A demonstration of benevolence and good will in Shanghai yesterday: the tens, perhaps hundreds, of thousands of people who came out to mourn those killed in a horrific building fire last week. Adam Minter, of Shanghai Scrap, captures the spontaneous reverence:
What I did sense, what I will not forget, was the rhythm to this procession. For the last long block, as the procession slowed, we began this odd stutter-step: we would walk five or six steps, and then we’d come to a dead stop, pause for ten seconds or so, and then start the cycle against, five, six steps. Nobody said anything, nobody was pushing ahead – rather, the crowd seemed to accept this odd, almost reverential step. As we moved slowly along, it took on a life of its own, almost like a mourning dance. I’ve never experienced anything quite like it. I wish i could explain it. But, when we reached the intersection beneath the burnt-out building, there was nothing and nobody directing this movement – we just flowed into what felt like a sacred space, with a brief admonition – quite right – that I should remove my hat before proceeding further. I laid my flowers atop a pile of thousands of bouquets, extending in two directions, for two blocks....
This is what Confucius worked to achieve: an attention to proper behavior so consistent and intense that it eventually produces a near automatic moral response. Everyone just knew that some commemoration was needed; and everyone just flowed into and along with the communal expression of condolence. Of course, Confucius would expect this kine of ethical focus everyday in everything that we do, which seems impossible for a modern metropolis like Shanghai. But for a time yesterday that great city came close to that Confucian ideal, and we should take note of it.
Marta Cooper also has an eyewitness account in English; ChinaSmack has pictures from earlier in the week. And Danwei has coverage, including some of the political implications of the fire.
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