ABCs of KM

How to preserve the fading Chinese New Year spirit through knowledge management

With the rapid changes in modern society, the “sense of ceremony” of many traditional Chinese cultural practices seems to be gradually weakening. More and more cultural practices of the Spring Festival, which is regarded as the most important festival by the Chinese people, have been losing ground with some articles on the “dimming of the New Year’s atmosphere”.

As a result of urbanization and the dispersal of family members, as well as rapidly changing technology, the customs of New Year’s celebrations such as reunion dinners, firecrackers, and shopping for new clothes have been increasingly dissipated1 by video calls, the creation of a smoke-free environment, and the improvement of living standards. This valuable traditional cultural knowledge reflects not only the diminished importance that modern young people attach to Chinese New Year, but also the neglect of such knowledge at the family and social levels.

How to use knowledge management (KM) methods and strategies to preserve the precious cultural heritage of Chinese New Year and to reproduce the fading New Year’s atmosphere is the question that this article wants to address.

Historical Great Men
Historical Great Men (source: 麻辣话史, 20192).
The transmission of knowledge of the Spring Festival is a custom passed from one generation to the next. It is difficult to preserve these traditional cultures through a uniform standard because there are differences in each region and each family.

The application of KM theory in Chinese New Year customs is reflected in the explicit related knowledge such as cultural lectures and sources. On the other hand, the rich cultural connotations and the transmission of emotional values behind the customs, the transformation of this part of the tacit knowledge is also worthy of being preserved.

Polanyi developed the idea of tacit knowledge.
Polanyi developed the idea of tacit knowledge, as distinct from explicit knowledge (Polanyi, 19583; 19664) (image source: © Xiangyi Jiang, CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).
The following KM strategies can be applied:

1. Oral transmission and hands-on demonstration

An article published in the People’s Daily mentions that the inner core of the Spring Festival culture is reunion5. For centuries, the customs of the Spring Festival have been transmitted from the older generation of parents to the next generation through oral narratives. The origin and significance of Chinese New Year customs are passed on through their stories of their childhood experiences and interesting reminiscences.

At the same time, the reunion culture of the Spring Festival is also reflected in the elders’ hands-on demonstration of the New Year’s Eve dinner and their participation in traditional Spring Festival activities with the younger generation. Further interactive learning is achieved through the interaction between the two.

2. Cultural immersion and collective activities

During the Spring Festival, family members usually come together to organize various traditional activities. This collective atmosphere helps the younger generation to experience the Chinese New Year culture in an immersive way. Traditional activities, such as preparing the New Year’s Eve dinner and playing mahjong, are organized through the participation of family members. This not only conveys the warmth of the family but also a special exchange of emotions that can only be realized during this particular festival. Those who have been busy all year long and have not had the chance to express their feelings, family members who have not had the time to get together, and friends who have not seen each other for a long time. Almost everyone will feel the charm of culture during the special festival of Chinese New Year.

3. Socialized education

In ancient times, the warm atmosphere6 of Chinese New Year filled the streets and alleys, and some places would organize social events such as lion dances, parades, and lantern festivals. Education in schools and society can also spread the culture of Chinese New Year. For example, school performances and community-organized festive decorations can provide a broader exposure and learning opportunity for the younger generation.

Chinese New Year lion dance.
Chinese New Year lion dance (source: Shankar S. on Flickr, CC BY 2.0).

4. Social media

With the high speed of digitalization, people’s interest in the Chinese New Year is spreading very efficiently on the Internet and social media. During the Spring Festival period, all kinds of topics about traditional culture and customs will become hot topics, and with that comes the acquisition and sharing of Spring Festival culture from different channels.

More specifically, in the process of preserving Chinese New Year customs using a KM program. I want to take a specific family as a unit and see it as an organization where individual family organization members work together to achieve the goal of a happy and stable life through cooperation and life sharing.

The knowledge management (KM) plan

The KM Plan
The knowledge management (KM) plan (source: adapted from Ermine, 20137).
The specific KM plan processes include:

1. Knowledge identification

The application of this step can be seen when a family discusses plans and activities for the Chinese New Year together. For example, whether they need to prepare dishes and visit friends and relatives during Chinese New Year. In the preparation of these activities, the culture of Chinese New Year is identified.

2. Knowledge acquisition

As mentioned earlier, elders in the family can share their understanding and opinions about Chinese New Year customs, and family members can also acquire knowledge about Chinese New Year through the social environment and the Internet.

3. Knowledge codification

The best way to codify the knowledge of Chinese New Year practices in the family organization, in my opinion, is to record a video of the event or document the photos of the event. More importantly, it would be helpful to record the New Year’s Eve dinner recipes and other activities in order to codify this knowledge.

4. Knowledge storage

After acquiring the coded knowledge, saving them in the phone or placing the recipes, the knowledge is well stored.

5. Knowledge dissemination

The knowledge of Chinese New Year culture can be disseminated if the saved and recorded Chinese New Year activities and recipes are sent to family group chats via the Internet or social networking. With clear headings and categorization, it can become a Chinese New Year knowledge base for each member to view. At the same time, the knowledge of Chinese New Year culture among relatives can also be spread to each other, through or watching other users’ Chinese New Year life on the Internet.

6. Knowledge refinement

In the transmission of Chinese New Year culture, family members who have acquired this type of family Chinese New Year knowledge as described above need to break it down and fully grasp it. For example, the amount of ingredients in a New Year’s Eve dinner recipe, or the order in which the family is set up and the detailed plan for assigning tasks.

7. Knowledge application

With a detailed Chinese New Year plan in place, a family organization can begin to implement it in a way that it understands. Different cultural understandings will lead to different actions during the celebration of the festival.

8. Knowledge creation

As mentioned before, every family has a different Chinese New Year program and culture. Similarly, each person’s understanding also varies. As new family members join the family and life changes from year to year, the Chinese New Year culture will continue to incorporate new family traditions, and innovative cultural sharing will occur among families.

The Chinese New Year family tradition of making dumplings, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China, 2018.
The Chinese New Year family tradition of making dumplings, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China, 2018
(source © Bruce Boyes, CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).

To summarize, it is hoped that through effective knowledge management and strategies, China’s traditional culture can be preserved. At the same time, in line with the development of the times, this knowledge can be passed on well.

Article source: Adapted from How to Preserve the Fading Chinese New Year Spirit Through Knowledge Management prepared as part of the requirements for completion of course KM6304 Knowledge Management Strategies and Policies in the Nanyang Technological University Singapore Master of Science in Knowledge Management (KM).

Nanyang Technological University Singapore Master of Science in Knowledge Management (KM).

Header image: Chinese New Year family reunion dinner, Xiangcheng, Henan, China, 2008 (source © Bruce Boyes, CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).

References:

  1. Xinhuanet. (2018, February 21). Spring Festival Cultural Inheritance and Development Symposium Held in Beijing. Xinhuanet News. http://www.xinhuanet.com/politics/2018-02/21/c_1122433846.htm.
  2. 麻辣话史. (2019, June 30). Historical Great Men. Baidu Encyclopedia. https://wapbaike.baidu.com/tashuo/browse/content?id=f39dc6c70a2b3b40797679a9.
  3. Polanyi, M. (1958). Personal Knowledge: Towards a Post-Critical Philosophy. London: Routledge.
  4. Polanyi, M. (1966). The Tacit Dimension. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday.
  5. People’s Daily Online. (2023, January 20). Mass Cultural Festival Activities Are Rich and Colorful. People’s Daily. http://paper.people.com.cn/rmrb/html/2023-01/20/nw.D110000renmrb_20230120_2-15.htm.
  6. Xinhuanet. (2019, January 11). Spring Festival Customs | Seeking the Unchanging “New Year in the air”. Xinhuanet News. http://m.xinhuanet.com/sd/2019-01/11/c_1123975815.htm.
  7. Ermine, J. L. (2013). A Knowledge Value Chain for Knowledge Management. Journal of Knowledge & Communication Management, 3(2), 85-101. https://www.indianjournals.com/ijor.aspx?target=ijor:jkcm&volume=3&issue=2&article=001.
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Xiangyi (Shirley) Jiang

Xiangyi Jiang is a highly skilled and versatile professional with a rich education and international background in finance, marketing and data analysis. Xiangyi went to Canada from China in high school, and her long overseas life has enabled her to acquire a wide range of skills and perspectives. At the University of Toronto, she majored in finance and excelled in both academic research and practical operations. Out of her love for business knowledge and her understanding of the rapid development of information systems. After graduation, Xiangyi chose to continue her studies at Nanyang Technological University Singapore, majoring in knowledge management. During this period, she conducted in-depth research on information management systems, knowledge sharing mechanisms and organizational learning, and cultivated systematic thinking and innovation capabilities. This experience not only enriched her professional knowledge, but also profoundly influenced her values. Xiangyi accumulated practical experience during her studies, and has interned in many companies, participating in data analysis, project management and strategic planning. In the future, Xiangyi will continue to expand her international vision and conduct market trend analysis and strategic planning for clients. By optimizing information flow and knowledge sharing, she will enhance the innovation and competitiveness of the organization.

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