lesson on Chinese characteristics, nature and culture

1. CHINESE LITERATURE

2. CHARACTERISTICS/
NATURE
• Highlight the “face”
--“Face”-represents honor
• Chinese often appear shy and
self-conscious to Westerners
(foreigners).

3. CHINA’S HIGHLIGHT THE FACE

4. Chinese are not very expressive.
Chinese find it difficult &
humiliating to apologize to
someone face to face.
People in China lie all the time
about this and that

5. • Value Friendship
• Chinese value loyalty & stress the
importance of keeping one’s word.

7. ATTIRE/ COSTUMES
* Chinese Clothing- is ancient
and modern. It has varied by
region and time, and is recorded
by the artifacts and arts of
Chinese culture.

8. IMPERIAL CHINA
Chinese men--- wore Chinese black
cotton shoes
Higher class--- tough black leather
shoes for formal occasions.
Very rich & wealthy men--- bright,
beautiful silk shoes sometimes having
leather on the inside.

10. Women--- wear silk shoes, with
certain wealthy women practicing
bound feet --- wearing coated “Lotus
shoes” as a status symbol until in the
20th century.

11. WOMEN’S SHOES

12. 10. Hanfu (men)-- the
dress of a certain social
class of people during the
Han dynasty in China.

13. Qipao 9.
- Traditional Chinese dress
-made of silk and
embroided with thick laces
trimmed at the collar, sleeves
and edges.
-

14. Civil & Military Officials
 Mandarin Square or rank Bad In- the most
recognized.
 Ming Dynasty--- official ranks varies in the
head wear.
 Qing Dynasty--- different patterns of robes
represented different ranks.

15. REPUBLIC ERA
• Zhongshan suit (men)--- jacket &
trousers instead of robes. 7.
• 8. Cheongsam (women)--- a
transformation of the traditioal qipao,
resulted in a slender form-fitting dress
with a high cut.
• Dodou--underbodies/undergarment
(women) was abandoned in favor of
western-style Corsets and brassiere.
REPUBLIC ERA

16. Zhongshan suit (men)

18. Early People’s Republic
*Items that attracted dangerous attention if caught in
the public included:
 jeans
 high heels
 Western-style coats
 ties
 jewelry

19. Other Types:
 Traditional Manchu Clothing:
--- usually in the form of long gown and
sometimes with jacket or waistcoat outside.
 Dragon Robe 3.
--- it is named that way because of the
embroided dragons on it.
--- it can only be worn by the emperor.

21. Officials’ Uniform
 They are strictly distinguished by colors, embroided
patterns & hats, etc.
Example: Ming Dynasty (embroided pattern)
1st rank– crane 6.
2nd rank- golden pheasant
3rd rank- peacock
4th rank- wild goose
5th rank- silver pheasant

22. Traditional Wedding Costumes
 Red Chaplet & Official Robes--- are still
widely worn today by newly wed in traditional
style wedding ceremonies or for taking
photos.

24. Traditional Marriage
 Parent’s desire and not the couple’s LOVE
`
 If a boy’s family was well-off or an official family,
his parents would never permit him to marry a girl
from a poor family.
 WEALTH & SOCIAL STATUS

26. CUSTOMS & TRADITIONS
• China is an extremely large country, and the customs &
traditions of its people vary by geography and ethnicity.
• More than 1 billion people live in China, according to the
Asia Society, representing 56 ethnic minority groups.
• The largest group is the Han Chinese, with about 900
million people.

27. Chinese Customs
1. Burping is considered a sign of gratitude
---for them it’s a sign of satisfaction & a compliment
to the chef.
2. Tea cups are constantly filled
---it’s known as “tea tapping”
3. A gift will be refused a number of times before it’s
accepted.

28. 4. Spitting loudly in public is common.
5. Pointing can be considered rude.
6. Tipping can be seen as offensive.
7. Bowing
8. People regularly take naps on the street.

30. CULTURE
----- Includes religion, food or cuisine,
style, language, marriage, music, morals,
customs & traditions, dances, painting,
clothing, applied art and many other things
that make up how a group acts and interacts.

31. RELIGION
 There are only 5 official religions.
1. Buddhism 4. Catholicism
2. Taoism 5. Protestantism
3. Islam
* Any religion other than this 5 is
considered illegal, even though their constitution
states that people are allowed Freedom of
Religion.

32. Language
7 Major Groups of Dialects
1. Mandarin– spoken by 71.5% of the 2.
population
2. Wu- 8.5%
3. Yue-( also called Cantonese) 5%
4. Xiang- 4.8%
5. Min- 4.1%
6. Hakka- 3.7%
7. Gan- 2.4 %

35. FOOD/CUISINE
 Among the main styles of Chinese cooking are
Cantonese, which features stir-fried dishes, and
Szechuan, which relies heavily on use of peanuts,
sesame paste and ginger and is known for its
spiciness.
 The Chinese word for rice is “fan” which means
“meal”.

36.  Rice --- is also a major food source
 Bean sprouts, cabbage & scallions ---is a staple food.
 Tofu--- is a main source of protein for the Chinese.

37. ARTS
 Many sculptures & paintings depict spiritual figures of
Buddhism.
 Many musical instruments are integral to Chinese
culture, including flute-like xun and the guqin.
 Eastern-style martial arts were also developed in
China

39. • it is the birth place of 1. Kung Fu– a
fighting technique based on animal
movements.
• Ancient Chinese were avid writers &
philosophers--- esp. during Ming &
Qing dynasties– and that is reflected in
the country’s liturgical history.

40. CELEBRATIONS
• 5. Spring Festival--- marks the beginning of
the Lunar New Year.
--- it falls between mid-January & mid-
February , is a time to honor ancestors.
• Moon Festival--- celebrated in September or
October with fireworks, paper lanterns & moon
gazing.

41. COLOR SYMBOLISM
*Colors play an important part in symbolism.
 Black--- is the color of darkness & evil
 Yellow--- is the Imperial color & banned to ordinary
people.
 Red--- is considered the most auspicious color
--- it represents fire, power, & good luck.

42. CHINESE DRAGON
Traditionally symbolize potent and auspicious powers,
particularly control over water, rainfall, typhoons, and
floods.
The dragon --- is also a symbol of power, strength and
good luck for people who are worthy of it.

43. DRAGON DANCE
 The dragon dance is performed at many
celebrations, e.g. Chinese New Year.
 Generally the dragon used is up to 70 meters that is
constructed using hoops made of bamboo covered
with glistening fabric, held by dancers.

44. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING
GODBLESS YOU MORE…..