My first recollection of witnessing Chinese culture in-person was from when I was an extremely young boy who–with my mother–would visit the local Chinatown and purchase various culinary delights. The colorful and vibrant smells along with the red floating lanterns amazed my young soul at the time and I would constantly beg my mother to take me down to Chinatown. The people were also extremely friendly and were always willing to give me a free sample of their delicious dumplings. However, to my young self, the people always appeared to be speaking gibberish, possibly engaging my curiosity even more.
As I grew up and began to understand the complexities that the everyday world is comprised of and therefore I began to investigate what defined the people I met at Chinatown. After independently studying Mandarin Chinese for a few years, I began to implement my skills at the shops in Chinatown. At first, I had to ask the shop owners to slow down, as it was nearly impossible to keep up with all that they were saying. But ever so surely and steadily I started to be able to interact with them on a normal basis. I was even nicknamed by a dear friend of mine, “吴迪” which translates to “conqueror of all”. After interacting with the majority of shop owners in Chinatown, I signed up for a few college-level Chinese courses because I wanted to expand my language ability and knowledge. These Chinese classes really helped me expand my horizons and make valuable connections that I wouldn’t otherwise have made.
Taking these classes also allows for the detailed study of Chinese culture which continues to fascinate me to this day. For example, the Chinese word for China is 中, which can be translated as “Middle Kingdom”, reflecting the ancient Chinese philosophy that China is the center of the world. Therefore, Chinese people are extremely proud of their long history and immense culture, which you are likely to notice when communicating with Chinese people. Another interesting aspect of Chinese culture is the various ethnicities that call Chine their home. The Chinese government recognizes 56 ethnic groups, but the Han ethnic group comprised the most people with an estimated 92 percent of the total Chinese population. Each ethnic minority in China have their own social customs, language, culture, dress, and language that are very distinct. Traveling to places like Guangxi or Yunnan will allow you an insight into these different groups, who all have varying cultures.
However, the most important aspect of Chinese culture and the penultimate reason why the culture has persisted for so long is family. The family has been a key component in society for thousands of years in China. Today, many aspects of Chinese life can be tied to honoring one’s parents or ancestors. Because of the focus on family, it is common for Chinese, even when fully grown with children of their own, to have many living generations of a family living under the same roof. The Chinese family structure has traditionally been rigid and hierarchical. Many parents and grandparents now still expect their children/grandchildren to do as they are told. Now many Chinese families face challenges and contradictions to the old way of life that threaten their traditional stability. Many young workers have been drawn to bigger cities in the more prosperous regions in China to find better jobs with higher salaries. The young workers tend to spend part of their salary on their parents who may still reside in small towns with much lower salaries. However, as they reach 30 years old they face increasing pressure from their parents to marry and move back to their hometown.
Those are my insights into the fascinating components of Chinese culture and their impacts on the world. I hoped you’ve enjoyed and will continue to read new blog posts that are constantly being uploaded. Thanks! 谢谢!