Chinese Language and CultureChina is an awe-inspiring country with a history that spans five thousand years. It is the only country with a continuous civilization. Its counterparts in other civilizations have discontinued, changed, or have perished. But China has persevered and remained undivided. Many have questioned how China was able to regenerate and build upon itself through various millennia. This is a question with no simple answer but analyzing the Chinese language and culture might provide some ideas: Chinese Culture Confucianism, Taoism, the Five-Element theory, acupuncture, a Yi Jing (the Book of Changes), and the Shan Hai Jing, all these are part of the Chinese culture yet they are just the tip of the iceberg. The development of the Chinese language and culture took centuries to cultivate. The country has the richest historical records because its people put a lot of emphasis on documentation and record-keeping. The modern culture in China today is very different from its past. A lot of Chinese spend a lot of time watching their favorite festival displays, patriotic singing contests, and soap operas on television. Action movies from Hong Kong and Taiwan have also become popular. A few Western movies that have been approved by the government are being shown in China as well. Chinese Culture Resources: National Geographic: Special Issue on China The China Experience: China Culture Index Chinese Language The official language in China is the Putonghua, which is what we know as Mandarin. The language is based on the Beijing’s dialect; there are several other widely spoken languages in China as well. The written language (scripts) remains similar throughout China. To a foreigner, the Chinese language might seem difficult. To read the newspaper, you need to know 2,000-3,000 Chinese characters. Each character is made up of different “strokes”. However, like all languages, the Chinese language can be learned. Chinese Language Resources University of Virginia Library: Chinese Text Initiative Introduction to the Chinese Language Omniglot: Chinese Script and Language Chinese Resources from Dartmouth |
||