Research Questions And Objectives: Chinese Traditional Culture

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Chinese Traditional Culture
Culture is has been defined using different forms and terminology depending on the context it is being used in. The term culture has been described as a combination of both abilities and beliefs of a given community of people CITATION Ric15 \l 1033 (Smith). Every city that occupies a given geographical region has their culture and views which they practice. The culture of a given population is particular and times collide with the culture of neighboring communities as what one community believes in is different from what another one believes in. Culture is critical as it defines a given population at any given time in that a community can be determined by the cultural practices it exhibits. Religion is something that is recurring and has been practiced by a given community for very long durations, and it continues to practice as it defines the given community to third parties and also to outsiders who may be interested in the culture of others such as for study purposes or comparison purposes. This paper tries to analyze the cultural practices of the original habitats of China. This paper only focuses on the culture of the Chinese form way back then in history and up to date.
The culture of the Chinese is different from that of its neighboring communities as this community was unique and special CITATION Qiz12 \l 1033 (Zhang, Li and al, Traditional Chinese culture). The Chinese word for literature is "wenhua." This word has been used in China for ages as it describes the culture and what the people believe in. "Wenhu" is a word that can be separated into two, i.e., when which refer to the weaving of colors and ornamentation while "Hua" refers merely to the difference in variations that arise from creation. This paper will very much focus on both sides of the term wenhua. For my case, my motivating factor is to understand the culture of the Chinese from way back in history and in the current days. This paper will critically analyze the culture of China inhabitants as this paper is formulated from reliable sources. The data used in formulating this paper is gathered by some means will be discussed later in the methodology section. The methods used were efficient and very necessary as they assisted very much in obtaining all the information stated in this paper.
Research Questions and Objectives
This paper is formulated for purposes of understanding the Chinese culture through the paintings and images provided. This paper will focus on issues like Chinese Tea, Chinese knot, Panda, Blue and White Porcelain. This is major element of the Chinese culture. This objective of this paper is to explain how all these elements connect with the traditional Chinese practices. We are going to analyse how each of this five components is associated with the Chinese culture.
Methodology
For purposes of answering the research question and also achieving the objectives of this paper, I had to employ both primary and secondary research methods. This paper is formulated by the use of both primary and secondary sources of information. Among the sources that have been used to gather data used in this paper include books, journals, academic research papers and surveys that have been carried out with a view of presenting theoretical analysis on the cultural practices of the Chinese. These sources are mainly focused on the ancient history of China, traditional Chinese methods, and official creative records. Other sections of these materials, i.e., the academic research papers mainly focus on the history of intellectual property in China and revolutions that have occurred since modernization CITATION Mar13 \l 1033 (Colson). The information offered by these sources can be reliable as it all is accounted for.
Some parts of this paper were also formulated by the use of anthropology as a study method. In this study method, an anthropologist was sent to the communities under study to investigate some factors. This method involves studying using observation and also employing imitation. In this particular case, the anthropologist visits the population under investigation and stayed with them for quite sometimes now and observed how they lived their life. This study method was most useful as it involved an active collection of data and like other sources which were passive. The results of this finding are also discussed thoroughly throughout this paper.
Result
The results that were obtained after a careful analysis of the available set of data showed that all the information gathered either from reading books and journals or from the survey conducted us very much similar. The results that were critically analyzed we majorly those collected using study and also by the use of an anthropologist. The surveyor employed in this case recorded to have visited different regions where he tried to interview various participants on issues such as how the culture has changed and how it has impacted their lives. According to his results, half of the population was more than willing to respond while the other half was reluctant as they lacked knowledge about their culture. This fact was attributed to modernization and also the western civilization. The response rate for this case was thus fifty percent.
Discussions
In the course of my research, I discovered that the culture of the Chinese was based on some values and ethics which defined them. These cultural values influenced their way of life from the community levels to the national standards. Among the cultural values that were highly practiced in the ancient times include harmony, Righteousness which is used to refers to justice and equality, courtesy and respect. All these values defined the Chinese culture where individuals practiced their beliefs with consideration of the above vital costs. These values made the Chinese culture to look different from other religions in that it made people admire the Chinese way of life as benefits such as harmony and peaceful coexistence led to a lot of economic progress in the region. Some of these values are still being practiced up to date all though they have been eroded by the western cultures and practices and thus they are not in their pure and natural state.
Most of the cultural symbols that were connected to the Chinese culture were recorded inform of painting. These paintings and images clearly show their subject matters. The paintings used are very much similar to those of Kehinde Wiley and Charles Reid (watercolor artist). These two modern artists are very skilled in watercolor painting, and their work is very much presentable. Their work is very much similar to that used to represent the Chinese culture. The two images below are a representation of some of their paintings. These paintings are very much similar to those that will be presented in the course of this paper to represent the five elements of culture under consideration.
Art by Kehinde Wiley and Charles Reid (watercolor artist)
The Chinese culture is the most active culture in the world where you find that this culture has been able to overcome the aspect of time as it has been practiced for over five hundred thousand years CITATION Mar13 \l 1033 (Colson). This culture gave China its identity as the Celestial Empire which meant it was powerful. The Celestial Empire did not only refer to the strengths of China but also the position it held in East Asia's middle kingdom. This term also describes the land occupied by the divine and the mortal once in the nation. The strength of this empire arose from the integration that existed among the citizens in all the aspects of life such as in religious matters, economic practices and also on political issues.
The Chinese culture is believed to have originated from the yellow empire which was in existence about 5,000 years ago. The ruler of this empire was thought to be a cultivator of Tao and was said to be a knowledgeable man who possessed vast knowledge and powers and wisdom. The leader of this kingdom taught his subjects how to live by the heavenly requirements. Old Chinese legends speak of occurrence of deities who passed on to humans essential elements of culture. The deities were supernatural forces which influenced various aspects such as agriculture and civilization. The gods that were involved in the process included Cangjie who created the Chinese character, Shennong who established a farm in the region and suiren who created and revealed the use of fire in the area. All the cultural practices in China are believed to have originated from the various deities.
Chinese tea
Tea has been an important component of the Chinese tradition. As the Chinese community developed, tea production and manufacturing became an important driving force of their economy. This practice has remained so up to date as tea is both a source of income and a practice that is rooted in their life. Chinese believed that tea could bring wisdom to humans in the higher orbit. The study of the Chinese tea reveals a lot about the Chinese culture as it does cover not only the spirit of civilization but also the ideological form. Tea has been known to be beneficial when it comes to some social aspects of the Chinese community.
The history of tea in China has been credited to the legendary emperor Shennong whose existence is dated about five thousand years ago. The history of this tea is very long and has undergone changes in the course of time. Chinese have been a generation of growers and producers, and thus they have perfected in manufacturing and processing tea. The emperor who was a scientist was very much interested in new liquids, and thus he would boil herbs and dry leaves and drink. In the course of his study, he discovered tea which was very refreshing. This legend is dated back to the 2737 BC when China was still under the emperor rule.
Since the discovery of tea, China has been known to produce various types of tea. Among these brands include the green tea, the black tea, white tea, and yellow tea and Oolong tea. All these teas are available at Chinese dealers although they all play different roles. For example, the black tea has been known to be the most refreshing among all types of tea. Drinking tea is associated with some Chinese cultures which will be discussed in the next section. Tea is a cultural tool which has been in existence for very long periods and thus it holds important positions in the Chinese traditional culture.
Fig 1.1: kettle that was used to serve tea
The following acts are associated with the Chinese culture. Drinking tea was carried out with a view of quenching thirst. Tea art on the hand was a practice which involved drinking tea while paying attention to the environment. One paid attention to different elements such as music, techniques and interpersonal relationships. This practice was carried out with a view to helping one to connect with the environment. Another cultural practice which was attached to tea involved tasting tea. Tasting tea was carried out with the view of testing the quality of tea.these practice required the taster to able to savor the tea thoroughly.
The Chinese enjoyed drinking tea very much, and thus they had to lay some guidelines when it came to drinking tea. The first guideline in the Chinese culture stated that tea should be drunk while it's hot. This was because they believed that tea...