different peoples, one world homogeneity and diversity: the case of china hari srinivas room: i-312...
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DIFFERENT PEOPLES, ONE WORLD
Homogeneity and Diversity:
The Case of China
H A R I S R I N I VA SR O O M : I - 3 1 2 / 0 7 9 - 5 6 5 - 7 4 0 6
Studies in Multicultural Societies
Very Brief History of China
XiaDynasty
(2000 BC)
Revolution led by Sun
Yet-Sen
(1911)
World War II and Civil Wars
(1930s ~ )
Modern Communist
China
(1949 ~ )
More than 20 dynasties over 5000
years
Creation of Taiwan
Multiculturalism: Ethnicity
Today there are 56 distinct recognized ethnic groups in China
The Han Chinese are the largest ethnic group: 91.59% or about 1.2 billion
Han Tibetian
Non-Han
Han Chinese - 91%
Chinese Ethnic Groups
Other 55 ethnic groups- 9%
Miao Mongols
Tibetan
Hui
Manchu
Yao
Aspects of China’s Culture
Everything about China and its culture is unique and different:
Way of LifeClothingFestivalsMedicineFood and Drink
The “invisible” culture
The “visible” culture
Multiculturalism: Religion
Confucianism
Taoism
Buddhism
The three main religions and
sources of spirituality of
CHina
These are not mutually exclusive, and many people practice a combination of the three along with elements of various folk religions.
Multiculturalism: Language
LocalDialects
LocalDialects
LocalDialects
LocalDialects
Mandarin Chinese
The Chinese language was used only by the elites for many years in ancient times.
It was only in the early 20th century that Chinese reading and writing was taught to common people as well.
Multiculturalism: Literature
Concepts covered within the Chinese classic texts present a wide range of subjects including poetry, astrology, astronomy, calendar, constellations and many others.
Some of the most important early texts include I Ching and Shujing
There were also enormous works of historiography and large encyclopedias, such as Sima Guang's Zizhi Tongjian of 1084 AD or the Four Great Books of Song fully compiled and edited by the 11th century.
Multiculturalism: Arts
Different forms of art have swayed under the influence of great philosophers, teachers, religious figures and even political figures.
Chinese art encompasses all facets of fine art, folk art and performance art.
Porcelain pottery was one of the first forms of art in the Palaeolithic period.
Early Chinese music and poetry was influenced by the Book of Songs, and the Chinese poet and statesman Qu Yuan.
Multiculturalism: Architecture
Chinese architecture, examples for which can be found from over 2,000 years ago, has long been a hallmark of the culture.
Some common features:
Emphasis on width Grand symmetry Organic design of
gardens
Changing to Multiculturalism
There are four main reasons China’s culture changed and become more multicultural over the years:
1. changes in the socio-political environment
2. contact with other cultures3. technological and other
inventions4. further development of the
culture itself.
The Expanding Limits
“Domestic” or Mainland
China
Chinese in other countries and regions
Our understanding of “China” and “Chinese Culture” covers not only the domestic or mainland China, but also in all the name countries and regions that the Chinese have settled, both historically, and in more recent times.
China international …
Integrated more broadly into the local
culture, but maintained their identity
Created pockets of unique cultures
different from the local culture
Destroyed and replaced local cultures
Historic trends in multiculturalism
Migration-based multiculturalism
The Expanding Limits
Much of the culture of China not only influenced other countries and regions, it was also influenced byoutside many cultures itself - making it a multicultural society.
C H I N A
Buddhism,Christianity,Islam etc.
Colonial powers(Europe, US, Japan etc.)
Confucianism, Taoism etc. including arts and culture
Work ethics and cultural ties
China: Old and New
There are two aspects to China’s culture that we need to understand: The “old” China and the “New” China
Both of the Old and New China provide an interesting contrast of a growing economy
OLD NEW
China of the Future?
With an annual GDP growth rate of more than 10%, where is China heading?
What will the future look like?
How will conflicts with its neighbours be solved?
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