I am in no way a part of China, therefore, I chose to research the Chinese culture. There are several things that I thought people should know about the Chinese culture if they every plan to travel there. This is why I researched religion, entertainment, food, fashion and language of the Chinese culture. The Chinese culture uses the Social Identity Theory much like us in the United States. According to Reid and Anderson (2010), “The Social Identity Theory does an excellent job of characterizing the status strivings of people in groups and their concomitant attitudes and behaviors. It starts with the assumption that people are motivated to achieve a positive social identity.” The Chinese culture uses Religious Identity, Ethnic Identity and Age Identity which are all part of the Social Identity Theory. Two forms of communication are used in China, these are the same forms used in the United States just used differently. The two forms are verbal and nonverbal communication. Verbal communication is when we send messages to people through the use of words. While nonverbal communication is “the process of communication through sending and receiving wordless (mostly visual) messages,” (Wikipedia 2011). You may notice that people belonging to the Chinese culture tend to have different Religious Identities from one another. This is because of the variety of religions practiced in the country of China. There is Taoism, Buddhism, Islamism, Protestantism and Catholicism.
I looked at two different forms of entertainment in the Chinese culture. The first form was the Chinese Opera. When it comes to the Chinese Opera nonverbal communication is used to portray the characters in the opera. Colors incorporated in the make-up and masks worn by the characters each represent the role played by the person. Therefore, if a persons make-up incorporated the color blue it was not because it looked pretty, rather because it portrayed the character as being fierce. Kung Fu was the other form of entertainment I focused on. This form of entertainment shows how Ethnic and Age Identity are used in the Chinese Culture.
The types of food as well as manners when food in China is an important thing to know if you plan to travel there. As you may remember from my last blog the types of food ate in China consist of a main dish and accompanying dishes and is ate with the use of chopsticks. More importantly is manners at the dinner table. When it comes to eating in China, Age Identity is important. You must show respect to your elders. According to Natasha (2010), “This can be done by allowing the oldest member of your group to sit facing the door while eating.” Also it is important to wait to eat until your host verbally communicates that it is time to do so.
Nonverbal communication is used to demonstrate your plans for the day by the type of outfits worn in China. Both traditional Chinese clothing is worn, mostly for social occasions, but also clothing such as blue jeans and t-shirts like in the United States.
Verbal communication is used when communicating the Chinese language which is Standard Mandarin. In China the use of symbols is used to write the language rather than writing out words. Hopefully by reading all of my blogs on the Chinese culture I have helped you learn something about the culture, especially if you are traveling to China. For more information on the Chinese culture see my two previous blogs for greater detail.
References: Reid, Scott, and Grace Anderson. Language, Social Identity, and Stereotyping. Ed. Howard Giles, Scott Reid, and Jake Harwood. 2010. N.p.: n.p., 2010. Print.
Every culture is influenced by the Social Identity theory to some extent. Social Identity influences the Chinese culture in multiple ways. Let me define the Social Identity Theory to help you better understand what I am talking about. According to University Of Twente, Social Identity Theory is “cognitive and motivational basis of intergroup differentiation.” The University also says
that the Social Identity Theory, “was developed by Tajfel and Turner in 1979. In this theory, a person has not one, ‘personal self,’ but several selves that correspond to widening circles of group membership.” There are several cultural identities that make up the Social Identity Theory. According to Nakayama and Martin (2010), the Social Identity Theory is made up of gender identity, sexual identity, age identity, racial identity, ethnic identity, religious identity, class identity, national identity, regional identity, and personal identity. From studying the Chinese culture, I have found that age identity, religious identity, ethnic identity, have an influence in some way on the Chinese culture. When It comes to religion in China, there are many different religions. They are Buddhism, Taoism, Islamism, and Catholicism. According to China Highlights, Buddhism was not always in China, it spread from India to China some two thousand years ago. Making Buddhism China’s oldest foreign religion.” Mayahana Buddhism is the form of Buddhism practiced in China. When you are a Buddhist in China you may pray to both Buddha and Taoist gods, because a lot of people who claim to be Buddhist hold Taoist beliefs (China Highlights). According to China Highlights, Buddha is pictured as happy and this is thought to be because the main goal of life in China is to ‘be happy’.”
Taoism is the main religion in China and influences all other types of religion practiced in China. China Highlights explains that “the name Taoism is used as a general name for any kind of native Chinese religion or ancient belief. Taoism is a term for China’s indigenous philosophies and religious beliefs, and as defined this way, it has always been China’s main religion that colors all others.” Many people practice Taoism but claim to be of a different religion, such as Buddhist, Catholic, or Islam. ---image of a person doing CHI Islam is a religion that came from Arab Countries into Northwestern part of China. This is the newest religion to arrive in the Chinese culture. “There are also Islamic communities scattered in almost every city in China.” (China Highlights). The main belief of Islam is that Mohamed is a great prophet. According to The David collection, “Those who have chosen Islam as the basis for their existence have agreed to meet a number of basic obligations both to God and to their fellow man. The obligations are known as the five pillars of Islam. They are called Shahadah, Salah, Sawm, Zakat, and the Hajj. These pillars include praying in Arabic five times a day, fasting at specific times, giving alsm to poor Muslims, and going to Mecca to do the ceremonies of the Hajj if possible.
The last religion practiced in China is Christianity. According to China Highlights, “Christianity came to China after Buddism and before Islam. Christians in China become Christians by change of faith and not by birth.” It is important to know that Christianity is different for the Chinese than it is for Europeans or Americans. It is different in the fact that “women tend to be the leaders in the churches or groups and that Chinese Christianity tends to be Pentecostal. Meaning they regularly pray for miracles and believe in miraculous ‘gifts of the Spirit’,” (China Highlights). When you are a Christian you pray to God, he is the Lord and you pray in churches.
In China when you become part of a religious group and you develop a sense of belonging to that group you have what is called Religious Identity. An example of this would be when you are of the Islamic faith in China you show your Religious Identity by not eating certain foods. Another example of people showing their Religious Identity would be when the Islams take time to do the five pillars. An example of a person showing their Religious Identity would be when a person does Chi, they are showing their Taoism.
China has many options when it comes to entertainment. I am going to talk about a few forms of entertainment in China. The ones I will touch on consist of music, martial arts.National Geographic (2011) says, “China is home to the earliest musical scale in recorded human history.” In the twentieth century the xun (also known at the globular flute) was made. “The Chinese use lü-lü, better known as a series of 12 frequencies that consist of pentatonic and hepatonic tones that make up a scale for music,” (National Geographic 2011). The 12 lü-lü, are comparable to our F, G, E, G flat, and E flat when it comes to music. Not only is instrumental music popular in China, but there is a the Chinese Opera as well. According to Szczepanski (2011), the “Chinese opera has been one of the most popular forms of entertainment in the country. It is enjoyed by political leaders and commoners alike.” The Chinese opera is a group of people that play certain characters as they perform. Characters in the opera consist of “Sheng- the man, Dan- the woman, Hua- painted face, and Chou- the clown,” (Szczpanski 2011). When performing the opera, the members both act their role and sing while wearing costumes and make-up or masks. The make-up and masks worn in the opera are not chosen to make the members pretty, the colors represent different things. Szczpanski (2011) explains, “Black symbolizes boldness and impartiality. Yellow represents ambition, while pink stands for sophistication. Characters with primarily blue faces are fierce, while green faces show wild and impulsive behaviors. Those with white faces are treacherous and cunning (the villiains). Lastly those with only a small section of makeup in the center of the face, connecting the eyes and nose, is a clown.” The Chinese opera can be seen in many cities one being Beijing. Below is a picture from a Chinese opera.
Here is a video of the opera in Bejing China if you would like to see what one is like.
Another form of entertainment in China is Martial Arts. Martial Arts are known as a sport in China. In order to perform Martial Arts there are several moves that you need to know how to do. They are boxing, wrestling, kicking, and seizing (Travel China Guide). China is divided into the North and the South when it comes to sects of Martial Arts. According to Travel China Guide (2011), “In the north, Shaolin Kungfu is recommended. While in the south, Wudang Kungfu is especially valued.” Both forms of Kungfu work on your energy and spirit. Martial Arts is not only entertainment for those performing but also for those who watch it. In China you can watch Martial Arts Bejing Red Theater, Kung Fu Kids, and Laoshe Teahouse. Below is a picture of a two people performing Martial Arts.
It seems to me that when it comes to entertainment in China, Ethnic Identity has an influence among people. Nakayama and Martin (2010) define Ethnic Identity as “A set of ideas about one’s own ethnic group membership. It typically includes several dimensions: (1) a set of ideas about one’s own ethnic membership, (2) knowledge about the ethnic culture, (3) feeling about belonging to a particular ethnic group.” Therefore, I believe that children in China have Ethnic Identity when they have live in the North or South and partake in Martial Arts. This can be shown by the children have a set of ideas about their own membership to their martial arts group. As well as by feeling as though they belong to that group by living in a certain area and learning that form of martial art. Another form of Social Identity that can be seen in Martial Arts in China is Age Identity. Nakayama and Martin (2010) define Age Identity as “The identification with the cultural conventions of how we should act, look, and behave according to our age.” It seems to me that in China when you are a young boy, you are expected to begin partaking in Martial Arts. Boys as young as the age of four are practicing Martial Arts. Therefore, in China there is an identification with how young boys in China should act, meaning they should be in Martial Arts. Below is a picture of young boys practicing Martial Arts.
In China manners at the dinner table are extremely important. It is important to respect the elderly, teachers, and guests at the dinner table. One thing to remember if you ever travel to China is “not to being eating until your host says, ‘Please enjoy yourself’,” (Travel China Guide 2011). According to Shanghai Finance, “A meal in Chinese culture is typically seen as consisting of two general components: main food- a carbohydrate source or starch, typically rice, noodles, or bun, and accompanying dishes- of vegetables, fish, meat, or other items.” When you eat the food in China the utensils used are called chopsticks, not forks or knives.
Although the food of the Chinese culture is a carbohydrate or starch and an accompanying dish, American fast food restaurants such as McDonald's can also be found in China.
Like I mentioned in my last blog the Chinese culture has a distinct fashion for certain occasions. According to Yang Lu, "In modern society in China, men are seen at social occasions wearing dignified and refined tradiational Chinese long gown, and women often wear the ch'i-p'ao, a modified form of a traditional Ching Dynasty fashion, on formal occasions." I believe that Gender Identity plays a role in the clothing in China. Nakayama and Martin (2010) define Gender Identity as "The identification with the cultural notions of masculinity and femininity and what it means to be a man or a woman." I believe that this is demonstrated above when Yang Lu talks about the men wearing certain outfits and the women wearing a different set of outfits. Below is a picture of the clothing you may see if you were to visit China.
The official language of China is Chinese, also known as Standard Mandarin. Chinese is the oldest writing system in the entire world. I believe it is important to understand thatInstead of having an alphabet and writing words out, the Chinese culture uses symbols to represent words. Below is a picture of the symbols used in the Chinese culture.
Now that I have explained how the Social Identity Theory is used in the Chinese culture I think it is easier to see the way things are done in China. There is an explanation now as to why and how they do certain things. I hope by reading my blog you better understand how the Social Identity Theory is used and you've learned more about the Chinese culture.
It sounds like you are very interested in learning about Uganda, which is good because you will really put effort into finding information about this destination. Also I think that it was a good choice on your part since your roommate traveled there and can help explain the culture to you. I would definitely try to get some e-mail address from her and contact some Africans directly from Uganda that way you have information from the Cultural ingroup rather than how an outsider viewed their culture. It looks as though you are on the right track and will have fun with the project.
I am not included in any way in the Chinese culture, therefore, I thought it would be interesting to research and learn about this culture. In the Chinese culture there are things that are very important. If you every travel to China it will be important to know things about their religion, entertainment, food, fashion, and language. Therefore, this blog will inform you on these important aspects of the Chinese culture. According to the China Highlights website, "China is a multi-religious country. Taosim, Buddhim, Islamism, Protestantism, and Catholicism have all developed quite a following in this country."The entertainment consists of music, art, martial arts, and other sports. In this blog I will talk about both manners in the Chinese culture when it comes to eating and the food of the Chinese culture. "As a visitor or guest in either a Chinese home or restaurant you will find that table manners are essential and the distinctive courtesies displayed will invariably add the enjoyment of your meals and keep you in high spirits," (Travel Guide China). According to Yang Lu, "In modern society in China, men are seen at social occasions wearing dignified and refined tradiational Chinese long gown, and women often wear the ch'i-p'ao, a modified form of a traditional Ching Dynasty fashion, on formal occasions." The official language of China is Chinese, also known as Standard Mandarin. I will be interviewing students from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln college who are from the Chinese culture to gather my information.
Sources:
China Highlights. (1998). Religions in China. Retrieved from http://www.chinahighlights.com/
travelguide/religion.htm
Travel China Guide. (2011). Chinese Food Culture. Retrieved from http://www.travelchinaguide. com/i ntro/cuisine.htm
Lu, Y. (2011). Chinese Clothing Toiday. In Chinese Clothing- Five Thousand Years' History. Retrieved from http://polaris.gseis.ucla.edu/yanglu/ecc_culture_clothing.htm
