We need to create a culture of innovation
Li Xing China Daily  Updated: 2006-02-23 05:40

Creativity and innovation have become two of the most popular catchwords nowadays in China.

In all the reports to the annual session of the provincial and autonomous legislatures, local governments announced their determination to strive for innovation as their new engine for economic and social development.

The National Guideline on Medium and Long-term Programme for Science and Technology Development (2006-20) also made stipulations to help realize the country's dream of becoming an innovation-oriented nation in 15 years.

What is an innovation-oriented nation?

The European TrendChart on Innovation, an initiative of the European Commission, Enterprise & Industry Directorate General, and Innovation Policy Development unit, has identified five key dimensions of innovation: innovation drivers, knowledge creation, innovation and entrepreneurship, applications and Intellectual Property Rights (IPR).

Leading Chinese institutions have adopted similar criteria to measure national and local performances in innovation.

They have pinpointed problems on a broad economic and social level, such as lack of financial input for scientific and technological research and application, inefficient IPR protection, and shortage of skilled workers as major stumbling barriers blocking China's path to innovation.

But the media have yet to examine the issue from an every-day level for the average Chinese citizen, such as whether there exists the social and educational environment in which creativity is encouraged.

Schools and the media may have ample examples to demonstrate how enthusiastic they have been in promoting the concept of innovation and encouraging creative activities. However, we cannot overlook the practices that endanger all the good efforts.

For instance, in schools, traditional rote training is still prevalent. An experienced teacher from a prominent middle school in Beijing told my friend that she should encourage her son to write on the same theme for his composition for every end-of-term examination. "Practice makes perfect," the teacher reasoned, citing how a student of hers obtained almost a full score in the national entrance examination for universities after the student polished the same story about rain and an umbrella for four years in a row.

Meanwhile, solid, down-to-earth original works have been overshadowed by copied and fake products, which quickly grab the market and make handsome economic returns.

For example, one publishing insider early this month revealed that a few so-called Chinese versions of South Korean novels were in fact copied from Korean-language websites based in South Korea.

The impulse to copy and mimic is so strong that some people don't even bother to check and use copied words or phrases correctly.

The other day, a DJ on a local radio station excitedly announced that since December, several blockbuster films had "PKed" Beijing. She used the exact English phrase in her narration.

The phrase "PK," or player-killer, is most commonly used nowadays in computer games as players are out to "kill" or defeat enemies. She used the phrase to describe films released to attract viewers and vie for box office returns.

The few examples cited here are not uncommon occurrences, however.

When repetition, shallowness and superficiality prevail in a society, it is hard to instil confidence and establish innovation and creativity as the social norm.

Email: lixing@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 02/23/2006 page4)