The Culture of China (simplified Chinese Simplified Chinese Characters are standardized Chinese characters prescribed in the Xiàndài Hànyǔ Chángyòng Zìbiǎo for use in Mainland China. It is one of many standard character sets of the contemporary Chinese written language. The government of the People's Republic of China in Mainland China has promoted them for use in printing in an: 中国文化; traditional Chinese Traditional Chinese characters refers to Chinese characters in any of the standard sets of Chinese characters which are not the Xiàndài Hànyǔ Chángyòng Zìbiǎo or Tōyō kanji. It most commonly refers to characters in the standardized character sets of Taiwan, of Hong Kong, or in the Kangxi Dictionary. The modern shapes of traditional: 中國文化; pinyin Pinyin , or more formally Hanyu Pinyin (汉语拼音 / 漢語拼音), is currently the most commonly used romanization system for Standard Mandarin (标准普通话 / 標準普通話). Hànyǔ (汉语 / 漢語) means the Chinese language, and pīnyīn (拼音) means "phonetics", or more literally, "spelling sound" or ": Zhōngguó wénhuà) is one of the world's oldest and most complex cultures[1][2]. The area in which the culture is dominant covers a large geographical region in eastern Asia with customs and traditions varying greatly between towns, cities and provinces A province, in the context of Chinese government, is a translation of sheng , which is an administrative division. Together with municipalities, autonomous regions, and the special administrative regions, provinces make up the first level (known as the province level) of administrative division in China. Provinces are also the first level division.
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People in the culture
People in imperial China during silk production - Qing dynastyIdentity
Today there are 56 distinct recognized ethnic groups The following is a list of ethnic groups in China where "China" is taken to mean areas controlled by either of the two states using "China" in their formal names, the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China (ROC, "Taiwan") in China.[3] In terms of numbers, however, the pre-eminent ethnic group is the Han Chinese Predominantly Mahayana Buddhism and Taoism. Small Christian, Muslim, Xiantian and other religious minorities. Background of Confucianism and Chinese folk religion. Throughout history, many groups have been assimilated into neighboring ethnicities or disappeared without a trace. At the same time, many within the Han identity have maintained distinct linguistic and regional cultural traditions. The term Zhonghua Minzu Zhonghua minzu , usually translated as Chinese ethnic groups or Chinese nationality, refers to the modern notion of a Chinese nationality transcending ethnic divisions, with a central identity to China as a whole. It includes people of all ethnic groups in China who have historically interacted, contributed and assimilated to various extents with has been used to describe the notion of Chinese nationalism Chinese nationalism , sometimes synonymous with Chinese patriotism (simplified Chinese: 爱国主义; traditional Chinese: 愛國主義; pinyin: àiguó zhǔyì lit. Love country ideology) refers to cultural, historiographical, and political theories, movements and beliefs that assert the idea of a cohesive, unified Chinese people and culture in general. Much of the traditional cultural identity within the community has to do with distinguishing the family name Hundreds or thousands of Chinese family names have been historically used by Han Chinese and Sinicized Chinese ethnic groups in mainland China, Taiwan, and among overseas Chinese communities. In ancient times two types of surnames, family names and clan names (氏; pinyin: shì), existed.
Regional
Main article: Three ancestral treasuresTraditional Chinese Culture covers large geographical territories, where each region is usually divided into distinct sub-cultures. Each region is often represented by three ancestral items. For example Guangdong Guangdong is a province on the southern coast of People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province. It surpassed Henan and Sichuan to become the most populous province in China in January 2005, registering 79 million permanent residents and 31 million migrants who lived in is represented by chenpi Chenpi or chen pi is sun-dried tangerine peel used as a traditional seasoning in Chinese cooking and traditional medicine. They are aged by storing them dry. They have a pungent and bitter taste, aged ginger Ginger is a tuber that is consumed whole as a delicacy, medicine, or herb. It is the rhizome of the plant Zingiber officinale. It lends its name to its genus and family . Other notable members of this plant family are turmeric, cardamom, and galangal and hay Hay is grass, legumes or other herbaceous plants that have been cut, dried, and stored for use as animal fodder, particularly for grazing livestock such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep. Hay is also fed to pets such as rabbits and guinea pigs. Pigs may be fed hay, but they do not digest it as efficiently as more fully herbivorous animals.[4][5] Others include ancient cities like Lin'an (Hangzhou Hangzhou (Chinese: 杭州; pinyin: Hángzhōu; Wade–Giles: Hangchow; Mandarin pronunciation: [xɑŋ˧˥ t͡ʂoʊ̯˥˥]; Postal map spelling: Hangchow) is a major city located in the Yangtze River Delta region of the People's Republic of China, and the capital of Zhejiang (浙江) province. It is governed as a sub-provincial city, and as of 2004), which include tea leaf Tea is the agricultural product of the leaves, leaf buds, and internodes of the Camellia sinensis plant, prepared and cured by various methods. "Tea" also refers to the aromatic beverage prepared from the cured leaves by combination with hot or boiling water, and is the common name for the Camellia sinensis plant itself, bamboo shoot Bamboo shoots or bamboo sprouts are the edible shoots of bamboo species Bambusa vulgaris and Phyllostachys edulis. They are used in numerous Asian dishes and broths, and are available in supermarkets in various sliced forms, both fresh and canned versions trunk In botany, trunk refers to the main structural member of a tree that supports the branches and is supported by and directly attached to the roots. The trunk is covered by the bark, which is an important diagnostic feature in tree identification, and which often differs markedly from the bottom of the trunk to the top, depending on the species. The and hickory nut Trees in the genus Carya are commonly known as Hickory, derived from the Powhatan of Virginia. The genus includes 17–19 species of deciduous trees with pinnately compound leaves and large nuts. A dozen species are native to North America (11–12 in the United States, 2-4 in Canada, and 1 in Mexico), and 10–24 species from China and Indochina.[6]
Society
Gold detailing on a throne A throne is the official chair or seat upon which a monarch is seated on state or ceremonial occasions. "Throne" in an abstract sense can also refer to the monarchy or the Crown itself, an instance of metonymy, and is also used in many terms such as "the power behind the throne" used by the Qianlong Emperor The Qianlong Emperor (Chinese: 乾隆帝; pinyin: Qiánlóngdì; Wade-Giles: Ch'ien-lung Ti; Mongolian: Tengeriin Tetgesen Khaan, Manchu: Abkai Wehiyehe, Tibetan: lha skyong rgyal po, born Hongli , 25 September 1711 – 7 February 1799) was the fifth emperor of the Manchu-led Qing Dynasty, and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China proper. The. The Chinese dragon Chinese dragons are legendary creatures in Chinese mythology and folklore, with mythic counterparts among Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese and Turkic dragons. In Chinese art, dragons are typically portrayed as long, scaled, serpentine creatures with four legs. In contrast to European dragons that are considered evil, Chinese dragons traditionally was a symbol reserved for the Emperor of China The Emperor of China refers to any sovereign of Imperial China reigning since the founding of China, united by the King of Qin in 221 BC until the fall of Yuan Shikai's Empire of China in 1916. When referred to as the Son of Heaven (Chinese: 天子 tiānzì), a title that predates the Qin unification, the Emperor was recognized as the ruler of & or high level imperial families during the Qing Dynasty The Qing Dynasty , also known as the Manchu Dynasty, was the last ruling dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 (with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917). It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of ChinaStructure
Main article: Social structure of China From the Qin to the late Qing , the Chinese government divided Chinese people into four classes: landlord, peasant, craftsmen, and merchant.[citation needed] Landlords and peasants constituted the two major classes, while merchant and craftsmen were collected into the two minor. Theoretically, except for the position of the Emperor, nothing wasSince the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors were mythological rulers and culture heroes of China during the period from c. 2852 BC to 2205 BC, which is the time preceding the Xia Dynasty period, some form of Chinese monarch Of the San Huang Wu Di, the five last of them were called 皇, which can translate as either emperor, demigod human, or a superhuman. This title may have been used in the Shang and Xia dynasties, though oracle bones were found from the Shang Dynasty showing the title (王 wáng) has been the main ruler above all. Different periods of history have different names for the various positions within society. Conceptually each imperial or feudal period is similar, with the government and military officials ranking high in the hierarchy In sociology and other social sciences, social stratification refers to the hierarchical arrangement of individuals into divisions of power and wealth within a society. The term most commonly relates to the socio-economic concept of class, involving the "classification of persons into groups based on shared socio-economic conditions ... a, and the rest of the population under regular Chinese law Chinese law is one of the oldest legal traditions in the world. In the 20th and 21st century, law in China has been a complex mix of traditional Chinese approaches and Western influences.[7] From the late Zhou Dynasty The Zhou Dynasty followed the Shang Dynasty and was followed by the Qin Dynasty in China. The Zhou dynasty lasted longer than any other dynasty in Chinese history — though the actual political and military control of China by the dynasty only lasted during the Western Zhou. During the Zhou Dynasty, the use of iron was introduced to China, while (1046–256 BCE) onwards, traditional Chinese society was organized into a hierarchic system of socio-economic classes known as the four occupations The four occupations or "four categories of the people" was a hierarchic social class structure developed in ancient China by either Confucian or Legalist scholars as far back as the late Zhou Dynasty and is considered a central part of the Fengjian social structure (c. 1046–256 BCE). In descending order, these were the shi (gentry. However, this system did not cover all social groups while the distinctions between all groups became blurred ever since the commercialization Commercialism, in its original meaning, is the practices, methods, aims, and spirit of commerce or business. Today, however, it primarily refers to the tendency within capitalism to turn everything into objects, images, and services sold for the purpose of generating profit. There is also a tendency for intangible things such as happiness, beauty, of Chinese culture in the Song Dynasty The Song Dynasty was a ruling dynasty in China between 960 and 1279; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty. It was the first government in world history to issue banknotes or paper money, and the first Chinese government to establish a permanent standing navy. This dynasty also saw the first (960–1279 CE). Ancient Chinese education The history of education in China began with the birth of Chinese civilization. The nobles often set up the educational establishments for their offspring. The Shang Hsiang was a legendary school to teach the youth nobles. It may have been the origin of education in China also has a long history; ever since the Sui Dynasty The Sui Dynasty, founded by Sui Wendi, or Yang Jian, held its capital at Luoyang. It was marked by the reunification of Southern and Northern China and the construction of the Grand Canal, though it was a relatively short Chinese dynasty. It saw various reforms by Emperors Wen and Yang: the Equal-field system, initiated to reduce the rich-poor (581–618 CE) educated candidates prepared for the Imperial examinations The Imperial examinations in Imperial China determined who among the population would be permitted to enter the state's bureaucracy. The Imperial Examination System in China lasted for 1300 years, from its founding during the Sui Dynasty in 605 to its abolition near the end of the Qing Dynasty in 1912 which and made people get drafted exam graduates into government as scholar-bureaucrats Scholar-bureaucrats or scholar-officials were civil servants appointed by the emperor of China to perform day-to-day governance from the Sui Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty in 1912, China's last imperial dynasty. These officials mostly came from the well-educated men known as the scholar-gentry (绅士 shēn-shì). These men had earned. Trades and crafts were usually taught by a shifu Shifu is the identical pronunciation of two Chinese terms for a master. The character 師 means “teacher”. The meaning of 傅 is “tutor”, and of 父, “father”. Both characters are read fu with the same tones in Cantonese and Mandarin, creating some ambiguity. A similar term often used in Chinese is 老師 lǎoshī (Cantonese lou5 si1),. The female historian Ban Zhao Bān Zhāo (Chinese: 班昭; Wade–Giles: Pan Chao, fl. 1st century), courtesy name Huiban (惠班), was the first female Chinese historian. She was married to a local resident Cao Shishu at the age of fourteen, and was called in the court by the name as Venerable Madame Cao (曹大家). She was the daughter of the famous historian Ban Biao and wrote the Lessons for Women in the Han Dynasty The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty (221–206 BCE) and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms (220–265 CE). It was founded by the peasant rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty (9–23 CE) of the former regent Wang Mang. This and outlined the four virtues women must abide to, while scholars such as Zhu Xi Zhū Xī or Chu Hsi was a Song Dynasty (960-1279) Confucian scholar who became the leading figure of the School of Principle and the most influential rationalist Neo-Confucian in China. His contribution to Chinese philosophy included his assigning special significance to the Analects of Confucius, the Mencius, the Great Learning, and the and Cheng Yi Cheng Yi , courtesy name Zhengshu (正叔), also known as Mr. Yinchuan (伊川先生), was a Chinese philosopher born in Luoyang during the Song Dynasty. He worked with his older brother Cheng Hao (程灏). Like his brother, he was a student of Zhou Dunyi, a friend of Shao Yong, and a nephew of Zhang Zai. The five of them along with Sima Guang are would expand upon this. Chinese marriage Chinese marriage is a ceremonial ritual within Chinese societies that involve a marriage established by pre-arrangement between families. Within Chinese culture, romantic love was allowed, and monogamy was the norm for most ordinary citizens and Taoist sexual practices are some of the customs and rituals found in society.
Values
Main articles: Chinese philosophy Chinese philosophy is philosophy written in the Chinese tradition of thought. Chinese philosophy has a history of several thousand years; its origins are often traced back to the Yi Jing , an ancient compendium of divination, which uses a system of 64 hexagrams to guide action. This system is attributed to King Wen of Zhou (1099–1050 BCE) and and Religion in China Religion in China has been characterized by pluralism since the beginning of Chinese history. The Chinese religions are family-oriented and do not demand the exclusive adherence of members. Some scholars question the use of the term "religion" in reference to Buddhism and Taoism, and suggest "cultural practices" or "Most social values are derived from Confucianism Confucianism is a Chinese ethical and philosophical system developed from the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius . It is a complex system of moral, social, political, philosophical, and quasi-religious thought that has had tremendous influence on the culture and history of East Asia. It might be considered a state religion of some East and Taoism Taoism refers to a variety of related philosophical and religious traditions that have influenced Eastern Asia for more than two millennia, and have had a notable influence on the western world particularly since the 19th century. The word 道, Tao (or Dao, depending on the romanization scheme), roughly translates as, "path" or "way&. The subject of which school was the most influential is always debated as many concepts such as Neo-Confucianism Neo-Confucianism is a form of Confucianism that was primarily developed during the Song Dynasty and Ming Dynasty, but which can be traced back to Han Yu and Li Ao (772-841) in the Tang Dynasty. It formed the basis of Confucian orthodoxy in the Qing Dynasty of China. It attempted to merge certain basic elements of Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism, Buddhism Chinese Buddhism refers collectively to the various schools of Buddhism that have flourished in China proper since ancient times. Buddhism has played an enormous role in shaping the mindset of the Chinese people, affecting their aesthetics, politics, literature, philosophy and medicine and many others have come about. Reincarnation Reincarnation is believed to occur when the soul or spirit, after the death of the body, comes back to Earth in a newborn body. This phenomenon is also known as transmigration of the soul and other rebirth Rebirth in Buddhism is the doctrine that the evolving consciousness or stream of consciousness (Pali: viññana-sotam, Sanskrit: vijñāna-srotām, vijñāna-santāna, or citta-santāna) upon death (or "the dissolution of the aggregates" (P. khandhas, S. skandhas)), becomes one of the contributing causes for the arising of a new concept is a reminder of the connection between real-life and the after-life. In Chinese business culture, the concept of guanxi, indicating the primacy of relations over rules, has been well documented.[8]
Language
Chinese calligraphy written by Song Dynasty (1051-1108 CE) poet Mi Fu Main articles: Chinese language and History of Standard MandarinThe first 4,000 years of Spoken Chinese encompassed both Old Chinese and Middle Chinese, after which it began to split into various dialects and languages about 1,000 years ago. In the Ming Dynasty standard Mandarin was nationalized. Even so, it wasn't until the Republic of China era in the 1900s when there was any noticeable result in promoting a common unified language in China.
The ancient written standard was Classical Chinese. It was used for thousands of years, but was mostly reserved for scholars and intellectuals. By the 20th century, millions of citizens, especially those outside of the imperial court were illiterate[7]. Only after the May 4th Movement did the push for Vernacular Chinese begin. This allowed common citizens to read since it was modeled after the linguistics and phonology of a spoken language.
Mythology and spirituality
A Luohan, one of the spiritual figures shared between Chinese and Indian culture across different types of Buddhism. Sūn Wùkōng in Journey to the West Main articles: Chinese spiritual world concepts, Chinese mythology, and Chinese folk religionChinese religion was originally oriented to worshipping the supreme god Shang Di during the Xia and Shang dynasties, with the king and diviners acting as priests and using oracle bones. The Zhou dynasty oriented it to worshipping the broader concept of heaven. A large part of Chinese culture is based on the notion that a spiritual world exists. Countless methods of divination have helped answer questions, even serving as an alternate to medicine. Folklores have helped fill the gap for things that cannot be explained. There is often a blurred line between myth, religion and unexplained phenomenon. While many deities are part of the tradition, some of the most recognized holy figures include Guan Yin, Jade Emperor and Buddha. Many of the stories have since evolved into traditional Chinese holidays. Other concepts have extended to outside of mythology into spiritual symbols such as Door god and the Imperial guardian lions. Along with the belief of the holy, there is also the evil. Practices such as Taoist exorcism fighting mogwai and jiang shi with peachwood swords are just some of the concepts passed down from generations. A few Chinese fortune telling rituals are still in use today after thousands of years of refinement.
Literature
Main article: Chinese literatureChinese literature began with record keeping and divination on Oracle Bones. The extensive collection of books that have been preserved since the Zhou Dynasty demonstrate just how advanced the intellectuals were at one time. Indeed, the era of the Zhou Dynasty is often looked to as the touchstone of Chinese cultural development. The Five Cardinal Points are the foundation for almost all major studies. Concepts covered within the Chinese classic texts present a wide range of subjects including poetry, astrology, astronomy, calendar, constellations and many others. Some of the most important early texts include I Ching and Shujing within the Four Books and Five Classics. Many Chinese concepts such as Yin and Yang, Qi, Four Pillars of Destiny in relation to heaven and earth were all theorized in the dynastic periods.
Notable confucianists, taoists and scholars of all classes have made significant contributions to and from documenting history to authoring saintly concepts that seem hundred of years ahead of time. Many novels such as Four Great Classical Novels spawned countless fictional stories. By the end of the Qing Dynasty, Chinese culture would embark on a new era with Vernacular Chinese for the common citizens. Hu Shih and Lu Xun would be pioneers in modern literature.
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Tue, 22 Jun 2010 12:10:58 GMT+00:00
Reuters The toymaker is seeing robust sales at its sole store in Shanghai and is trying to make its iconic Barbie doll a part of Chinese culture . ...
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Richard
Mon, 28 Jun 2010 04:58:24 GM
There is so much I love about . Chinese culture. . The fixed notion of family and face before all else is not one of those things. Update: If this topic interests you, you absolutely must read this piece from several weeks ago by my friend ...
Q. i've heard in chinese culture this is true, but why?
Asked by jonny_5024 - Fri Sep 19 19:52:25 2008 - - 4 Answers - 0 Comments
A. It is considered bad luck to the unborn baby. Yes old fashion Chinese are very superstitious indeed. Like my aunts and mom believe that a woman who just gave birth cannot take a shower or it would lower their immune system or something. My mom did not want to look at ugly images when she was pregnant, fearing we would come out that way. As I said superstitious.
Answered by Hacked - Fri Sep 19 20:01:25 2008
