Chances are, if it exists in
the West, it came from the East. Think anything from noodles,
football, calligraphy and ceramics to golf, ice-cream, opera,
fireworks, architecture and philosophy. The Chinese were casting
bronze around 5000 years ago, and the earliest chopsticks were not
far behind. Chinese culture has made one of the greatest artistic
contributions to humankind. Sadly, much of China's ancient art
treasures have been destroyed in times of civil war or dispersed by
invasion or natural calamity.
Within the last 200 years, China has undergone tremendous social and
economic upheaval, all taking its toll on the national psyche.
Chinese culture took a beating during the Cultural Revolution and is
still recovering. There is a large cultural gap between Hong Kong
and Macau and the rest of China. Hong Kong and Macau, while
outwardly more modern, are also more traditionally Chinese because
the Cultural Revolution didn't have such an effect there.
Funerary art was already a feature of Chinese culture in Neolithic
times (9000-6000 BC), ranging from ritual vessels and weapons to
pottery figures, jade and sacrificial vessels made of bronze.
Earthenware production is almost as ancient, with the world's first
proto-porcelain being produced in China in the 6th century AD,
reaching its artistic peak under the Song rulers.
China's literary heritage is huge, but unfortunately its
untranslatability makes much of it inaccessible to Western readers.
Traditionally there are two forms, the classical (largely Confucian)
and the vernacular (such as the prose epics of the Ming dynasty).
China's literary heritage is huge, but unfortunately its
untranslatability makes much of it inaccessible to Western readers.
Traditionally there are two forms, the classical (largely Confucian)
and the vernacular (such as the prose epics of the Ming dynasty).
Chinese cuisine is justifiably famous, memorably diverse - and
generally not for the squeamish. The Chinese themselves like to say
they'll eat anything with four legs except a table. For the most
part, however, it's a case of doing ingenious things with a limited
number of basic ingredients. The cuisine can be divided into four
regional categories: Beijing/Mandarin and Shandong (with steamed
bread and noodles as staples), Cantonese and Chaozhou (lightly
cooked meats and vegetables), Shanghainese (the home of 'red
cooking' and wuxi spare ribs) and Sichuan (spicy, with lots of
chilli). Tea is the most common nonalcoholic beverage on sale,
although Coca-Cola (both original and bogus) is making inroads,
while beer is by far the most popular alcoholic drink. 'Wine' is a
loose term which can cover oxidised and herb-soaked concoctions,
rice wine and wine containing lizards, bees or pickled snakes.
Another favourite is maotai, a spirit made from sorghum which smells
like rubbing alcohol and makes a good substitute for petrol or paint
thinner.
Many Western film-lovers are fans of Chinese cinema, with releases
enjoying success at film festivals and art-house cinemas. Recently
there has been an emergence of talented 'fifth-generation'
post-Cultural Revolution directors, including Zhang Yimou (Raise the
Red Lantern; Hero), Chen Kaige (Farewell, My Concubine), Wu Ziniu
and Tian Zhuangzhuang. Add to them Hong Kong's East-meets-West
action directors John Woo (Hard Boiled) and Ringo Lam (Full Contact)
and you have a full-fledged, extremely successful film industry.
Chinese theatre is also known as opera because of the important role
played by music, and has spawned such diverse arts as acrobatics,
martial arts and stylised dance. |
Western
China
