Culture of China
The Culture of China is home to one of the world's oldest and most complex civilizations.China boasts a history rich in over 5,000 years of artistic,philosophical,political,and scientific advancement.Though regional differences provide a sense of diversity,commonalities in language and religion connect a culture distinguished by such significant contributions such as Confucianism and Taoism.Confucianism was the official philosophy throughout most of Imperial China's history and strongly influenced other countries in East Asia.Mastery of Confucian texts provided the primary criterion for entry into the imperial bureaucracy.
With the rise of Western economic and military power beginning in the mid-19th century,Western systems of social and political organization gained adherents in China.Some of these would-be reformers rejected China's cultural legacy,while others sought to combine the strengths of Chinese and Western cultures.
People in the culture
Main articles:Demographics of China and Chinese social relations
Language
Main articles:Chinese language,Languages of China,and List of Chinese dialects
The majority of people in China speak one form or another of the Chinese language.In addition to their native local dialect,nearly all can speak Standard Mandarin.There has been ongoing debate as to whether "Chinese" is actually a defined "language" or in fact a family of many languages.Since the change from Classical Chinese to Vernacular Chinese in relation to written Chinese,the debate have existed for political and unity reasons.Verbally,standard Mandarin is the official spoken language of the contemporary world.
Arts
For all major visual,performance or artistic categories,see Chinese art.
Chinese Art has varied throughout its ancient history divided into periods by the ruling dynasties of China and changing technology.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.Pottery was one of the first form of art in the Palaeolithic period.Early Chinese music and poetry was influenced by the Book of Songs,Confucius and the Chinese poet and statesman Qu Yuan.Early Chinese music was based on percussion instruments,which later gave away to string and reed instruments.By the Han dynasty papercutting became a new art form after the invention of paper.Calligraphy and painting became a highly appreciated arts in court circles.At the same time Tang dynasty became the "Golden age" of poetry.Chinese opera would also be introduced and branched regionally.
Traditionalism would be challenged with the arrival of the New Culture Movement in the 20th century,which adopted Western techniques and employed socialist realism.Society would begin a new shift to pop music,cinema,animation,lianhuanhua and other new forms of art.The poetry was also influenced by the Cultural Revolution,but several poets attempted to resist the Cultural Revolution by incorporating pro-democratic themes.Contemporary Chinese artists continue to produce a wide range of experimental works,multimedia installations,and performance "happenings" which have become very popular in the international art market.