriotism-themed, consisting of commemorations and ceremonies to mark major historical events. Among them are the anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, the National Day celebration, and the national memorial ceremony for the Nanjing Massacre victims. It is fair to say that ritual education is an important way to improve the citizenship of a country and a key part of social life.

Jiangsu is among the best provinces in China for economic growth and cultural development. It is a major province with abundant educational resources and a clear competitive edge in education. There is a well-known saying that “education in Jiangsu is among the top in China.” Jiangsu has attached great importance to ritual education for a long time and has accumulated valuable experience in this regard. Still, its ritual education is not without problems, and some problems are, in fact, typical of ritual education in China. A review of the development of ritual education in Jiangsu can help identify such problems and put forward practical countermeasures and suggestions. This move is of great relevance to the further promotion of ritual education and the building of a broader value identity across China at a time when “the world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century.”

The Internal Logic of the Construction of Value Identity Through Ritual Education

Ritual education has become an important social approach to disciplining individuals and constructing value identity because of its unique properties and its capacity to reshape individual behavior and values through ritual practice. Only by properly grasping the internal logic of the construction of value identity through ritual education can we accurately identify problems arising from ritual education and put forward practical countermeasures and suggestions accordingly. Thus, to explore ritual education, we should begin with the internal logic of the construction of value identity through ritual education.

The healthy and orderly development of human society depends on the degree of socialization of the individuals within the society. The socialization of individuals is mainly manifested in two basic forms, namely, passive socialization and active socialization. Passive socialization is a process in which society regulates individual behaviors in various ways to conform them to social norms. Active socialization is a process through which individuals become motivated to shape themselves into what others want them to be and act on it. Didactic teaching as a passive tradition may reflect the passive socialization of individuals, while ritual education, by virtue of its strong physical participation, acts as a catalyst for transforming individuals from passive to active players in socialization.

One key feature of ritual practice is “physical presence.” When a ritual is in progress, its discourse is artificially encoded into a highly stylized series of postures, gestures, and other body movements. Such highly stylized movements shape human memories and expressions and define in an abstract way individual existence and self-presentation in reality. Through such a series of postures, gestures, and other body movements, “physical presence” makes specific behavioral norms and value identity visible and palpable.

In ritual education, “physical presence” first concerns certain ritual space, which is a specific form of spatial taming by society. Ritual is an important sequence of social interactions. Its practice reflects the relational being of individuals in the social order and the social discipline for individuals through spatial order. Ritual space is an epitome of social order on which a ritual is based and a carrier of social discipline.

According to Karl Marx (1845), “The human essence is no abstraction inherent in each single individual. In its reality it is the ensemble of the social relations.” The relational being of individuals is reflected by both social order and spatial form to which social order is attached. This spatial form can either refer to the entire social form on the macro level or to the living or activity space on the micro level. Space defines the objects therein, the relationship between/among the objects, as well as the value judgments and behavioral norms of the people therein. As there is a variety of intertwined spatial forms, individuals need to have a clear idea of the spatial forms they are in and their spatial rules and adjust their behaviors accordingly.

The establishment and evolution of social order depend on its corresponding spatial order. A society is a group of people who share a common culture, religious belief, value identity, or spatial territory. Ties within or between those groups can be strong or loose. Such different affinities manipulate people’s spatial preferences, which in turn shape the social functions and spatial composition of buildings and thereby form a definite and recognizable spatial order.

Societies change and grow, they are transformed from within and adapt to pressures and influences from without. Objective conceptions of space and time must change to accommodate new material practices of social reproduction. (Harvey, 2015, p. 253)

Due to the continuous expansion of human living space, new spatial forms keep emerging, and they overlap and interact with each other to form an increasingly complex socio-spatial order.

In ritual education, role-playing is an important result of “physical presence,” and it is key to the transformation of individuals from passive to active players in socialization through social discipline.

In social life, everyone is given a specific social role, and each role has its own specific code of conduct. By accepting and playing the predefined roles, participants actively embark on a process of self-discipline and self-categorization. As ritual practice is highly stylized and symbolic, its nature of “performance” is self-explanatory. Ritual space is a relatively closed stage where each participant is assigned a role to play according to established fixed procedures. The smooth progress of ritual practice relies on the joint effort of all participants to play their roles according to the established “script.” The relatively closed space and fixed roles, along with spatial regeneration, make ritual practice a crucial way to cultivate discipline. In ritual practice, spatial taming belongs to passive socialization, in which external forces discipline individuals and reshape their relational being through the construction of ritual space, whereas role-playing belongs to active socialization, in which individuals take the initiative to be disciplined and socialized.

InThePresentation of Self in Everyday Life, Erving Goffman argued:

When an individual plays a part he implicitly requests his observers to take seriously the impression that is fostered before them. They are asked to believe that the character they see actually possesses the attributes he appears to possess, that the task he performs will have the consequences that are implicitly claimed for it, and that, in general, matters are what they appear to be. (Goffman, 2008, p. 15)

The key to role-playing lies in the delivery of impressive performance capable of convincing others. To this end, one must act in accordance with character design and make sure that one’s words, gestures, and moves all conform to social norms.

Social discipline for individuals is not just about introducing and teaching a series of special languages and gestures but also about constructing a close and stable one-to-one match between these special languages/gestures and human bodies so that these details form an important basis of embodied cognition. Through repeated “acting training” day after day, individuals gradually have various details internalized, thus acquiring body memory and muscle memory and making the role a “perfect fit” for corresponding social norms.

Apart from role-playing, “physical presence” in ritual education also offers the possibility of building an emotional connection.

Ritual practices in the social dimension are highly stylized group behaviors.

(It) is an important mechanism, for it automatizes and dis-individualizes power. Power has its principle not so much in a person as in a certain concerted distribution of bodies, surfaces, lights, and gazes; in an arrangement whose internal mechanisms produce the relation in which individuals are caught up. (Foucault, 2019, p. 217)

Under the guidance of specific ritual procedures and the pressure of self-evaluation for self-identity, individuals are subject to strict behavioral constraints and show a high degree of consistency in emotional changes or fluctuations, making it possible to build an emotional connection on the broadest possible basis.

In ritual practice, participants’ emotional connections, which are built on “empathy” arising from ritual interactions, are also a critical driving force behind individuals’ active internalizations of social discipline. There is a neuron called a mirror neuron that is directly observed in humans. This neuron “mirrors” the behavior of the other, as though the observer were itself acting. Empathy is a driving force that enables us to adapt and change based on our own experiences. “Without empathy, we would not be able to connect to each other in any meaningful way, nor would we have the desire or inclination to care for each other” (Ciaramicoli & Ketcham, 2019, p. 26). Humans have a genetic predisposition or inherent desire to seek empathy and friendship with other persons or species. It is this desire that makes humans open their hearts to those with similar feelings, become dependent on them, and act in concert with them. In short, empathy is the emotional basis of role-playing in ritual practice.

During ritual practice, for external spatial taming and individual role-playing alike, collective attention-generated emotional connections impel individuals to behave in accordance with social norms. Mutual imitation of actions, emotional connections, and self-categorizations for social identity are all unique attributes that determine ritual education as an important approach to the construction of value identity and form the internal logic of ritual education as a catalyst for developing values.

Ritual Education in Jiangsu: Development Status and Practical Difficulties

Ritual education in Jiangsu, which is similar to that in other provinces of China, falls into two categories by organizer: school-led ritual education (for students) and government/social organization-led ritual education (for all citizens). School-led ritual education in Jiangsu mainly involves a variety of patriotism-themed activities, such as the national flag-raising ceremony, the initiation ceremony for new Young Pioneers of China, the initiation ceremony for new members of the Chinese Communist Youth League, and the memorial ceremony for the martyrs.

In 2014, the office of the Steering Committee for Ethical and Cultural Progress of Jiangsu province strengthened the promotion of civility among minors. To this end, they formulated and issued the “Opinions on Introducing Civility Education for Minors in Jiangsu Province” and the “Basic Etiquette Rules for Minors in Jiangsu Province” and launched the “eight etiquette rules and four ceremonies”①The “eight etiquette rules” include: a) appearance etiquette (clean face, proper dressing, neat hairstyle, and graceful manner); b) ceremonial etiquette (salute by the rules, standing in awe, preservation of grave and dignified bearing, and observance of customs and conventions), c) speech etiquette (use of polite language, keeping calm, listening with patience, and interaction with sincerity and friendliness), d) social etiquette (respect of teachers and seniors, maintenance of good partnerships, exercise of tolerance and comity, and treatment of others in good faith), e) road etiquette (compliance with traffic rules, avoidance of traffic conflicts by “yielding, slowing down, and stopping,” helping the old and the weak, and seat offer to those in need), f) sightseeing etiquette (cherishing of landscape and cultural relics, respect of folkways, and abidance by social ethics), g) travel etiquette (observance of public order, protection of environment, attentive appreciation, and polite applause), and h) table etiquette (attention to hygiene, cherishing of food, reduction of food waste, and elegant eating). The “four ceremonies” include the matriculation ceremony (for seven-year-olds), growth ceremony (for 10-year-olds), adolescence ceremony (for 14-year-olds), and coming-of-age ceremony (for 18-year-olds).campaign. The steering committee also introduced corresponding implementation rules and performance indicators for schools. This initiative has become a highlight of ritual education in Jiangsu over the past years.

After several years of promotion, the “eight etiquette rules and four ceremonies” campaign is now an important part of ritual education in primary and secondary schools of Jiangsu. This campaign pays great attention to details of life and is easy to perform and evaluate. Also, it allows minors to appreciate the beauty of etiquette through daily bits and pieces and to develop civilized habits by osmosis. Having contributed significantly to the improvement of ritual education and cultural ethos of Jiangsu, this campaign is critically acclaimed in society.

Government/social organization-led ritual education (for all citizens) in Jiangsu aims to promote traditional culture and build cultural confidence and covers a wide range of rituals and activities related to traditional Chinese culture and folkways. Every year when the Laba Festival②The most important day of the twelfth month of the Chinese lunar year is the eighth day, which was known as “l(fā)a-ri” in ancient China and has been popularly referred to as the Laba Festival. Before the Qin dynasty, the Laba Festival was mainly about the worship of ancestors and gods, as well as the celebration of the new harvest and prosperity. After Buddhism spread to China during the first century, the festival on the eighth day of the twelfth month was used as a commemoration of Gautama Buddha’s enlightenment at the age of 35. Since then, the Laba Festival has also been celebrated by Buddhists as the Buddha’s Enlightenment Day.comes, the Laba congee-giving ceremony is staged in major temples (the Jiming Temple, the Xuanzang Temple, the Pilu Temple, etc.) in Nanjing. Also, on New Year’s Eve and during the Spring Festival, there is usually a bellringing and blessing ceremony held at famous cultural attractions (the Xuanzang Temple, the Qixia Temple, the Jiming Temple, the Pilu Temple, the Tianfei Palace, etc.) in Nanjing. These ceremonial activities have increased cultural diversity for local people and promoted traditional culture, playing an important role in building a sense of cultural identity and cultural confidence.

Moreover, Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu province, regularly holds the annual national memorial ceremony for the Nanjing Massacre victims as an important part of ritual education in Jiangsu. This annual memorial ceremony, in the strict sense, came out of a memorial service for the Nanjing Massacre victims held in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, on December 13, 1994. Its ritual procedures include speeches by relevant officials, air defense warnings, wreath-laying, and peace bell striking. On February 27, 2014, the seventh Meeting of the Standing Committee of the 12th National People’s Congress adopted a resolution to proclaim December 13 as the day of the national memorial ceremony for the Nanjing Massacre victims. Following that, the first national memorial ceremony was held at the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders in Nanjing on December 13, 2014. The national memorial ceremony for the Nanjing Massacre victims has since been held annually in accordance with highly standardized ritual procedures at the same memorial hall on December 13.

Take the first national memorial ceremony (in 2014) as an example. Its ritual procedures in sequence are as follows: a) a military band began their performance, and the whole audience sang the national anthem in unison; b) an air defense warning went off at the ceremony, and all stood in silent tribute; c) soldiers laid wreaths in memory of the victims of the Nanjing Massacre to requiem music; d) teenagers read out a declaration of peace; e) President Xi Jinping, together with the representatives of the Nanjing Massacre survivors and the representatives of the Young Pioneers, unveiled the Public Memorial Tripod①Note: This procedure (i.e., procedure “e”) only existed in the first national memorial ceremony, which Xi Jinping attended as General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, President of the People’s Republic of China, and Chairman of the CPC Central Military Commission.; f) the CPC and state leaders on scene delivered speeches; and g) (six) representatives from Nanjing rang the peace bell while (3,000) doves were released into the air.

In general, Jiangsu has been advancing ritual education in three dimensions: a minorsoriented dimension, a citizens-oriented dimension, and a social dimension. Minors-oriented ritual education relies primarily on the “eight etiquette rules and four ceremonies” campaign. Citizensoriented ritual education is facilitated by public cultural services. Society-oriented ritual education is based on the annual national memorial ceremony for the Nanjing Massacre victims to advocate patriotism and peace. Through unremitting effort, Jiangsu has made substantial achievements and accumulated valuable experience in ritual education, but problems remain.

First, there are misconceptions of the rituals themselves, resulting in a superficial knowledge of the internal logic of ritual education.

Although ritual education is widely accepted as an important approach to the construction of value identity, little is known about how ritual education enables individuals to change their attitudes and develop their values in both mind and practice. Some even believe that value identity comes into being naturally as ritual practice occurs more frequently.

In fact, individuals may conduct a self-evaluation to gain social recognition, or they may act in accordance with social norms due to social pressure, or out of an emotional connection in a particular context. Such actions are only prompt responses made by individuals to a particular social context for public self-image purposes and shall not be deemed their heartfelt identification with important social norms or value judgments based on their private selfconcepts. Given that, ritual practice enables individuals to share values while receiving social discipline only through a change of individual attitudes. Any change of attitude, however, is a rather complicated process, which involves the inheritance and continuation of ritual symbols, the shaping of individual behaviors in accordance with social norms, and the exertion of influence on individual attitudes through individual behaviors to build a value identity compliant with social norms. We must have a thorough understanding of the internal logic of the construction of value identity through ritual education if we want to make the most of ritual practice to nurture core socialist values.

Second, ritual participants are less motivated, preferring form to content.

Misconceptions about the intrinsic mechanisms of rituals often lead to ritual organizers’ placement of too much emphasis on their own dominance while ignoring the part of participants in ritual practices. As a result, participants become less motivated, preferring form to content, and ritual education faces the risk of being reduced to a mere formality full of sanctimonious clichés.

The ultimate goal of ritual education is to build an emotional connection among participants on the broadest possible basis and transform this emotional connection into a value identity. Emotional connections depend on emotional interactions, and the ritual itself is an interactive process. Interactions allow us to feel each other’s emotional changes and develop empathy, for which reason it is a prerequisite for constructing a value identity.

Third, there is a lack of refinement and effective use of ritual symbols.

According to Randall Collins:

High levels of emotional entrainment-collective effervescence-are ephemeral. How long will the solidarity and the emotional mood last? This depends on the transformation of shortterm emotions into long-term emotions, which is to say, the extent to which they are stored in symbols that re-invoke them. Symbols, in turn, differ as to what kind of group solidarity they invoke, and thus what symbolic/emotional memories or meanings will do in affecting group interactions, and personal identities in future situations. (Collins, 2012, p. 125)

Thus, ritual symbols are key to invoking group solidarity and transforming short-term emotions into long-term emotions. Ritual symbols are created as a special bond to help pass down memories and maintain solidarity and emotional moods. But, at least for now, ritual education in Jiangsu and even the whole country is compromised by a lack of refinement and effective use of ritual symbols. Even for such an important ceremony as the national memorial ceremony for the Nanjing Massacre victims, there is still much room for improvement in the creation of ritual symbols.

The Jiangsu Approach to the Construction of Value Identity Through Ritual Education

To promote the development of ritual education and improve its effectiveness, we must first have a good understanding of the basic characteristics of rituals and the internal logic of the construction of a value identity through ritual education. In view of the problems arising from ritual education in Jiangsu and the characteristics of ritual education itself, more efforts should be made in four main aspects to advance ritual education in Jiangsu.

Further Strengthening the Building of Ritual Space to Create a Space System for Ritual Education with Characteristics Unique to Jiangsu

As aforementioned, ritual space is an epitome of social order on which a ritual is based and a carrier of social discipline. The establishment and evolution of social order depend on its corresponding spatial order. Throughout human history, almost all important rituals and ceremonies have been held in their own separate special spaces. For example, a church, which is a building used for Christian worship services and other Christian religious activities, is one of the most ceremonial spaces. The whole church space, including all details from the exterior to the interior, is designed to manifest the Christian social order, define the relationship between the congregation and God, and regulate the congregation’s behavior.

Regions with favorable conditions in Jiangsu should be encouraged to create special spaces for ritual education in accordance with corresponding value orientations and educational objectives. Through spatial details, a ritual space conveys various symbols and metaphors as psychological cues to participants to achieve the goal of value transmission.

Improving the Role-Playing of Ritual Practice to Develop an Immersive Model of Ritual Education in Jiangsu

The degree of individual participation in a ritual practice determines how a person recognizes and feels about the value conveyed by a ritual. Thus, role-playing is key to the transformation of individuals from passive to active players in socialization. For this reason, in a campaign on CPC history learning and education, participants are required to embark on a new Long March, eating what the Red Army soldiers used to eat and wearing what they wore. Through these stylized actions, they play the role of the Red Army soldiers. Such role-playing, which is detail-oriented, can help people today to appreciate the valuable spirit of the Red Army, that is, “fearlessness, sacrifice, perseverance, bravery, toughness, and enterprise.”

The greatest strength of role-playing is that it can break the limits of time and space in both mind and behavior to the maximum extent and facilitate heart-felt communications and understanding. Role-playing is vital to the effectiveness of ritual education. Therefore, Jiangsu should take the initiative to improve the role-playing of ritual practice and the presentation of ritual education to develop an immersive model.

Advancing the Creation of Ritual Symbols to Prepare Jiangsu for Building an Emotional Connection in Ritual Education

Ritual practice is an emotionally interactive process. “At the center of an interaction ritual is the process in which participants develop a mutual focus of attention and become entrained in each other’s bodily micro-rhythms and emotions” (Collins, 2012, p. 47). The concrete expression of this “mutual focus of attention” is a ritual symbol. Most ritual symbols “consist of ‘condensation’ symbols, which Sapir defines as ‘highly condensed forms of substitutive behavior for direct expression, allowing for the ready release of emotional tension in the conscious or unconscious form’” (Turner, 2012, p. 36). Ritual symbols are important ritual outcomes that serve to invoke memories and emotional connections in ritual practice.

The creation of ritual symbols has remained a weak spot in ritual education in China. To some extent, this weakness affects the effectiveness of ritual education, particularly memorial ceremonies like the national memorial ceremony for the Nanjing Massacre victims. The primary function of commemorative ceremonies is to pass down memories and construct value. Ritual symbols, which are important parts of commemorative ceremonies, are highly condensed forms of substitutive behavior for direct expression. Rich in symbolic meanings, ritual symbols are created as a special bond to help pass down memories and maintain solidarity and emotional moods. It is only through ritual symbols that rituals are long preserved in the cultural structure of human beings and become an important way to pass down memories.

A review of memorial ceremonies with international influence testifies to the irreplaceable role of unique ritual symbols in raising the profile of those ceremonies.

One example is the Red Poppy (AKA remembrance poppy)①At its conference in 1920, the (National) American Legion adopted the red poppy as their official symbol of remembrance., an artificial flower often worn on clothing leading up to Remembrance Day (on November 11th) in Commonwealth member states to commemorate their military personnel who died in the war. The origin of the Red Poppy as a national symbol of remembrance can be traced back to the World War I poem “In Flanders Fields,” written by Canadian physician John McCrae on May 3, 1915 and later published on December 8, 1915. This poem is one of the most quoted literary works from the war and is frequently used at memorial ceremonies. Because of its references to the red poppies growing over the graves of fallen soldiers, the Red Poppy became a widely recognized memorial symbol in many countries for soldiers killed in the conflict. The Red Poppy symbol has helped build an emotional connection on the broadest possible basis.

These special ritual symbols are of great significance to the construction of value identity through ritual education. At present, there are only a few ritual symbols (e.g., the date “12.13”) for the national memorial ceremony for the Nanjing Massacre victims. These ritual symbols have not yet been widely recognized by the public or generated any far-reaching impact. To date, they have failed to raise the international profile of this national memorial ceremony. There is a need to further study the Nanjing Massacre to help solidify the ritual symbols of its memorial ceremony at the state level. Also, we should improve its design and standardize its application scope, methods, and approaches according to actual needs.

Striving to Institutionalize Ritual Themes to Highlight the Value Development of Ritual Education in Jiangsu

The annual national memorial ceremony for the Nanjing Massacre victims is by far the highest-profile and most influential form of ritual education in Jiangsu. Now that this national memorial ceremony has become a major commemoration with international influence, it is important for the organizers to follow the international practice and create an annual theme for this commemorative series.

As aforementioned, it is an international practice to create a theme for a major commemorative series. Take the International Holocaust Remembrance Day [ On January 27, 1945, the Soviet Red Army entered Auschwitz, Poland, and liberated the survivors of that network of concentration camps], January 27th, as an example. There is a specific theme for the event each year. For example, the theme of the 2018 Holocaust memorial ceremony was “Holocaust Remembrance and Education: Our Shared Responsibility.” “The theme highlights the universal dimension of the Holocaust and encourages education on this tragedy so that future generations will firmly reject all forms of racism, violence, and anti-Semitism” (UN, 2018).

For a major commemorative series, its theme is designed to help develop a “mutual focus of attention” and build an emotional connection effectively. So far, no definite theme has been identified for the national memorial ceremony for the Nanjing Massacre victims and related commemorative activities. The lack of a theme makes it difficult to highlight this commemorative series. If this commemorative series continues to be themeless, its contribution to patriotic and peace education will be compromised, and attention fatigue will occur among the public, which will be detrimental to its continuation and promotion. It is thus necessary to institutionalize the creation of themes for this commemorative series. The creation of themes should be carefully considered and developed so they can maximize both the significance of the Nanjing Massacre and its cultural implications.

Conclusion

The healthy and orderly development of society requires the harmonious unity of value rationality and instrumental rationality. In today’s world of pervasive instrumental rationality, the feasibility of almost any action can be determined through the calculation of benefits. The abuse of instrumental rationality has plunged humans into a quagmire of self-interest, which inevitably leads to a decline in social morality. The regression to value rationality can help restore people’s faith, which is expected to rekindle their common hopes and dreams for a better world and impel them to fight for it. As ritual practice is a major approach to the construction of value identities in human societies, how to give play to ritual education in shaping dominant value identities in line with the common interests of mankind in today’s complex and globalized world has become a critical issue that every region, nation, and neighborhood must face.

The emergence and continuation of rituals are driven by the common human quest for intrinsic identity and the predictability of self-development, as well as by biological and natural phenomena. Rituals can connect the past, present, and future to achieve continuity. A continuity that supports a common belief that certain ideas and thoughts can be passed on from generation to generation through rituals. All rituals (including the national memorial ceremony for the Nanjing Massacre victims, the “eight etiquette rules and four ceremonies,” festivals, and traditional rites) reflect people’s aspirations for a better life, greater morality, and a brighter future. There is no denying that rituals and ritual education will continue to change with the times in terms of notion and approach. Only by thoroughly grasping the internal logic of the construction of value identity through ritual education can we find the essential patterns of ritual evolution and ritual education in the future.

Rituals originated in primitive man’s worship of nature and have evolved with human societies ever since. Humans have gone through the initial worship of nature to the worship of totems, and then to totemism before eventually shaping their values and beliefs. This long process is not only about the symbolization of things, but also about the solidification of value identities and behavioral norms. Ritual education involves external spatial taming, spontaneous individual roleplaying, and ultimately the formation of common value identities. In ritual education, individuals who are driven by a desire for social identity and self-realization transform from passive to active players in socialization, becoming strong advocates of core social values and staunch defenders of group interests. “The rite [ritual] serves and can serve only to sustain the vitality of these beliefs, to keep them from being effaced from memory and, in sum, to revivify the most essential elements of the collective consciousness” (Durkheim, 2018, p. 518).

Value rationality goes for beliefs, which, however, does not mean absolute anti-utilitarianism, but emphasizes the balance of short-term and long-term interests and the harmony of the part (individuals) and the whole for win-win results. Currently, mankind is tested by the COVID-19 pandemic, which is still running rampant worldwide. At this critical stage, we must adhere to the right values, make every effort to safeguard the common interests of mankind, and consciously regulate individual behaviors. By doing so, we can expect to build a harmonious international community and achieve win-win results.