This Chinese cultural resume made to help reader is to learn about different aspects that combine to form a unique culture identified in the world. The significant aspects include customs and courtesies of the culture, lifestyle of the people living in that culture, nation's whole story like some history and some present scenarios and last but not the last this report will also shed light on the styles of communication in the selected culture. China is one of the four “ancient civilizations” in the world .
Nation
China’s official name is People’s Republic of China (PRC) which is located in Asia at a position, which makes its culture highly saturated because of its border, meets with 14 other nations which is the largest number of countries having common border with any country in the world. This makes China filled with an incredible cultural diversification.
Furthermore it is known as the country with the highest number of population in the world when compared to all other nations with the population number of 1.357 billion citizens while the population of the world is estimated to be approx 7 billion. An interesting fact that can be from this analysis can be that out of every five people in the world, 1 will always be a Chinese national. Its culture is also made diverse because of the number of ethnic groups residing within the country, the estimated number for which is 56 but when looking at the history of China, it is seen that almost 92 percent of the whole Chinese population comprises of Han Chinese.
Having such a large population, religiously this country consists of 4 major religions which are being practiced here. These are Confucianism; the most famous religion practiced worldwide i.e. Buddhism and Taoism along with the Atheistic culture which comprises of the non-believers. The last religious group is the one believed by the majority of Chinese. One reason for this can be that there is no legal and official religion. Another less practiced but a definite religion with distinct cultural aspects is Islam practiced by the Muslim Chinese.
Because of being one of the oldest civilizations in history with an approximate history going back 5000 years. Art is highly influenced by the Chinese history and culture. Buddhism promotes spirituality and many sculptures and paintings promote this spirituality. Chinese calligraphy is made by symbols and many people learn and promote the calligraphy through business and art domains. These calligraphic symbols have influenced the Chinese written words. According to one of the Chinese tourism business, “The Oracles is the origin of Chinese characters. According to Chinese mythology, Cang Jie invented Chinese characters. Findings show that the earliest characters are the Oracles that were engraved on animals' bones or tortoises' shells”.
“Martial arts” is very sacred in China and a unique part of the Chinese Cultural Heritage. Beijing Opera is part of the tradition here, and it includes singing, dancing, music and other artistic nature aspects defining the culture of China.
Customs
Confucianism is one of the most practiced religions with an influence on the overall Chinese culture, its customs, and its traditions. These religious teachings highlight and promote obedience to elders. Other customs that are highly differentiated and unique include marriages, funerals, gatherings and other such customs in China.
In a society where the propagation of family tribal ancestry and the family as a social entity are the primary focus, marriage is an essential establishment and has numerous complex traditions connected with it. In the Chinese family framework the wife lives with the spouse's family and is considered as no more part of her own family, instead she becomes the part or as sometimes also read in different reports as property of the spouse's family.
Chinese men have a tendency to wed genuinely late in life, as they have to put something aside for the cost of the wedding: a Chinese wedding can be extremely costly, particularly where the included families are of high societal position. Two critical parts of Chinese society, the need to stay away from humiliation (hiding any hint of failure face) and to prominently show riches and success, come intensely to the fore in marriage, particularly where the marriage is to the eldest child. Disappointment to give a gorgeous wedding is liable to bring down the status of the family, bring disgrace upon them and bring feedback from relatives pouring down upon them.
Chinese men have a tendency to wed genuinely late in life, as they have to put something aside for the cost of the wedding: a Chinese wedding can be extremely costly, particularly where the included families are of high societal position. Two critical parts of Chinese society, the need to stay away from humiliation (hiding any hint of failure face) and to prominently show riches and success, come intensely to the fore in marriage, particularly where the marriage is to the eldest child. Disappointment to give a gorgeous wedding is liable to bring down the status of the family, bring disgrace upon them and bring negative feedback from relatives pouring down upon them.
Another common tradition is burying of the dead body of the loved ones. Cremation is not the traditional way of funerals in China. The traditional view of Confucianism speaks of respecting and being obedient towards elders, but the elders are not required to respect their young ones. This leads to the tradition that when an elder dies his or her body is taken to the home but in case of the death of a younger person like offspring, his or her body is sent to the funeral home. Afterward during the wake of the person, black color is worn by the children to show loss and grieving. But the outsiders, including the families related to wedding, wear white or other such colors. Here again, the family needs to use maximum resources as a tradition even if it means that the debt may have to be taken. A portrait or picture of the deceased is usually placed near the coffin.
For religious concerns, monks pray and chant religious versus for the forgiveness of the deceased so that his or her sins will be forgiven and he or she will be allowed a hurdle free passage towards heaven.
One of the most important customs found in China is the Guanxi. Chinese, intentionally otherwise, see the world through two sets of individuals: Their own "circle of connections" on one side and other people of the world on the other side. As it were, they have a much stronger refinement between "In" versus "Out" gatherings. Guanxi is the way to accomplishing almost everything in China with respect to both business or / and non-business transactions thus making it the absolute and most paramount component of achievement in this nation or Chinese culture . The Chinese accept that value and importance of Guanxi can surpass any insight, learning, aspiration or / and even money. Thus without the concept of Guanxi, it is difficult to excel in China. People with better Guanxi, for example, can stop you or slow your movement at any and / or every step of your way. Guanxi is an arrangement of shared commitment one that has been depicted as "connections focused on mutual reliance." A more straightforward method of putting it is that it is based on the thought following the principle, "You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours".
The Guanxi framework is not without its drawbacks. The Chinese are not timid about their associations. Despite what might be expected, they're frequently pleased that they know individuals in force. One negative result is Nepotism, which keeps on being uncontrolled in China. Invading all parts of business and government, numerous occupations are filled by being focused on family ties, not legitimacy, undermining a framework focused on legitimacy and grant.
There are lots of Traditional FESTIVALS that are part of the Chinese Culture like Spring Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, etc. but the Spring Festival is known to be the most important tradition in the country. Another common name for this festival is "Chinese New Year" which is celebrated like Christmas and where fireworks are used with the hope of removing the dark and the dangerous part of the luck of the New Year. Chinese Zodiac is part of the new lunar year, and each is symbolized by an animal. Domestic and Wild animals are the symbols like cat, rabbit, and horse, etc. Dragon is the strongest animal of the Zodiac Calendar, which makes the New Year an individual year. “Dragons are referred to as the divine mythical creature that brings with it ultimate abundance, prosperity and good fortune”.
Lifestyle
Having borders with 14 nations have made a tremendous impact on the today's culture of China. China has been recently attracting many investors from all around the world because of which there are many foreigners now residing and studying in China. USA's brands like Wal-Mart and Vogue Style are there to shop from; there are rickshaws on the streets parked along with Mercedes-Benz. The point is that the foreign or Western cultures have made an impact, and now the lifestyles of Chinese people have changed. English is now spoken in China whereas previously many meetings included a translator to carry on the negotiations and so on. Many rituals are important and unique like coming of age rituals, banquet rituals, etc.
Traditional food / cuisines are also influenced by the diversified people and western touch. Still the ethnic diversity has a significant impact without doubt. Cantonese, Szechuan, and rice that is as fan in China are some famous meals. Meat is not a very common food item in China. In drinks, the traditional tea is what the Chinese people are of.
Because of the high population there were and still are concerns about feeding and providing all kinds of rights to all the citizens of China. For this reason the “one child only” law was passed and legally enforced through incentives and penalties to the parents. Although this seems a weird rule, it was found that more than 70 percent of the population thinks that this rule is for the good in the long run .
Communication style`
In China, the non-verbal communication style is taken seriously compared to the verbal communication style. Guanxi is the most important part of the communication with each other with the Chinese people where communication is as an obligation and thought of as important as money is. The person who is talking has a distinct non-verbal communication accompanying his or her talking which has to be interpreted well by the listener or else the miscommunication is his or her fault. The conventional Chinese "handshake" comprises of interlocking the fingers of the hands and waving them a few times. This is not very common today but is amid celebrations, weddings and birthdays of the elderly. With respect to the bowing, the deeper the bow, the more appreciation is given to an individual with high rank or more life.
Informal connections or when talking to a senior or individual with high status, it is considered very unseemly and discourteous to address the individual by their given name. They ought to be tended to as per their assignment, for instance 'Mr. ____, Doctor _____, Chairman _____ and so on. Using titles is highly significant while addressing someone and also the use of the family name is common. Handshaking and bowing is a common courtesy and traditional way of communicating. In China, direct saying no is found to be rude, so instead less direct way is . Reciprocal gifts and greeting the highest positioned person first is necessary. Females are mostly communicated to at the last.
References
Air, Jin. "Guanxi Networks in China: Its Importance and Future Trends." China & World Economy (2006): 105-118.
China Culture. China Culture: Chinese Funeral Customs. 2003. November 2014.
China Highlights. n.d. <http://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/culture/>.
China Mike. GUANXI: The oil that keeps China running. n.d. <http://www.china-mike.com/chinese-culture/understanding-chinese-mind/guanxi/>.
China Travel. Chinese Dragon. October 2014. November 2014.
David. 2014. <http://www.chinatravel.com>.
Elysees. Ancient Rituals (China Travel). 2014. 2014.
Kwint Essential. China - Language, Culture, Customs and Etiquette. n.d. November 2014.
Ministry of Commerce, PRC. Chinese customs, superstitions, and traditions. 2004. <http://us2.mofcom.gov.cn/article/aboutchina/custom/200411/20041100004548.shtml>.
Pew Global. The 2008 Pew Global Attitudes Survey in China. Washington: Pew Research Center, 2008.
Shen, Wenwen. "China and its Neighbors: troubled relations." Publication. 2012. November 2014.
World Bank. "World Development," 2013.
