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China
Culture & History
Personality, Culture, & Identity
The relationship between the Chinese people, their government,
and their history reads much like a well-disciplined and proud family. This relationship
reflects Chinese society today as the people have been taught to be respectful and
proud, but with this came a fear of stepping out of line and a need to constantly
save "face." Honoring their past and maintaining their image often times
holds the people as slaves, not willing to speak their opinions or chase their dreams
on both a personal and a national level.
Fortunately for China, a part of their past is of innovation,
progress, and forward-thinking, which placed them at the forefront of technology
for hundreds of years. Additionally, the government has improved education, infrastructure,
and communications while transitioning to an open market economy, allowing these
past strengths to resurface in the present. Today, the Chinese people remain tied
to their past through their monuments and traditions and they are attached to the
government as loyal children, not willing to speak out, but also trusting in their
leadership.
China's future is still uncertain, but their industrious
spirit is sure to forge them ahead, while their need to save "face" leads
to a fear of insults and of insulting others, which may prevent progress from moving
as quickly as it otherwise might.
The Chinese people today consist of dozens of ethnic groups and most of them identify
either as a citizen of China or by their ethnic roots,
whether that be Han Chinese, Tibetan, or Dai.
The Chinese government has been quite successful in installing a pride of being
Chinese citizens in their people and many people proudly claim themselves "Chinese"
(referring to the nationality, not the ethnicity). Few people openly protest the
government so it's rare to find people clinging to an identity based upon political
leanings, legal issues, philosophical beliefs, or even religion, which is somewhat
suppressed by the government.
History
China's recorded history is one of the longest in the
world and for much of that time they ruled the region of the Far East and were more
technologically advanced than any place in the world. Written records have been
gathered from as long ago as 1300 B.C., but their "modern" recorded history
begins in 214 B.C.
After unification and division for years, in 214 B.C. China
was united under the rule of Emperor Qin Shi Huang. Although his family's rule
was short lived, he created what is known today as the beginning of "Imperial
China." The Qin Dynasty created, or began, two of the world's greatest
architectural feats ever: the Army of Terracotta Warriors
in Xi'an and the Great Wall of China.
Although Qin Shi Huang is best known for his protectorate soldiers near his tomb,
the Army of Terracotta Warriors, he also created a centralized government and made
standards for the legal system and for the development of business.
Following the Qin Dynasty came the Han Dynasty, whose most profound contribution
was the introduction of Confucianism to the entire country. They were also a very
outwardly looking dynasty, known for being active in the Silk Road, which began
on their land, and for making contact with and regularly communicating with the
Romans.
After the Han Dynasty came chaos, ethnic tensions, the Sui Dynasty in the 500s,
the Tang Dynasty and external trade in the 600s, and the Song Dynasty in the 900s,
who brought with them the arts and sciences.
Despite the building of the Great Wall of China
over the years, the country was overcome by the Mongols, which led to the collapse
of the Song Dynasty and the beginning of Mongol rule in China. The Mongols established
their capitals in Beijing and the greatest of their rulers, Kublai Khan, adopted
local customs and united China once again. Although the
empire was vast, it fell quickly to the emerging Ming Dynasty in 1368.
Following the Ming Dynasty, came the ethnic Manchurian Qing Dynasty, who forced
Manchurian customs and dress on the Han Chinese. They had a strong rule, but created
tension with both their own people and foreigners. Under Qing rule,
Hong Kong fell to the British in 1842
and the country, during that same century, was involved in numerous opium wars with
Britain. The Qing Dynasty also faced a number of internal rebellions, including
the Boxer Rebellion in the early 1900s, which demanded a return to former ways.
This chaos eventually led to the fall of "Imperial China"
and caused the formation of the Republic of China in 1912, which soon proved itself
extraordinarily corrupt after the overthrow of their first president.
The country again fell into chaos under Japanese rule, but the Chinese Nationalist
Party led the suppressed people and united the country, however not without resistance
from the ruling Japanese, the Soviets and the Communist Party of
China.
In 1934 the Nationalist Party almost destroyed the communists, but they escaped
north on an event now known as "The Long March." During this time the
Nationalist Party weakened as they fought their Japanese occupiers and the communists
gathered momentum in recruitment. This struggle lasted throughout the Sino-Japanese
war, which by 1941 was little more than one battle within World War II. By 1949
Mao Tse-tung and the Communist Party had defeated the Nationalist Party and had
taken most of China as the Nationalist Party leadership
and many of their supporters retreated to Taiwan.
Since the communists took power in China, the country has
been approached with various viewpoints, but what is certain is the enormous amount
of change that has occurred. Almost immediately, Mao introduced the "Great
Leap Forward," which was a plan to advance technologically and militarily.
The plan succeeded, but at the expense of millions of lives. Next came the "Cultural
Revolution," which destroyed much of China's physical history.
Since Mao's death in 1976, the country has been, relatively, opened up.
China has introduced a free market economy, welcomed tourists, hosted the
2008 Summer Olympics, and improved education and healthcare, but the government
still controls the country and this is particularly true in small towns and villages.
Dress & Behavior
There are few dress restrictions in China. The most important
thing to note is to avoid anything the government will see as provocative, like
"Free Tibet" shirts, the Tibetan
flag, or anti-communist slogans on shirts. Another point to note is that, although
few locals wear shorts, especially men, there is no discourtesy involved in wearing
them. Finally, unlike many beaches in Europe, sunbathing
naked is rarely permitted; check with locals before doing so.
Behaviorally, the Chinese people are very proud people
and insulting them or putting a person down in anyway can be very offensive as the
person will feel "shamed." In much the same way, the Chinese will rarely
give you critical advice or insult you in fear of "shaming" you. This
is especially true in business. Turning down a business offer in the wrong way may,
unknowingly be an insult and could force your contact to feel so shamed that he
will actually quit his job; if all hope is lost on a deal, allow your Chinese counterpart
to gracefully exit the situation so he can save "face." However, the opposite
is also becoming more common and if you do (intentionally or unintentionally) insult
another, that person may defend his honor by insulting you and will pursue a shouting
match. Fortunately, this is more common among locals arguing over driving etiquette.
Dinning etiquette in China has a number of customs; to
learn about dining etiquette in China, visit the Chinese Food
page.
This page was last updated: June, 2011