3/24/2023 0 Comments Chinese stufPolitics and networks ( guanxi) are both important to understand in Chinese society.Īlthough many Chinese are indeed proud of their country’s achievements, certainly not all of them blindly agree with the ruling Party’s politics. Photo by Kirill Sharkovski shows Chairman Mao. This stereotype is likely to be driven by our belief that the Chinese Communist authorities have engineered a society in which creativity is stamped out, coupled with our exposure to some truly exceptional students choosing to study at some of the top academic institutes in the West. How? By casting Chinese actors as glasses-wearing nerds and mathematic geniuses. We’ve already mentioned the role of Hollywood in reinforcing Chinese cultural stereotypes. Martial arts have deep roots in Chinese cultural history forming an important part of Chinese cultural identity.Īs such, if you’re about early in the mornings (5-6 o’clock) you will be able to spot groups of people practising martial arts in parks and other public places. It’s not to say that martial arts are of no value in China, however. In fact, Asians are significantly underrepresented in Hollywood films and, when we see Chinese people, they are often cast into roles that further reinforce stereotypes – something that we’ll discuss further in our next example. It's true that Martial Arts are still very popular in China, especially Kung Fu and Tai Chi, but it's definitely not the case that the average Chinese person is a committed student or indeed a Kung Fu master. Those of us in the West who have grown up watching Chinese/Asian action movies with the likes of Jackie Chan or Bruce Lee as our heroes, tend to think that the majority of Chinese practice martial arts. Click here to learn more about Chinese culture and society. Photo by longtrekhome on Flickr (CC BY 2.0) shows Falun Gong group meditation exercise in a park in China. In fact, stereotypes about Chinese food choices are so entrenched that many non-Chinese readily brought into the notion that the Coronavirus had been caused by the Chinese predilection for bat meat! Likewise, the consumption of horse meat, which is eaten in parts of Europe, has sparked protests overseas while the eating of pig in Western countries is frowned upon by many Middle Eastern countries. For example, the consumption of beef is considered sacrilegious by Hindus in India. It’s important that the consumption of animals is a cultural matter and that there is no objective measure ruling the permissibility of meats. As such, their meat is as clean as any other meat eaten around the world. They certainly aren’t fished off the streets or out of the sewers as these cultural stereotypes might have you believe. Of those that are eaten, the animals are typically raised in a clean environment, or, they have been captured wild feeding on crop fields. When it comes to rat meat, although some people eat rats, it’s not common. In fact, a number of cities are considering a ban on dog meat due to the increased recognition of dogs as companion animals. However, in reality, only a minority of the population (primarily located in the Guangxi and Guangdong regions) do so. The very public criticisms of this event by animal activists and celebrities alike, give the impression that this practice is a core part of Chinese culture. Take for example the practice of eating dogs as part of an annual dog meat celebration in Yulin. It is true that in certain regions of China people do eat such animals that most foreigners would not define as edible, but these foods are certainly not part of the everyday diet in China. Dogs, cats and rats are a big part of the dietĬhinese cuisine is very diverse, depending mostly on the region it comes from. ELEARNING COURSE ON CHINESE CULTURE AT THE END!ġ.
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