Kneeling down to teachers: sign of shame or respect?

A group of photos showing students worshipping their teachers on bended knees on the opening day of Beijing Phoenix Mountain Academy prompted heated debate among Chinese netizens.

Some netizens said kowtowing is an outdated part of traditional Chinese culture which should be abandoned and some even say the behavior is a total "shame".

Han Guodong, the academic dean of the academy, explained that netizens misinterpreted the meaning of kowtow. Actually, they intend to use this action to show great respect to teachers and their teaching, which is based on the master-apprentice relationships from traditional Chinese culture.

The picture on the Internet, taken on Oct 28 which has been confirmed by Han Guodong, shows students in grey long gowns with both knees bent on the ground as they kowtow to their teachers, who sit on chairs wearing black gowns with red collars.

As part of the ceremony, the students also held up tea bowls and offered tea to their teachers. Netizens pointed out that Yang Xiaoyang, head of the China National Academy of Painting, was also seen among the teachers who received the gesture.

According to Beijing News, Han Guodong said, "Yang Xiaoyang at first refused to accept the kowtow, and said that as an public officer, the etiquette can be removed. Only after we explained to him the meaning of the behavior, then he agreed."

Han said, "The etiquette originated from Confucianism. In ancient times, apprentices had to kneel down and thank their masters before they started learning handicrafts. This is a commitment that the apprentices show their determination to learn from teachers and teachers show their sincerity to impart knowledge. This committee is sacred and lofty and both sides conduct the ceremony voluntarily."

A netizen named He Gang commented, "Kneeling is not the essence of traditional Chinese culture, and is a reflection of inequality between people, which should be swept away."

Another nitizen said, "Teachers from the academy are passing on modern civilization to students, while at the same time they are accepting students' kowtow, shouldn't they feel ashamed?"

While some people commented that this should be a good thing which aims to revive traditional etiquette and promote respect for teachers and education. Though the protocols now are not very standardized, it is good start and we should support it.

A student at the academy, surnamed Lin, who was among those who kowtowed, said, "I kneeled down to worship my teacher's personal charisma and show my respect for the tradition. Those people who critised just don't understand the real meaning."

Another student, surnamed Wu, who is Yang Xiaoyang's student, holds the view that teacher is like a father, and that the etiquette helps form commitment and obligation between the two sides.

He said that, "We are not just worshipping our teachers, but more importantly, we are worshipping the long lost traditional culture."