China: Rich In Culture
China is a country steeped in history, and has recorded settlers going back several millennia.
To outline China’s entire history would be a monstrous task, as it has one of the most complex and oldest histories of any nation in the world. The written history of China dates back as far as the Shang Dynasty that ran from 1750 BC through to 1045 BC, although there is evidence of settlers and human life much before then. Throughout the years since then, China has seen many drastic changes to bring it to where it is today.
Unearthed in 1927 was one of the oldest stone age sites in China, in Zhoukoudian southwest of Beijing. The artifacts found here date back over 700,000 years.
One of China’s greatest attractions, the famous Great Wall of China was built during the West Zhou Dynasty dating from 11th century BC through to 771 BC. It was built to help defend against foreign tribes. It was restored during the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644 AD), and was listed by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage Site in 1987.
Also during the Ming Dynasty, founded by the Zhu family, the Forbidden City and Temple of Heaven were built in 1420. The Ming Tombs were built between 1409 - 1644. These are all some of the most popular tourist destinations today and are all on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list.
The history of China’s capital city, Beijing, dates back over 3,000 years ago. Before if was the capital of the nation, it was the capital of the ancient state of Yan. Throughout history Beijing has been named the capital on and off, until eventually being the capital city today. Beijing is one of the largest cities in the world, and in 2008 it hosted the Olympic Games with much success.
As well as having a rich history, the culture in China is one of the most complex, oldest and most interesting in the world. Being such a large country, the culture is slightly different in every one of the different towns, villages and provinces.
The typical social values of every part of China are based on Confucianism and Taoism along with a combination of conservatism. Many Chinese nationals are Buddhists, and they believe in reincarnation or rebirth that reminds them of the connection between reality and the next life.
The national language of China is Mandarin, although there are several dialects and variations on the Chinese language in different parts of the country. Classical Chinese was the ancient written standard and was used for thousands of years, although it was generally only used by academics and scholars. Still in the 20th century, millions of Chinese citizens particularly in rural areas, were illiterate. This number is significantly lower today.
Literature is an important part of Chinese culture and history. Chinese classic texts covered areas such as poetry, astrology, calendars, and constellations amongst others. There have been books found that date back to the Zhou Dynasty and they illustrate how intelligent some of the academics were even back then.
Music and the arts also have a significant role in China’s history and culture. Opera is a popular past time of the Chinese, and there are still any opera theatres around the country showing both traditional and modern performances. Shadow puppets are one of China’s oldest forms of dramatic entertainment. Although not as popular since the rise of the film industry, shadow puppet shows used to be found in every town. The emperors used to hire several full-time shadow puppeteers to be on call when they wished to see a performance. Early Chinese music was based on percussion instruments, and Buddhist chanting was very common. String and reed instruments are more common today.
When most people think of the culture of China they instantly think of martial arts. China is considered to be the birthplace of traditional east-Asian martial arts. Kung fu is the most popular and well-known branch of martial arts in China, and it dates back as far as 5000 years ago as a form of self defense.
Games are also a popular past time within Chinese culture. The most popular and widely played game is called Mah Jong, which is a game for four players that involves skill, strategy and calculation.
Chinese cuisine is another important part of Chinese culture, and people all around the world enjoy Chinese style food regularly. Rice is one of the staple ingredients in most traditional Chinese dishes. Every region in China has it’s traditional specialties. One of the best known variations is Cantonese, which originated in the south of China.
