China is a huge country located in Asia with the population over 1 billion people. It occupies a large territory, on which the population consisting 56 ethnic groups lives. As any other country, China has its own history, traditions and unique culture. Culture includes such elements of society’s life as language, food, clothing, religion, morals and norms and etc. Some of these elements will be briefly described and discovered in this essay in order to provide a better understanding of Chinese culture.
According to the Chinese culture, there are four main necessities of a daily life: clothing, food, shelter and transportation. It might seem strange that Chinese put clothing before food, however for them clothing is exactly the main necessity since it is the first item that distinguishes people from animals. Since there are so many ethnic groups living in China, Chinese tradition clothing also varies from region to region. However, there are still some common features. For example, there three main types of clothing in China: pien-fu, chang-pao and shen-i, each of which has its own role and meaning. Thus, the pien-fu is an ancient ceremonial costume that consists of two pieces. The top of it is tunic-like and it extends to knees, and the bottom element is either skirt or trousers with the length to ankles. The chang-pao is one-piece costume with the length from shoulders to heels. The third costume called shen-i is like a combination of the previous two: though it has tunic and trousers or skirt like pien-fu, these two elements are sewed together, which makes it similar to chang-pao. (Sumathi 149)
Chinese food is another very important element of a Chinese culture that varies from region to region and was formed mostly under the influence of geographical and weather conditions. Generally, all Chinese food can be divided into four types according to regions: northern, eastern, western and southern. For example, people in the North eat more wheat that is made into different sorts of wheat pastry, while the diet of southerners consists primarily of rice and rice noodles. There is even a saying in the Chinese language: “The northerners’ diet is mainly noodle-based while the southerners’ is rice-based”. (Tan Chee-Beng 167) Rice is so important for Chinese people and culture that it is even reflected in the language. For example, one of the ethnic Chinese groups the Cantonese has even two words for rice: mai that means raw rice and fan, the meaning of which is the cooked grains. Sometimes also the word fan is used for defining the whole food n general. Often the Chinese use this word in everyday greeting by saying “Nay sik zaw fan may?”, the literal translation of which will be “Have you had your rice yet?”. Since rice is also associated to financial security and is a symbol of wealth, there are many idioms in the Chinese language, in which rice is used. For example having a good and well-paid job sounds for Chinese as “having a golden rice bowl”. As opposite to be fired and to lose such job means “to lose a rice bowl”. Summarizing all the written about Chinese food, it is possible to claim that nothing compares to the importance of rice in the Chinese culture. (Young 4)
It is also worth mentioning Chinese art because it plays an important role in the Chinese culture as well. Art in China is mainly influenced by the country’s long, spiritual and mystical history. The Chinese art is known for its charm and beauty. The Chinese have manifested their elegant taste of art in many different forms long before the world history had been recorded. These forms include painting, architecture, calligraphy, paper cut, ceramics, dancing, literature, cartoons and etc. It is also important to note that the central element in the Chinese art was mainly nature. The Chinese depicted nature in the paintings, novels and poems and even in their dancing because they strongly believed in the power of cosmos and such natural elements as mountains, rivers and forests. For them one of the strongest connections was a link between a human and nature. (Sullivan 26)
Holidays and different celebrations are also very important for the Chinese and their culture. Nowadays, such celebration is like a combination of the modernity and old traditions. In total there 11 holidays in the Chinese calendar recognized by government, and four of these holidays includes days-off, when the Chinese are free from work and study. The most important holiday that is widely celebrated is the Chinese New Year that starts on the first day of the lunar month and lasts for around 15 days. Another important celebration in the Chinese culture based on its history is the Dragon festival. It is a festival that is also celebrated according to the lunar calendar in summer. It is a typical folk festival full of various superstitions and traditions. One of the most significant events of the festival is Dragon Boat Racing that has a long history and is believed to be started centuries ago.
Summarizing all the written above about the Chinese culture, it might concluded that China is a very interesting country with its old traditions and customs, delicious food, unique language and celebration – everything, what makes it so special and different from other cultures of the world.
Works Cited
Sullivan, Michael. An Introduction to Chinese Art. Berkeley: The California Press. 1961. Print.
Sumathi, G. Elements of Fashion and Apparel Design. New Delhi: New Age International. 2002. Print
Tan Chee-Beng. Chinese Food and Foodways in Southeast Asia and Beyond. Singapore: Nus Pres. 2011. Press.
Young, Grace. The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen: Classic Family Recipes for Celebration and Healing. New York: Simon & Schuster Editions. 1999. Print
