Chinese Cultural Overview

The Chinese are the people of China, a Central and East Asian nation.

Geography

China is the fourth-largest nation by land area in the world. It shares borders with nations such as Russia, North Korea, India, Pakistan, Mongolia, and Vietnam. The landscapes of China are highly diverse. The majority of its population live in the warmer, wetter eastern provinces. These regions are fed by rivers like the Yangtze, Yellow, and Mekong. To the west, the climate grows colder and drier, including the Gobi Desert of Inner Mongolia and mountain ranges like the Himalayan and Karakoram bordering India and Pakistan.

• Climate: Ranges from cold and dry to subtropical by area

• Capital: Beijing

• Total Population: 1,384,688,986 (2018 est.)

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History

China possesses a long, continuous history supported by thousands of years of written records. Its culture first developed through smaller political dynasties. In 221 BCE, Qin Shi Huang united the warring states of China and pronounced himself emperor. The empire he founded would last until the 20th century, ruled by a series of dynasties. In the 13th century, Chinese rule was interrupted by the Mongolian Yuan dynasty, but the empire of Kublai Khan fell again within a century.

The Ming dynasty that followed was replaced by the Qing in 1644. The Qing dynasty, led by a separate ethnic group known as Manchu people, faced both internal and external pressure. It lost two conflicts, the Opium Wars, to an expanding British Empire. The foreign effort to open China’s markets led to the Boxer Rebellion, which ended with eight European powers marching on Beijing in 1900. The Qing dynasty’s weakness prompted a popular revolution, resulting in the Republic of China from 1912 to 1949. After World War II, a second revolution placed the Communist Party of China in power. Since that time, China has experienced the rapid growth of its economy and population.

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Daily Life

The lifestyles of Chinese people are as diverse as its landscapes and historical lifestyles. Until the 20th century, the vast majority of its citizen lived as rural farmers. They grew crops like rice, millet, and vegetables and raised livestock such as pigs, poultry, and oxen. While the wealthy nobility and merchants lived in grand estates and favored colorful silk clothing, the common people wore hemp or cotton and lived in mud brick or timber homes. Today, life in China varies by region and income. Urban professionals make up a large middle class, while more rural citizens tend to lead more traditional, agrarian lifestyles.

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Society

During its long dynastic era, power in Chinese society rested with the Emperor, his imperial court, and the military. Social harmony was maintained through Confucianism, a religious philosophy emphasizing public virtue and ancestor veneration. Confucianism also encouraged merit-based governance. Scholar-officials received their posts through exams that measured their knowledge of classic Chinese history, literature, and laws. All but a few social classes of men could take these exams, though they favored those with access to formal education.

Increasing foreign intervention gradually eroded the social order of imperial China. This became most evident in the 19th century, when British commercial interests flooded the state with opium. The loss of social order and imperial power led to a century of revolution, civil war, and foreign occupation. It ended with the rise of the Communist Party of China, which has controlled the nation’s politics to the present day.

• Major Languages: Mandarin Chinese, Yue Cantonese, Wu Shanghainese, Minbei, Minnan, Xiang, Gan, and more.

• Urban Population: 59.2% (2018 est.)

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Economy

China’s historic economy relied on a strong agrarian base and several key exports. Since early times, the empire has been famous for its silk textiles derived from the cocoons of silkworms. It also produced fine ceramics, papers, and artwork. Foreign trade flowed along the Silk Road, a network of trade routes connecting East Asia to the markets of the Middle East, Africa, and Europe.

The Silk Road acted as one of the major commercial arteries of the world until the 14th or 15th century, when European naval trade came to dominate the seas. This shift would have long-lasting impacts on the Chinese economy. The Ming dynasty attempted to protect its interests through isolationism, but European merchants sought access to commodities like tea, silk, and porcelain. The Dutch attempted to open its markets by force but were defeated. The British instead used opium, produced in its Indian colonies, as a substitute for silver currency. This led to widespread addiction, the Opium Wars, and eventually the opening of Chinese markets.

In the later 20th century, the Communist Party of China adopted an economic policy combining communist and open market policies. China became a major manufacturing center, which has fueled growth in more advanced industries as well. While wealthy inequality remains high, the nation is now home to a middle class of about 400 million people.

• Major Industries: Manufacturing, mining, energy, technology, construction, and transportation

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Beliefs

Religious worship in China has traditionally embraced tolerance and intersecting belief systems. It is home to several major philosophies and religions, including Taoism, Confucianism, and Chinese folk religion. Buddhism also has a long and prominent history in the nation. In addition, other religions like Islam, Christianity, Manicheaism, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism have all existed within its borders. Today, China is officially a non-religious state, but folk customs and more organized worship continue on a local level.

Religious Demographics:

• Unaffiliated: 52.2%

• Folk religion: 21.9%

• Buddhist: 18.2%

• Christian: 5.1%

• Muslim: 1.8%

• Other 0.7% (includes Daoist (Taoist))

• Hindu: < 0.1%

• Jewish: < 0.1% (2010 est.)

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Arts & Music

China is home to a strong artistic heritage dating back to its earliest dynasties. Perhaps its most famous archaeological find is the army of terracotta warriors buried with Emperor Qin Shi Huang. The artists of China specialized in calligraphy, painting, poetry, ceramics, metal casting, silk textiles, and sculpting, particularly with fine jade. They also cultivated official schools of music, which grew alongside folk tunes and dances. Modern China is home to artists of all styles and media, though it has struggled with questions of free expression and censorship.

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References

Babones, Salvatore. “China's Middle Class Is Pulling Up the Ladder Behind Itself.” Foreign Policy, Foreign Policy, 1 Feb. 2018, foreignpolicy.com/2018/02/01/chinas-middle-class-is-pulling-up-the-ladder-behind-itself/.

Gernet, Jacques. A History of Chinese Civilization. Cambridge University Press. 1996.

Gunde, Richard. Culture and Customs of China. Greenwood Publishing. 2002.

Newman, Jacqueline. Food Culture in China. Greenwood Publishing. 2004.

O'Brien, Fergal. “China to Overtake U.S. Economy by 2032 as Asian Might Builds.” Bloomberg, Bloomberg, 26 Dec. 2017, www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-12-26/china-to-overtake-u-s-economy-by-2032-as-asian-might-builds.

“The World Factbook: CHINA.” Central Intelligence Agency, Central Intelligence Agency, 12 July 2018, www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ch.html.

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