DIFFERENT PEOPLES, ONE WORLD Homogeneity and Diversity: The Case of China HARI SRINIVAS ROOM: I-312 / Studies in Multicultural Societies

Very Brief History of China Xia Dynasty (2000 BC) Revolution led by Sun Yet-Sen (1911) World War II and Civil Wars (1930s ~ ) Modern Communist China (1949 ~ ) More than 20 dynasties over 5000 years Creation of Taiwan

Multiculturalism: Ethnicity Today there are 56 distinct recognized ethnic groups in China The Han Chinese are the largest ethnic group: 91.59% or about 1.2 billion

Han Tibetian Non-Han

Han Chinese - 91% Chinese Ethnic Groups

Other 55 ethnic groups- 9% Miao Mongols Tibeta n Hu i Manchu Yao

Aspects of China’s Culture Everything about China and its culture is unique and different: Way of Life Clothing Festivals Medicine Food and Drink The “invisible” culture The “visible” culture

Multiculturalism: Religion Confucianism Taoism Buddhism The three main religions and sources of spirituality of CHina These are not mutually exclusive, and many people practice a combination of the three along with elements of various folk religions.

Multiculturalism: Language Local Dialects Local Dialects Local Dialects Local Dialects Mandarin Chinese The Chinese language was used only by the elites for many years in ancient times. It was only in the early 20 th century that Chinese reading and writing was taught to common people as well.

Multiculturalism: Literature Concepts covered within the Chinese classic texts present a wide range of subjects including poetry, astrology, astronomy, calendar, constellations and many others. Some of the most important early texts include I Ching and Shujing There were also enormous works of historiography and large encyclopedias, such as Sima Guang's Zizhi Tongjian of 1084 AD or the Four Great Books of Song fully compiled and edited by the 11th century.

Multiculturalism: Arts 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. Porcelain pottery was one of the first forms of art in the Palaeolithic period. Early Chinese music and poetry was influenced by the Book of Songs, and the Chinese poet and statesman Qu Yuan.

Multiculturalism: Architecture Chinese architecture, examples for which can be found from over 2,000 years ago, has long been a hallmark of the culture. Some common features:  Emphasis on width  Grand symmetry  Organic design of gardens

Changing to Multiculturalism There are four main reasons China’s culture changed and become more multicultural over the years: 1. changes in the socio-political environment 2. contact with other cultures 3. technological and other inventions 4. further development of the culture itself.

The Expanding Limits “Domestic” or Mainland China Chinese in other countries and regions Our understanding of “China” and “Chinese Culture” covers not only the domestic or mainland China, but also in all the name countries and regions that the Chinese have settled, both historically, and in more recent times.

China international … Integrated more broadly into the local culture, but maintained their identity Created pockets of unique cultures different from the local culture Destroyed and replaced local cultures Historic trends in multiculturalism Migration-based multiculturalism

The Expanding Limits Much of the culture of China not only influenced other countries and regions, it was also influenced byoutside many cultures itself - making it a multicultural society. C H I N A Buddhism, Christianity, Islam etc. Colonial powers (Europe, US, Japan etc.) Confucianism, Taoism etc. including arts and culture Work ethics and cultural ties

China: Old and New There are two aspects to China’s culture that we need to understand: The “old” China and the “New” China Both of the Old and New China provide an interesting contrast of a growing economy OLD NEW

China of the Future? With an annual GDP growth rate of more than 10%, where is China heading? What will the future look like? How will conflicts with its neighbours be solved?

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