Chinese culture: traditions, features
Chinese culture
One of the most ancient human civilizations originated on the territory of modern China. Chinese culture has evolved over nearly five thousand years, leading to the emergence of world-wide philosophical and religious movements..
Confucius or Lao?
Ethical and philosophical principles of the doctrine called Confucianism appeared in the 5th century BC. They were introduced into the culture of China by the eastern sage Confucius. His teaching became for many residents of the country not just a political ideology, but also a worldview, social ethics in general. Confucianism has no equivalent in Western culture. It emerged around the 6th century BC, it happened at a time of political and social changes and began to play such an important role that it was only in the 20th century that it was replaced by the "Three People's Principles" of the PRC.
The main concepts of another philosophical trend in the culture of China, Taoism, are opposed to each other yin and yang, symbolizing the masculine and feminine principles. Regardless of the difference, yin and yang do not exist separately and flow into each other, forming an integral picture of the world.
Tens of thousands of letters
This is the number of hieroglyphs invented by the ancient Chinese to denote concepts and words. Hieroglyphs first appeared at least four thousand years ago, and the main feature of ancient Chinese writing is its direction - from right to left and from top to bottom. Modern Chinese write from left to right, but the outlines of hieroglyphs have changed little over the millennia, and therefore calligraphy can be attributed to the culture of China..
The ancient Chinese wrote on the shells of turtles and flat bones of domestic animals. With the invention of bronze casting, they began to decorate vessels, vases and other household items with hieroglyphs. Chinese "letters" are inscribed on other works of Chinese art - silk carpets, paintings and embroidery.
Pagodas and palaces
The architecture of China embodies the best oriental traditions, and some monuments, erected hundreds of years ago, still adorn the cities and towns of the country. In ancient China, it was customary to build from wood.
The most famous architectural monument is the Forbidden City located in Beijing. The residence of the emperors, the palace is the largest object of its kind in the world. The Great Wall of China, which stretches for several thousand kilometers in the country, is considered an example of a stone building. Its majestic outlines are visible even from space, and excursions to one of the greatest cultural monuments in China are very popular with tourists..