Looking to the past
古典神话的现代力量
When HarmonyOS, the Chinese self-developed operating system for Huawei mobile devices, was released on Aug 9, it quickly became a hot topic on social media. Many believe it not only represents the rise of the country as a tech power, but also pays tribute to classical Chinese culture by naming the system "Hongmeng" in Chinese.
鸿蒙系统是用于华为移动设备的国产自研操作系统。在8月9日正式推出之后，它立刻便成为了社交媒体上的热门话题。许多人都认为，该操作系统不仅代表着中国作为科技大国的崛起，系统名字“鸿蒙”更是向中华古典文化致敬。
"Hongmeng" is a classical word from the Taoist text Zhuangzi. In the ancient times of Chinese myths and legends, "Hongmeng" was used to describe the original state of the universe before matter existed.
“鸿蒙”来源于道家典籍《庄子》中的古语。在中国神话传说中的远古时代，“鸿蒙”一词用于形容物质形成之前宇宙的原始状态。
For HarmonyOS, "Hongmeng" indicates the developers' aim to make an innovative operating system, unlike any other.
对于鸿蒙系统而言，“鸿蒙”意指开发者们立志创造出一个有别于其他系统的创新型操作系统。
Besides "Hongmeng", Huawei has also registered many of its products under the names of legendary creatures from Chinese mythology. For example, the company's Kirin mobile chip got its name after a mythical lucky monster called "Qilin". And its server chip is called "Kunpeng", a mythical creature that changed from a fish into a giant bird.
除了“鸿蒙”之外，华为还用中国神话中的神兽名字注册了旗下的许多产品。比如，该公司麒麟手机芯片的名字来源于神话中一种名为“麒麟”的瑞兽。服务器芯片则取名“鲲鹏”，是一种能从鱼化为巨鸟的神兽。

Many Chinese internet users and media have praised Huawei's use of these names, "as they stand for Chinese wisdom and ancient people's imagination and spirit of exploration", Global Times noted.
国内许多网友和媒体都盛赞华为所使用的这些名字，“因为它们代表了中国人的智慧以及古代人民的想象力与探索精神，”《环球时报》指出。
In fact, Huawei is not alone in using traditional culture for modern ventures. Ne Zha, the new film, also portrays traditional culture in a modern context. Earlier this month it became the biggest animated movie in China and was called "the glorious light of domestic anime".
事实上，并非只有华为将传统文化与现代元素相结合。新片《哪吒之魔童降世》也通过现代背景呈现了传统文化。本月初，该片成为了中国影史上票房最高的动画电影，被称为“国漫之光”。
The movie is loosely based on the well-known work of classical Chinese mythology The Investiture of the Gods. Unlike his attractive heroic character in previous cinematic works, Ne Zha is shown as a rebellious underdog, who has to overcome hardship and his dark fate to become a hero.
这部电影借鉴了著名的中国古典神话《封神演义》。和先前电影作品中惹人喜爱的英雄形象不同，哪吒在这部电影中是个被人瞧不起的叛逆者，历经种种艰险，不惧坎坷宿命，最终才成为了一位英雄。
The main character, Ne Zha, has also changed his attitude, becoming "the epitome of the rebellious but righteous youth". Many young Chinese people can relate to Ne Zha, who encourages them to become dream-chasers and fate-changers.
主角哪吒的态度也发生了变化，成为了“叛逆却又正直的年轻人的象征”。许多中国年轻人都与哪吒有同感，他鼓励了他们勇敢追梦，改变命运。
Indeed, the long history and splendid classic works have given China a profound culture. Myths and legends are the creative works of tremendous imagination. As Global Times put it, today by revisiting and incorporating a modern context, "ancient mythology has the power to ignite contemporary imagination in young people". After all, imagination is the beginning of creation.
的确，悠久的历史和辉煌的古典作品赋予了中国深厚的文化底蕴。神话传说是恢弘的想象力凝结而成的创作作品。正如《环球时报》所指出的那样，如今通过回顾并与现代元素相结合，“古代神话拥有了燃起现代年轻人想象力的力量”。毕竟，创造是从想象开始的。