聊聊龍年積木
龐進
友人為孩子買了一套樂高公司（LEGO）推出的龍年積木玩具，發(fā)來圖片，希望我能從龍文化的角度聊聊。我即上網，搜看了相關資料，賞析、研思了一番，覺得可以說四點：
第一，龍年積木突出了一個“?！弊??！案！痹跐h語中，若作名詞，意為吉祥、幸運、順遂、富貴、壽考；若作動詞，意為賜福、造福、保佑?！案Ｉ奔础霸旄１娚保驱埖幕镜?、核心的精神和重要功能。無論是作為興云布雨、除旱排澇的水利神、農業(yè)神，還是作為顯靈征瑞的吉祥神、祖先神、民族神，龍都以造福眾生為根本使命。這套積木以“祥龍納福”為名，說明樂高公司決策層、設計者，對龍福生的精神和功能，認知是到位的。
第二，龍的另一個基本精神是“容合”，即“兼容、包容、綜合、化合”。龍是中華先民對自然界中的多種動物和天象經過多元容合而發(fā)明、展現的神物。容合的精神給人以方法論的啟示，即主動地“兼容、包容、綜合、化合”以創(chuàng)造新的可以“福生”的事物。龍年積木之“積”，意為“聚集”，“聚集”的對象，包括龍的角、眉、眼、耳、鼻、髭、口、舌、牙、脊、腹、鱗、爪、尾，及掌中的水晶、足下的云團、站立的巖石、石下的浪花，乃至“聚集”者的想象、動手、審美的能力等。積木通過“拼搭”而造型，這“聚集”“拼搭”，都意味著“容合”，都是“容合”精神的外顯、體現、形象化。
第三，龍年積木有益于孩子們和家長們，了解、學習、傳承、弘揚龍文化乃至相關的中華文化。龍年積木的廣告語中講，這套具有象征意義的龍年積木，可以“激發(fā)孩子的想象力，為家庭對話提供話題和機會”。孩子們玩這套積木時，自然會詢問家長：龍是怎么回事？為什么自然界里看不到？為什么漢語里有那么多含龍字的成語？為什么華人稱自己是“龍的傳人”？……家長們要準確、全面地回答這些問題，就得了解、學習龍文化以及相關的中華文化，這對龍文化乃至相關的中華文化的傳承和弘揚無疑是有益的。
第四，總部在丹麥的樂高公司，是全球知名的玩具制造廠商，至今已有九十多年的發(fā)展史。在歐美家庭，樂高玩具一直享有很高的聲譽，即使在亞洲，也有相當多的用戶。在中國甲辰龍年到來之際，樂高公司推出龍年積木玩具，既說明樂高公司的決策層和設計者對中華龍文化有比較到位的了解和認知，也說明中華龍文化具有全球性的審美價值和廣泛、深遠的影響力，以及可觀的商業(yè)回報。我曾言“龍文化既是根源文化，也是標志文化；既是傳統文化，也是時尚文化；既是物質文化，也是精神文化；既是中國文化，也是世界文化”，龍年積木玩具的面世和在全球各地的熱銷，為我的說法提供了一個證明。
2024年1月27日于加拿大楓華閣
作者簡介：龐進 龍鳳文化研究專家、作家、龍鳳國際聯合會主席、中華龍文化協會名譽主席、中華龍鳳文化研究中心主任、西安日報社高級編輯。中國作家協會會員，陜西省作家協會理事，陜西省社會科學院特約研究員，中華龍鳳文化網（www.loongfeng.org）主編，加拿大西安大略出版社副總編輯。20世紀70年代開始從事文學創(chuàng)作和文化研究，至今已發(fā)表各類作品逾千萬字，出版《創(chuàng)造論》《中國龍文化》《中國鳳文化》《中國祥瑞》《靈樹婆娑》《龐進文集》等著作四十多種，獲首屆中國冰心散文獎、首屆陜西民間文藝山花獎、西安市社會科學優(yōu)秀成果一等獎等獎項八十多次。有“龍文化當代十杰”之譽。微信號：pang_jin
ChatGPT:
Let's talk about the Loong Year building blocks
Pang Jin
A friend bought his child a set of Loong Year building blocks from LEGO, and sent me pictures, hoping I could talk about it from the perspective of loong culture. After searching online and reviewing the relevant information, I think there are four points to make:
Firstly, the Loong Year building blocks highlight the character "福" (Fu). In Chinese, "Fu" as a noun means auspiciousness, luck, smoothness, wealth, and longevity; as a verb, it means to bless or to bring happiness. "Fu Sheng," meaning "bringing happiness to all beings," encapsulates the loong's fundamental spirit and important function. Whether as a water-control deity bringing rain, an agricultural god, or as a symbol of good fortune, ancestral spirit, or national spirit, the loong's primary mission is to bring happiness to all beings. The naming of these blocks as "Auspicious Loong Brings Fortune" shows that LEGO's decision-makers and designers have a proper understanding of the loong's spirit and function.
Secondly, another fundamental spirit of the loong is "Rong He" (integration), meaning "compatibility, inclusiveness, synthesis, and amalgamation." The loong in Chinese culture is a divine creature invented and displayed through the integration of various animals and celestial phenomena by our ancestors. This spirit of integration offers methodological inspiration, suggesting the creation of new, beneficial things through active "compatibility, inclusiveness, synthesis, and amalgamation." The "building" in the Loong Year building blocks implies "gathering," including the loong's horns, eyebrows, eyes, ears, nose, whiskers, mouth, tongue, teeth, spine, belly, scales, claws, tail, the crystal in its hand, the clouds beneath its feet, the standing rocks, the waves under the rock, and even the imagination, manual skills, and aesthetic abilities of the assembler. The assembly and modeling of the building blocks signify "integration," manifesting and embodying the spirit of integration.
Thirdly, the Loong Year building blocks are beneficial for children and parents to understand, learn, inherit, and promote loong culture and related Chinese culture. The advertisement for these blocks says that they "stimulate children's imagination and provide topics and opportunities for family conversation." When playing with these blocks, children will naturally ask their parents: What is a loong? Why can't we see it in nature? Why are there so many Chinese idioms with the word loong? Why do Chinese people call themselves "descendants of the loong "? To answer these questions accurately and comprehensively, parents need to understand, learn about loong culture and related Chinese culture, which undoubtedly benefits the inheritance and promotion of loong culture and related Chinese culture.
Fourthly, LEGO, headquartered in Denmark, is a globally renowned toy manufacturer with a history of over ninety years. LEGO toys have always enjoyed a high reputation in European and American households, and they also have a considerable number of users in Asia. The launch of the Loong Year building blocks by LEGO on the occasion of the Chinese Jia Chen Loong Year shows that LEGO's decision-makers and designers have a good understanding and recognition of Chinese loong culture. It also shows that Chinese loong culture has global aesthetic value and widespread, profound influence, as well as significant commercial returns. I have said before, " Loong culture is not only a root culture but also a symbol culture; not only a traditional culture but also a fashion culture; not only a material culture but also a spiritual culture; not only Chinese culture but also world culture." The launch and global sales of the Loong Year building blocks prove my statement.
January 27, 2024, at Maple Hall, Canada
About the author: Pang Jin is an expert and writer in loong and phoenix culture, serving as the Chairman of the Loong and Phoenix International Federation and the Honorary Chairman of the Chinese Loong Culture Association. He is also the Director of the Chinese Loong and Phoenix Culture Research Center, a Senior Editor at Xi'an Daily, a member of the China Writers Association, a council member of the Shaanxi Writers Association, and a special researcher at the Shaanxi Academy of Social Sciences. He is the chief editor of the Chinese Loong and Phoenix Culture website (www.loongfeng.org) and the Deputy Chief Editor of the Ontario Publishing House in Canada. Since the 1970s, he has been involved in literary creation and cultural research, publishing over ten million words in various works. His publications include more than forty titles such as "Theory of Creation," "Chinese Loong Culture," "Chinese Phoenix Culture," "Chinese Auspiciousness," "Dancing Spirit Trees," and "Collected Works of Pang Jin." He has received over eighty awards, including the First China Bing Xin Prose Award, the First Shaanxi Folk Literature and Art Mountain Flower Award, and the Xi'an Municipal Social Science Outstanding Achievement First Prize. He is renowned as one of the contemporary "Ten Outstanding Figures in Loong Culture." WeChat ID: pang_jin
