Chapter 93 European Travel Notes

The current economic situation in European countries is generally sluggish, but they are still doing their best in terms of cultural education and social welfare.Not only to maintain the old cultural assets and social welfare system, but also to promote new development, the investment of spiritual and financial resources is considerable.This is related to the quality of life that Europeans pay attention to.Except for Switzerland and West Germany, where the economic environment is better, other countries can still maintain their good living standards. It is not easy, but it is even more precious.Therefore, it gives people the impression and feeling that to become a progressive and modern country, it is not only represented by the gross national product and the foreign exchange figures it owns, but the actual quality of life of its citizens is the real key. indicator of progress.for example

Austria's economic situation is relatively poor among Western European countries. The total value of foreign trade is only a little higher than that of Norway, Denmark, and Finland.However, Austria is still able to maintain the compulsory education system like other European countries. Not only is it free from elementary school to university, but it can try its best to enrich educational facilities; it is not only free for its own citizens, but also for foreign students and children of foreigners. They are all free of charge, and admission is not limited to having the right of abode. Those who are especially commendable can also enjoy social welfare.

The total value of Austria's foreign trade in 1982 last year was 36.89 billion U.S. dollars, which was lower than my country's 43.811 billion U.S. dollars, which ranked 19th in world trade. Ranked 23rd with US$6.921 billion, and Austria’s import and export deficit reached more than US$6.111 billion, but this did not cut the budget for culture and education. , only from other aspects to save money and dispatch, and tourism income can also be used to make up for it.The maintenance of cultural facilities and historic sites, as well as the teaching environment of schools at all levels, are all impressive.Vienna is known as the capital of music, and it can indeed maintain this characteristic. For musicians who were born in Austria or became famous in Austria, Beethoven, Schubert, Mozart, Brahms, Strauss and others , the houses where he once lived and the place where a certain piece of music was written and completed are all well preserved and maintained.Vienna is like other cities in Europe. There are many parks in the urban area. In a park with a bronze statue of Mozart erected, there is an open-air concert every evening. Other parks also have similar activities. It has become a good place for popular leisure. Enjoy music and drinks, dance happily, and amateur musicians can join in.During the opera season, they are naturally the guests of the opera house.Austrian civil servants, like other European countries, keep part of their monthly salary as retirement pensions.The standard of living and cultural level of their people, as well as the quality of spiritual life, all belong to the European type, which cannot be compared only by economic growth.

As for the social welfare and insurance systems of European countries, West Germany's universal insurance can also be cited here as an example. Even foreign students are also included in the social insurance system.With an insurance premium of 60 Marks (approximately equivalent to 20 US dollars), you can enjoy all the health insurance benefits.Moreover, European universities also do not charge tuition fees for foreign students, and the living expenses they bear are not too high. It is really a good place to study abroad.Almost all the foreign students in West Germany in our country are studying science and engineering, which is even more ideal, including more than 40 foreign students from Taiwan in West Berlin.

Speaking of cultural construction, take France, which has a high level of culture and art in Europe, as an example. Although Paris already has famous buildings such as the Louvre and the Palace of Versailles, the construction of a large-scale cultural palace has now started, with an estimated investment of 6,000. It will be completed in 1985. The interior design includes a concert hall, literary club, gallery, and other exhibition venues (such as fashion presentations).This is the first cultural construction of the current President Mitterrand after he came to power. He is a journalist and understands the importance of cultural construction better than the former Gisca who only focused on economic issues.In addition, the two TV stations in Paris have always attached great importance to cultural programs. There are two new book introductions every week, and of course authors are also introduced. These programs are hosted by veterans, and the content is sufficient.As for the social status and remuneration of French writers, they are quite high. Even if there are few works, they are not afraid of living in poverty.The President of France often invites writers to banquets separately as a sign of encouragement, but some writers may not go there yet, so thank you for being busy!

The Louvre and Versailles in Paris, France, collect various sculptures and paintings, attracting more than 10 million foreign tourists every year, but the PRADO Museum of Fine Arts in Madrid, Spain, collects more than 10 million foreign tourists. The works of the three major painters, Verasgen, Goyer, and Gorigo, attract more than 30 million foreign tourists every year (the statistics of last year in 1982 were 32 million), On average, if each tourist stays in Spain for two days and spends US$100 per day, it is conceivable how much tourism income it brings to Spain.It can be seen from this that the historical value of the development of culture and art lies in the brilliance, and those who do not have a far-sighted vision can try their best to promote it.

We established the National Palace Museum in Wai Shuangxi, Taipei, which is internationally recognized as the second place among the world's top five museums. The rich collection and display of historical and precious cultural relics are highly praised by global tourism agencies, and are often changed. There are many international tourists who come here again and again for the content of the exhibition; but have all Chinese people visited it?And how many people have visited many times?Why don't you feel it's a pity! Speaking of this, I think of a short article by Mr. Ye Yumo in the newspaper recently. The title is that sightseeing cannot change your temperament. The article points out that going abroad for sightseeing is something worth encouraging, but I want to use it to change my temperament. , that is very difficult.When some women go abroad, they run around like a blind man riding a blind horse. All she can see are the green streets, majestic buildings, and fresh department stores. She cannot deeply understand the local cultural background, educational measures, and living customs. Therefore, she hurriedly bought a lot of foreign goods to satisfy her vanity.Temperament depends on long-term cultivation, careful consideration, and continuous subtle influence, so that it will be revealed unconsciously between our behavior and conversation.These words are deeply to the point.It is true that our national temperament and cultural quality still need to be generally strengthened. This is a problem that cannot be ignored in both school education and social education.

For another example, the habit of spiritual life that Europeans value does not seem to have any positive impact on some of us tourists.Europeans know the art of living and enjoy life very well, so they can be contented and happy. Therefore, they don't take it seriously for making money by desperately doing anything, but ask why so much money?Although Europeans enjoy life, they are not erosive, neither do they want extravagance, nor do they like to go to casinos.If there are no tourists visiting the casinos in European cities, the business will be slow.Some people say that Italians are lazy, but in fact, like other Europeans, they value family life and love outdoor activities. The whole family goes out of town when holidays come.You want him to work on holidays to make money, that's hard.

The cultural temperament and social habits of Europeans are quite different from those of the United States.Europeans always appear leisurely and at ease, and are rarely found nervous, thus presenting a quiet social atmosphere and peace.That should be a good comparison for those who live in an overly utilitarian society. The people of Western Europe are satisfied with their lives in a free world, because they know that people's lives under the communist system in Eastern Europe are very bitter.For example, the average national income of West Germany is 12,000 U.S. dollars, while the average national income of East Germany is 6,000 U.S. dollars, but the people of East Germany live very hard and want to go to freedom.The reason is that the economic benefits of East Germany were unevenly distributed, and all the income was seized by the East German Communist Party.

The only thing the people of Western Europe regrets is the weakening of the ethical tradition.An old woman in West Germany was found dead in her living room for five years, but none of her children knew about it.This incident has caused great shock in Western European society. Elderly parents think that their children will leave when they grow up, while young couples do not even want to have children, so they have no intention of saving money.This, on the contrary, made the government worry about the trend of excessively reducing the newborn population.Therefore, many famous European scholars feel that the cultural system of family ethics that expounds the thoughts of Confucius and Mencius in China has more contemporary significance.

(Numbers 71, 9, 7) (End of the book)