For a small island, with a relatively small population, we make a terrible fuss about managing our affairs. We make an incredible ballyhoo over every issue; no matter how small that issue is in the greater scheme of things.

In Ireland there are usually three parties involved in an argument or an issue of public concern. The first is a party in authority –this is often the government, but it can also be the central committee of a national organisation such as the GAA, the FAI, the IRFU, a trade union etc. The party in authority always knows the best course of action and no amount of talk or action will force them off their course.

Secondly there is the opposition. The opposition’s job is to jump up and down screaming “injustice” and to proffer an alternative, no matter how impractical, to the party in authorities’ plan.

The third party is the general population affected by the decision of the party in authority. Their role is to agree that action was needed but that the action taken should not have affected them. This is how our country seems to operate day in, day out; complaining, blaming, pointing fingers and generally going around in circles.

In the interest of fairness it should be said that the idea of taking responsibility for ones own actions is still a new concept in Ireland. There was a time when the vast majority of the population were tenants whose landlords raised the rent on any properties that were materially improved. As a result, there was no incentive for ordinary persons to develop or improve their lot. Repairs or improvements were considered to be someone else’s problem.

Imagine if a country like China had the same cultural frame of mind as we generally employ in Ireland? Imagine 1.3 billion people waiting for someone to come along and make things better? Imagine the chaos? Do you think that China would be one of the foremost industrial countries in the world if it dealt with its problems like we do in Ireland?

There are obvious differences between Ireland and China. The most obvious of these are the vast resources of population and natural mineral wealth which the Chinese have. But a country so large, with a population so big must have some way of getting its people to set aside the wants of the individual for the benefit of all. China has not always managed to achieve this in a humane way; it has had its human rights issues, just as we had in Ireland. But fear and domination will only go so far, for real progress to be made, the population must buy in and have the reserve to stay the course when the going gets tough.

Last April, three UCC students of Physical Education, Sean McCarthy, Rob Higgins and Pat O’Keeffe, spent a month at the Chengdu Sports University located in the Sichuan Province of China. Their mission, according to Sean McCarthy, was to “explore the evolution of Chinese attitudes to sports and exercise and conduct a comparative analysis to our own experiences in Ireland.” This was mostly achieved by participating in classes with the sports students of Chengdu University.

After the collapse of the Quig dynasty in 1911, the Chinese government introduced a new school curriculum in 1923. Part of this programme was compulsory daily exercise for males and females. Sports such as basketball, swimming and volleyball were also encouraged. Thanks to the introduction of several more laws, physical education was an integral part of every child’s education by 1929.

Sean McCarty wrote an essay on his visit to the Chengdu Sport University in which he noted, “It was notable how in Chengdu active participation in sport and the adoption of healthy living is embraced right into old age.  This was encapsulated by the elderly men and women who every morning begin their day in Chengdu with a walk, a jog, game of badminton, tennis or with Tai Chi.”

He also notes that this is in sharp contrast to our culture. In Ireland as we grow older, our relationship with sport is often reduced to that of an armchair enthusiast.  By comparison the mind-set is different in Chengdu where regardless of age, engagement with sport through active participation is favoured.

Sean, Rob and Patrick also learned that the concepts of “yin and yang” are central to the Chinese philosophy of traditional medicine. “It is central to their concept of health, lifestyle and relationship to good food,” Sean wrote and added, “This is difficult for the Western mind to comprehend.” Essentially, the “Yin and Yang” are opposite principles which are interconnected and dependent on each other in the natural world. For example, light needs darkness and cold needs hot etc.

Sean added “Chinese physicians advise people to go to bed before 10pm and get up at 6am as a regular sleeping pattern.  The Chinese believe that to maintain a healthy constitution it is important to be asleep soundly before midnight. This was evident in Chengdu University when at 10pm every night the students left the library for their dormitories and every morning the campus was busy with people exercising.”

As sport and exercise have such a large role in the daily lives of the people of Chengdu University, Sean, Rob and Patrick decided to introduce them to the concept of the game of hurling. “The game was outside their comfort zone” Sean said, “nevertheless they displayed great enthusiasm when presented with some hurleys to practice.”

The Chinese class also watched a DVD of hurling and football matches. The martial arts teacher, Mr Lei Wei, watched the games was very impressed with the skill levels of the players, He was not impressed however, with the flexibility of the players. He suggested to UCC students that if the “short comings in flexibility could be addressed; the overall performance of the hurlers and footballers could be improved.”

This story was brought to my attention by UCC’s GAA Development Officer, John Grainger. It came as no surprise to him that the Chinese students were enthusiastic about playing hurling. He is firmly of the view that the potential exists for hurling to be expanded beyond Ireland and the Irish diaspora.

“We have run a number of initiatives here in the College where we have introduced non-Irish students to the game of hurling. It has always gone down well with those who have participated. It is amazing how quickly the basic skills are mastered. It is great to see people who had never seen, not to mind played, the game of hurling and enjoy pucking a sliotar across the field to each other.

“This year there is a further placement of 13 students at Chengdu University. Once again, we will encourage our students to bring their hurleys and spread the gospel of playing hurling.”

The centenary Fitzgibbon Cup competition will be hosted by UCC next March and while Chengdu University will not be ready for that, John added “Wouldn’t it be great if, at some time in the not too distant future, we could have a team from Chengdu and other universities taking part in the Fitzgibbon weekend competitions.”

John Grainger may have only been half-serious, but what we all can learn from the lessons that Sean McCarthy, Rob Higgins and Patrick O’Keeffe brought back from the Orient last April. With a little hard work, acceptance that there are two sides to everything and by leading a balanced life, we all can achieve much more.

You can get more information on the trip to Chengdu at http://uccsports.net