Research On The Inheritance Of Filial Piety Culture Of Chinese Rural Society

Since the21st century, the problems of rural population aging and rural hollowing have continued to be prominent. The urbanization process, as a sacred maxim, has been constantly eroding the rural society and weakening rural culture. In the frenzy of restlessness, a surge of modern passion seems to eradicate the root of rural area completely. However, rural society has always been an important stronghold for preserving and inheriting traditional cultures, among which filial piety culture is a significant part. In terms of supporting and revering the elderly, the role of rural society still has a great practical significance. In this research, Xiazhai village, Zheiang province, was chosen to be the field study site. By analyzing the inheritance of filial piety culture in Xiazhai village at first, the researcher constructed the "Consciousness-Activity-Space" framework that was based on rural value theory and discussed filial piety culture which was reflected in village building, drama, daily activity and custom, and rural space. Besides, by adopting social memory theory, the researcher connected the tradition and modern times, discussed the changes and stability of filial piety culture in this village, explained its dynamic nature, and formed a multi-perspective and dynamic picture of filial piety culture inheritance.In Xiazhai village, the awareness of filial piety culture was reflected in different levels, from material aspect, the civilian house, to spiritual aspect, such as Wuju opera and Daoqing art. By analyzing local building and drama, the researcher figured out their functions on inheriting filial piety culture and how they were connected with villagers. Custom is the reflection of villager’s consciousness and it is practiced in villager’s daily activity. In this research, three aspects, including activity and ceremony of festivals, weddings and funerals, and daily life, were discussed and the function of daily life activity and ceremony for preserving filial piety culture inheritance was pointed out. On this basis, the village space issue was explored, and the idea, that the village is a direct carrier space for above consciousness and activity and itself is a fundamental condition for filial piety culture preservation and inheritance, was generated. Furthermore, the relations between the space of Xiazhai village and factors like building, drama, and daily activity were studied, and an integral and interactive "Consciousness-Activity-Space" relation was presented. In the final part, conclusions of this research were concluded as the followed:multiple levels of filial piety culture carrier in Xiazhai village are conducive to its inheritance; the constantly changes of filial piety culture carrier caused by changes of Xiazhai village haven’t make filial piety culture disappear completely; the traditional filial piety culture will be reshaped in village, and its spontaneous recovery and self-organization can be easily accepted and spread by villagers; the filial piety culture of the village maintains the function of family supporting, and to some extent, of social endowment; the filial piety culture of Xiazhai village favors the confirmation and maintenance of rural social order. Basing on such conclusions, this research forecasted the inheritance of filial piety culture in the process of new rural construction, not only as a problem of elderly supporting, but also as an important factor for maintaining village order and harmony and even society harmony.