Unit 7 Custom (2)

 I.Teaching Aims & Requirements:  Let the students grasp useful phrases and sentences  Let the students get an overview of Chinese customs  Help to improve the ability of English tour interpretation   Ⅱ. Content  Overview of Chinese customs  Useful phrases and expressions about Chinese customs  Useful sentences about Chinese customs   III. Focus on & Difficulties:  Overview of the Chinese customs  Useful phrases and sentences about Chinese customs

I. Festivals of Ethnic Minority Peoples 1. Mongolian People’s Nadam Fair The Nadam Festival, usually held from June 4 to 9 (lunar calendar), is one of the most exciting and colorful festivals in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. At the center of the festivities are the fierce horse racing, archery and wrestling competitions, the traditional sports of the Mongolian warriors.

2. Water Sprinkling Festival of the Dai People The Water-sprinkling Festival, the New Year by the Dai calendar, held in the last ten days of the 6th month or early in the 7th month of the Dal calendar(April), usually lasts three to five days. The Dai people splash water on everyone, as a symbol of good luck and happiness; the more water one is splashed with, the happier one will be.

3. Torch Festival of the Yi People Held around the 24th of the 6th lunar month, the Torch Festival is a traditional festival of the Yi and Bai peoples of southwestern China. During the festival, torches are erected in front of every household, and a pile of faggots of several meters high is erected in the center of a square. When night falls, people of all ages come forward to ignite the faggot pile. Shouts of joy together with the sound of the gongs and drums make a sea of rejoicing.

4. Danu (Never Forget the Past) Festival of the Yao People The Danu Festival, a traditional festival of the Yao people, falls on the 29th day of the 5th month by the lunar calendar. On that day people dressed in their holiday best go to call on friends and relatives to exchange greetings with them.

4. Danu (Never Forget the Past) Festival of the Yao People Decked out with coloured bunting, the fairgrounds are alive with the fanfare of cymbals and drums and the hubbub of the crowd. Here you can see people doing “cross-singing”, dancing, playing the suona (Chinese clarinet) and performing wushu (traditional Chinese martial arts). The program is highlighted by the Bronze Drum Dance, which is both an entertainment and a sort of competition.

5. Sword-Ladder Festival Falling on the 8th day of the 2nd lunar month, it is a traditional festival of the Lisu ( 傈僳族 ) ethnic minority group. The most fascinating activity during the festival is to climb up 20-metre high ladder inserted with over 30 pointed swords, Performers will have to climb bare-footed in a thrilling act.

6. The Third-Month Songfest/ The Singing Carnival The Third-Month Songfest is one of the music- loving Zhuangs’ most important festivals. It takes place on the third day of the third month of the Chinese lunar calendar. The songfests are held regularly at certain places, the most popular at Liuzhou, Guilin and Nanning.

7. Third-Month Fair/Street The third-month Fair, a traditional festival of the Bai ethnic group in Dali, Yunnan Province, dates back 1300 years to the Tang Dynasty. It lasts a week, from the 15th to the 22nd days of the third month by the Chinese lunar calendar. During the celebration, people of various ethnic groups from Yunnan and the neighboring province flock to Dali City to enjoy horse-racing, archery, singing and dancing, and bartering.

8. Hua’er Song Competition Hua’er is a kind of mountain songs. On June 6 of the lunar year of the Tu( 土 ), the Hui( 回 ), the Dongxiang( 东乡 ), the Sala( 撒拉 ) and the Bao’an( 保安 ) ethnic group will get together to hold the Hua’er Song Competition. The duration is usually 5 days.

9. Kuzhazha Festival Kuzhazha means “Pray for a good harvest” in Hani language. The people hold it for 3 to 5 days around June 24 after the transplanting. During the festival, they have a swing, perform the Drum Dance and Fan Dance, play the flute and stringed instrument, and sing songs. Some youngsters take the opportunity to be in love. The villagers begin to slaughter pigs and cows, and prepare the rice wine and glutinous rice cake.

10. Corban (Animal Slaughtering) Festival This falls on December 10 by the solar calendar (Hui). It is one of the three largest Islamic festivals and also an important red-letter day for Chinese Moslems, who will go to pray at mosques on the day and every household will slaughter sheep, cattle or camel in celebration.

10. Corban (Animal Slaughtering) Festival Uygur and Kazak ethnic minorities in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region observe the festival with songs, horse-racing, wrestling and other activities.

11. Worshipping Supo (Mongolian Festival) This is a communal offering of sacrifices to God. During this event people usually hold such activities as wrestling, horse racing, and archery. The date for this is the 13th day of May in the lunar calendar. On this occasion, people chiefly pray to God to give them rain in order that grass will grow and the sheep will be well-nourished and consequently the people will be wealthy.

12. The Eighth Day of the Fourth Month Festival It is a traditional festival on the lunar calendar for the Miao ethnic minority group. On the Day, Miao people will gather at a fountain in Guiyang City, capital of Guizhou Province. Songs, dances, Wushu( martial arts) competition, dragon lantern playing and other activities, are held in celebration of the festival. Some dance and play reed pipes, and acrobatics are performed.

13. The Ox King Festival The Ox King Festival is traditional practiced by the Zhuangs in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the Tujias in Human Province, and the Buyis in Guizhou Province. It falls on the 8th day of the 4th lunar month. On this day the peasants don’t drive oxen to plow in the fields, but give the fine forage grass to oxen so as to play the respect to them. So it is also called “Ox God Festival”, or “Shepherd Boy Festival”.

II. Overview of Chinese Custom There are many habits and customs that are particular to China and Chinese people. Because of the powerful influence that China as exerted on neighboring cultures, some of these customs are echoed in other Asian peoples- including Japanese and Korean.

1. Introductions Unlike Westerners, Chinese people do not usually greet people who they have not been introduced to or are not familiar with. It would seem odd if a person would offer a "Hi" or "Hello" when passing on the street. It is also standard practice to have a name card or business card to give to people when introduced. Handshakes are not customary among Chinese for first meetings.

1. Introductions Conversation topics for people newly acquainted also differ from that of English speakers. It is not impolite to ask about a person's job, annual salary, marital/dating status, or age. In fact, these issues which Westerners may find uncomfortable are very typical. On the other hand, questions about family tend to be deflected or avoided.

2. Gift Giving Giving gifts and treating people to dinner is a common practice, especially during festival days. When a gift is given, it should be offered with two hands. Any gift offered with two hands should always be received with two hands. Even such a trivial matter of giving a name card should, to be perfectly polite, be given and received in this manner.

2. Gift Giving Chinese people are big on treating people to dinner. It is common for a person to take a friend to dinner or lunch, just as in many Western cultures. Chinese people often vie to be the one to pay the bill. Chinese also invite other people or families to their residence to eat quite often.

3. Eating Rice or noodles are served with virtually every meal. Dinner is a family affair. In Chinese dinners, all the dishes are placed on a center table. Each person is given a bowl of soup. After the soup is finished, the bowl is filled with rice and everyone takes what they want from the dishes on the table. Other than hot tea, beverages are generally not served with a meal.

3. Eating When one is invited to a person's residence they should 1) eat at least two bowls of rice 2) eat all the rice in a bowl 3) eat some of each dish. Burping or slurping soup, actions which are considered impolite in Western culture, are part of Chinese eating and are generally interpreted as complimentary signs.

4. Colors and Symbols In Chinese culture, there symbols have a different significance than in European based cultures. The color red is one of good luck and prosperity. Gold is the imperial color. White is the color of death (and is the color traditionally worn at funerals). Black symbolizes misfortune.

5. The Concept of Face The concept of "saving face" or "losing face" originates from China. This is a complicated subject and not easily set down as a rule or principle. Certain behaviors or actions are done in an effort to save face or to not cause another to lose face. Often, "face" is given or lost in accordance to rules of etiquette or respect. Therefore it is important to follow customs and understand polite behavior in order to avoid causing someone else to lose "face".

III. Homework 1. Review the useful phrases, expressions and sentences in Unit 7, which will be checked next week. 2. Read the passage on page68-69, and remember the useful expressions and sentences in the article.