Chinese Culture GEOGRAPHICAL ENVIRONMENT: limits: Northern Mongolia South: Indochina East: Pacific Ocean West: Mountains of Tibet.

Its territory is crossed by the Hoang -Ho (Yellow River) and Yangtze - Kinang (Blue River) rivers. Its climate is varied; from the coldest to the warmest, most of the soil varied rice yields are obtained.

HISTORY OF THE CHINESE PEOPLE By the third millennium BCE Chinese tribes of the plains of the Yellow River arrived, they learned to cultivate the land, were organized into small independent states, and ruled by feudal lords. Constant wars between States and foreign invaders force unifying the country. The government of the imperial dynasties, among which begins: Chou Dynasty: ended a period of civil wars and unified. Tsin Dynasty: founded by Prince Chin- Huang -ti (220 BC), which crushed feudalism, organized the country, rejected invasions and extended the borders. He built the famous "Chinese Wall" . Constant wars caused the decline and conquest of the country : first the Huns, the Mongols after Genghis Khan led . Centuries after they were expelled by the Manchus . In the nineteenth century the English interference occur until 1911 , when a republic was established after a long civil war in 1949, the Communist People's Republic arises and one of the most powerful nations in the world. SOCIAL POLICY AND ORGANIZATION The " Emperor" was the highest authority " Son of Heaven" , who ruled with absolute power and great despotism. The provinces were governed in his name by the " Mandarins " . The social organization was based in the family where the father was a despotic authority , allowed marriage by purchase and was submissive obedience to the Emperor, considered the father of the large family that was the nation . ECONOMIC ORGANIZATION The basis of the Chinese economy was agriculture , land obtained mainly rice, which was the basis of their diet . It was also important crops of rye and then tea .

Most agricultural land belonged to the Emperor and the great feudal lords . The work of the huge estates was in charge of people, tightly organized in families, they got enough to eat and also paid tribute . The progress of agriculture allowed the development of other jobs , such as manufacturing of silk fabrics , metallurgy , ceramics and porcelain. It was also intense commercial activity. CULTURAL EVENTS - Moral : China was characterized as the country's clinging to traditions , ie the idea and customs of the past , so much it was, which came to be regarded as any innovation or reform of existing was a serious offense. In this way of thinking and acting powerfully contributed the ideas of the Chinese philosopher Confucius, who lived in the V century BC and shared his thoughts on the 5 sacred books entitled : the Kings . Confucius preached that perfection could be achieved through good behavior towards others . This was essential , practice respect for ancestors and elders , love for others , kindness , justice, honesty and sincerity. - Fine artists: their innate penchant for beauty oriented to perform the delicate work in porcelain , ivory , ceramics and silk. In sculpture represented mainly animals, especially terrifying dragons and snakes. In architecture developed flair for being subject to unchanging rules, not much developed. Characteristics are their temples ( pagodas ) , octagonal shaped towers and its fabulous palaces Palace in Beijing in the imperial capital . By its colossal dimensions highlights the Great Wall of China , which was 6 m . height 4 m . wide and 2400 km. extension GREAT INVENTORS Chinese is distinguished by its great capacity for work, his patience and creative spirit. These virtues prompted them to make extraordinary inventions that constitute real contributions to world culture . These were : - The compass - The gunpowder used to make fireworks - The role - Ink They would then spread to Europe by the Arabs It also states that were the first recorded use planks and wooden movable type to print figures, cards and even books . food In China , food is an important part of life. Sharing a meal is the common way to socialize in the same way that Westerners can go to a bar or pub to drink .

Moreover, there is a strong ideal of " nothing is wasted " that has led to a range of interesting dishes . Rice and noodles are the two raw materials in Chinese culture and can be compared to the use of bread in Western culture . Both dishes have a long history . China was one of the first center of rice and noodles have been consumed since the Han Dynasty ( 25 AD to 220 AD ) . In Chinese tradition , five grains of rice are valued more than pearls or jade and noodles are a symbol of longevity. language Mandarin is the official language of China and has been recognized as one of the seven languages of the United Nations. It is based on the dialects spoken in the northern region of China, particularly around Beijing. There are over 80,000 Chinese word , but only 30,000 of these are used in everyday life . Mandarin is written in characters, originated in the Shang Dynasty ( sixteenth century to eleventh century AD ) . There are two versions of characters : Traditional Chinese, used in Taiwan Province and Hong Kong , and simplified Chinese used in mainland China . There is also a range of formal and Hakka dialects as spoken in Guangdong and Wu , spoken in the province of Zhejiang. Morals and values Chinese culture has a range of moral values. Humility and respect are very important in Chinese culture . It is expected that individuals are treated well by all and show modesty when discussing an event or not discussed at all. In China , people think in a collective sense , often considering how his actions affect his friends , neighbors and colleagues before making a decision. Decisions are usually taken in the common good above personal gain . The Chinese are strictly bound by protocol, so best to " save face " respecting and honoring the opinion of others , even if you think what they say is wrong, you sue others approval of your thinking . religion There are two main religions in Chinese culture . Taoism , also known as Daoism , is based on the teachings of the Tao Te Ching , which was written in China in the sixth century AD Emphasis on finding spiritual harmony within the individual . As in many Eastern countries , Buddhism is the dominant religion in China. This began in India 2,500 years ago and follows the teachings of the Buddha, "the enlightened one." In China, Mahayana Buddhism is particularly common . In this form of the Buddhist path to liberation involves religious rituals , meditation and devotion. social structure China has a hierarchical and formal social structure. For example , in the family, children are expected to respect the elderly , starting with the oldest member in the family. The Chinese Theatre

The Chinese were extremely fond of theatrical performances. According to these traditions originated in the time of Emperor Ming Huang of the Tang dynasty, later revered as the patron saint of actors, without whom no actor is considered to be a good performance . Most Chinese works are very extensive in time , usually lasting from several hours to several days. Except there were some large cities such as theaters , and plays were performed in a simple scenario , sometimes next to a temple and other erected for the representation and dismantled at the end of it. The main components of a representation were the actors, their costumes and music . The actors were accustomed to recite before the public their identity and character, the music accompanied the performance, especially being heard during intermissions and at times of high stress, usually very luxurious and expensive dresses were the main distinctive of each company. The actors were a whole breed apart in Chinese society , always wandering traveling from one place to another , they were drawn into theater companies usually organized by a wealthy person as an investment , someone able to provide the capital necessary to buy expensive dresses. The players were divided into classes, the members of each received pay according to their category . The main categories were the lao - sheng , representing historical figures first class, the hu sheng , representing legendary characters , and xiao- sheng or other third category represented historical figures. Behind them were the secondary characters : ladies , officers, etc, Hua -lien , or clowns, characters representing evil , and accompanying characters . Soldiers , messengers, etc. . Many of the actors that office began as apprentices , usually children from poor families, whose parents enrolaban them some company at a young age to guarantee at least a few years sustenance . In addition to professional actors had amateur companies , so-called small theaters , which took advantage of the low season for agriculture plays in nearby areas. In villages the theater was the only kind of public entertainment , in addition to two or three days annual holiday . This is why people in the villages had such great love for these representations that any pretext or event seemed to be good to organize the corresponding representation . Recovery from a disease by any of the wealthier members of the community, an offering to a deity by a village that was considered to have been favored by her commitment to peace between two feuding families , or just the community count with money to spare and decided to hire representation . Large trade fairs and religious festivals held regularly in major

population centers were invariably accompanied by theatrical performances , some of them with more than 10,000 spectators. In some areas was as important extravagance that prohibit judges came to trying to make people spend their money on more productive activities for the common good . Most festivals in China are calculated by the lunar calendar , the New Year usually begins between the months of January or February of the solar year . There are some more modern , which follow the solar calendar, and more that celebgran match schedule of different minorities, because almost every one of the minorities in China had its own way of counting years. Solar Calendar Holidays Holidays are usually civil, influenced by the West or the history of the PRC , including the most important are : March 8. Working Women 's Day . A holiday celebrated around the world , during which Chinese women , whether they work in government or in any state enterprise, often enjoy a half day off . May 1. Labor Day. It is an international festival, which is celebrated in China in a big way . People enjoy a three-day holiday for all who work in offices or administration , which sometimes are recovered before or after working some holidays. . October 1. National Party . It commemorates the establishment of the People's Republic of China by Mao Zedong in Tiananmen Square in Beijing on October 1, 1949 . Tiananmen Square is decorated during the preceding or following weeks , a larger, on anniversaries that are multiples of five, people enjoy three or four day vacation military parade is held . Celebrations of the Lunar Calendar Parties most have Chinese New Year or Spring Festival . January 1 mole. The most important Chinese festival and a number of national minorities. All China

is set in motion from one month before the celebration. Those who live outside their homeland, a significant percentage of the population returns to reunite with their families . The whole country is practically paralyzed. It's a family holiday, the day before the house is cleaned thoroughly , if debts are paid before the year progresses . The family members eat dinner together last night of the year , then put firecrackers to drive away evil spirits . The next few days visiting relatives and friends are made , children are given a red envelope. The party does not officially end until the Feast of Lanterns , two weeks later. At the door of the houses stick auspicious calligraphy and images of gods protectors door renewing.