A teacher talks to students from northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region at SCUD Senior Technical School in Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province, March 4, 2021. (Photo:Xinhua)

A Chinese political advisor has proposed a nationwide celebration for the coming of age of adolescents turning 18 to promote the traditional Chinese ritual.

The proposal was made during the two sessions by the deputy head of the Chinese Tax Institute Zhang Lianqi, who is also a member of the National Committee of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

Entering adulthood was regarded as one of the most important occasions in one's life in ancient China, as documented in history books, when grand ceremonies and rituals would be held, such as the wearing of hats for men and the wearing of hairpins for women.

Such occasions not only symbolize coming of age or the transition from teenager to adult, but also the maturity of mind, said Zhang. Holding the rituals could raise awareness among young people of a sense of responsibility to themselves and to society, he added.

However, less attention has been paid to such rituals in recent years, and its role in the growth of young people is gradually fading, said Zhang.

Therefore, he suggested September 30 as a day for coming of age ceremonies to be held nationwide in all schools and among all adolescents turning 18.

Although schools across China have been holding the ceremonies in a variety of ways, there is no set time for holding such events, and the process has not been standardized, resulting in an insufficient expression of its meaning.

Instead, students above the age of 18 should take an oath on the Coming of Age Day in front of the national flag, noted Zhang.

The proposal has been met with heated discussions on China's social media platforms, with many applauding the introduction of this event as a way to pass on traditional culture, while others questioned whether it was necessary.

"While I admit that entering adulthood is an important milestone in one's life and deserves a proper celebration, I see little use in adopting a unified time or form of celebration, since it could diminish those brilliant ideas or individualized forms in schools," said one netizen on China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo on Sunday.

A number of places in China have already passed local legislations setting a date for the coming of age ceremony, including East China's Zhejiang Province, as well as the cities of Harbin, Guangzhou, Jinan, Xiamen, Nanjing, and Shijiazhuang.

In recent years, the Chinese people, who have gained more faith and confidence in their country, have used a number of ways to pass on, promote, and modernize traditional Chinese culture, such as celebrating coming of age, mixing traditional Chinese symbols with modern culture, and the latest fad for hanfu, a historical style of clothing worn by ancient Chinese.