Chinese Literature and Culture Literature has a very important role to play in society and in the lives of all the people. It is an immeasurable realm and its influence is far beyond the reaches of people and one’s own comprehension of mind. It is such an enormous expanse that one would begin to articulate some form of response. Chinese literature, to many westerners, has not been easily accessible as it had remained hidden in the higher strata of the society “shi da fu (士大夫)” in Chinese culture. In the long history of China, each dynasty has carried down magnificent and brilliant work that is considered a treasure and holds a significant amount of contribution in passing the legacy of the profound series of events and works done by them. Chinese literature is interwoven with its own reigning cultural tradition, its own tastes, values and its own theoretical system (Bond, 1996). It has its own way of reflecting the high spirit it possesses in the form of art and its social climate by encompassing a variety of forms and a series of genres such as fictions, dramas, poetries, astrology and essays. Much of the Chinese literature, culture and philosophy were developed during the rule of Zhou dynasty. In a chronological order, Chinese culture can be classified on the basis of four main periods: Classical literature, Modern Chinese literature, Contemporary Chinese literature and the present-age Chinese literature.
Classical Chinese literature is referred to an earlier period
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, beginning as a campaign targeted at removing Chairman Mao Zedong's political opponents, was a time when practically every aspect of Chinese society was in pandemonium. From 1966 through 1969, Mao encouraged revolutionary committees, including the red guards, to take power from the Chinese Communist party authorities of the state. The Red Guards, the majority being young adults, rose up against their teachers, parents, and neighbors. Following Mao and his ideas, The Red Guard's main goal was to eliminate all remnants of the old culture in China. They were the 'frontline implementers' who produced havoc, used bloody force, punished supposed 'counter
Description: Advanced Placement Chinese Language and Culture (commonly known as AP Chinese Language and Culture or AP Chinese) offers high school students an opportunity to earn credit for Chinese courses at the college level. Like other College Board programs, it is available to anyone worldwide who wishes to participate.
In Chapter 3 of Earth's and his people we because begin to see a continuation of chapter 2 where many civilizations began to emerge yet, while we also see the emergence of countries we also see the evolution of countries .
The Sun of the Revolution by Liang Heng, is intriguing and vivid, and gives us a complex and compelling perspective on Chines culture during a confusing time period. We get the opportunity to learn the story of a young man with a promising future, but an unpleasant childhood. Liang Heng was exposed to every aspect of the Cultural Revolution in China, and shares his experiences with us, since the book is written from Liang perspective, we do not have a biased opinion from an elite member in the Chinese society nor the poor we get an honest opinion from the People’s Republic of China. Liang only had the fortunate opportunity of expressing these events due his relationship with his wife, An American woman whom helps him write the book. When
The origins of tea are rooted in China (Food Timeline). According to legend, the beneficial properties of tea were first discovered by the Emperor Shen Nung in the year 2737 B.C. He drank only boiled water for hygienic purposes, and one day while he drank a breeze rustled the branches of a tree and a few leaves fell into his cup. Creating the first cup of tea. It is challenging to know whether or not the emperor was real or just a part of the spiritual and cultural development of ancient China. China was not unified as an empire until the third century, so it is unlikely emperors existed back then. One thing that is known is that tea was popular in China thousands of years ago. The first written reference of tea is in the third century B.C. A famous surgeon recommended the beverage to patients to increase concentration and alertness. Tea was first written as “tu” in ancient texts. This caused a good deal of confusion because the same Chinese character was used for both tea and Chinese sow thistles. Between 206 B.C. and A.D. 220 a Han Dynasty emperor ruled that when referring to tea, the characters should be pronounced as “cha”. From here on, tracing tea’s history became easier because tea acquired its own individual character (Food Timeline).
The Tang and Song dynasties have been regarded as the “golden age” of arts and literature, setting the bar high for poetry, landscape painting, and ceramics. When international merchants brought their poetry, the Chinese invention of paper and block printing made poetry widely available in the Tang dynasty. They also invented new styles of ceramics and metalwork, influenced by
Literatures work has always played an important role in our society throughout the history. Each works serves with different purposes and provide the readers with great benefits. It does not only give the audience enjoyments from the works, but it is also another way to teach the others in many different ways. Most work from the Native Americans that we learned from the lecture are to teach and persuade other people of strong values of life, such as “Iktomi and the Dancing Duck” and “Origin of the Sun Shower.” Literature is one of the most important ways to preserve wide range of knowledge and to pass down to each generation, which can also help the audience understand different things from the past. There are many literature works that were
The first reason why the Tang dynasty is the most impactful is that many cultural advancements occurred which affected the future culture of China. For example, a form of novel was created called Chuan Qi. This type of novel had a complex storyline and often reflected real life. These novels later became the basis for future stories (“Tang Dynasty”). In other words, the novels created in the Tang dynasty influenced the structure of future stories. Another example of the Tang dynasty’s cultural impact is through poems and
In an age where the printed novel has been somewhat on the decline, and the necessity of readable fiction has almost faded into obscurity. I believe that literature still harbours a crucial part within our society; from the very foundations of most theatrical adaptations, to preserving the culture and encapsulating the feelings of generations past. In this case literature cements itself as one of the most decisive elements of our civilisation, and combining it with history makes it become a testament to who we are as people, as well as the conservation of both our progression and degradation. I have always enjoyed reading literature, from reading J.R.R Tolkien’s classic ‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy within my childhood, to perhaps more sophisticated,
In ancient China, A young man named Ning was searching for temporary shelter to stay when he travelled to a vacant temple. This temple looked unusual neat without any monks. When Ning tried to explore this temple a little bit. He heard a beautiful female voice came from somewhere inside this temple. The charm of her voice lingered in Ning’s ears. Ning followed the voice and entered a strange room. Suddenly, the floor disappeared and Ning dropped into a strange colorful world full of supernatural. He soon discovered these people around him are not alive and they can smell the odor from alive human. Monsters, ghosts, and magical creatures were moved restlessly because of Ning’s smell. Ning did not know he is in a great danger. He did
Throughout history there has been many historical figures that have shaped our world to what it is today. In ancient China the was a long period where the 8 states were in frequent wars. With the help of Shi Huangdi, China became unified and started to use his new legal system called legalism to enforce order throughout China. After China was unified people began exploring to promote trade and cultural diffusion. The chinese government hired an explorer named Zheng He.
There are different forms and examples of exemplary and classic literature which have been deemed as significant works that are highly esteemed worldwide. These examples of literature would awe the world with how much literary skill they entailed when they were composed and written: attention to details as to formation of characters, the most crafty of plots, the most eloquent speeches and lines, the most astounding of twists of scenes, and most of all, the most universal and meaningful of themes. The theme of any literary work is what makes it great as it should be able to encompass the immense diversity of the world and as it would be able to transcend the boundaries of religion, age, race, gender, etc. Two examples of this great and
China has about five thousand years history which is a very long period of time. Also, the Chinese civilization was growing with these periods of time and it will continues greater than ever. Many wars and unhappinesses were happening during this period. Although, the time has passed, the histories and the civilizations have not passed. These family virtues, serious, working attitudes, sense of justice and the great Confucian tradition have been deeply assimilated into the Chinese people. Some Chinese traditions are different from North American’s. The Chinese culture has many special characteristics which are very interesting for people to learn.
Literature is an imitation of societal values and is thus a reflection of the human experience of a time period. Written works emphasize the elements of culture, by means of characters, particular events, setting and theme, specific to the time period in which it was composed. Furthermore, literature mirrors the troubles or hardships of society and projects the core values that define said society. Thus, as culture has changed over time, literature has remained a critical facet in representing time periods of the past. Essentially, the culture of a time period is manifested through writing in the projection of society’s values, symbolism of the center of community and literature itself.
China in the 21st Century written by Jeffery N. Wasserstrom was published in 2010 with the purpose to clear up the misconceptions that many Westerners have towards China. Wasserstrom adds insights of each issue revealing the truth providing readers with a basic knowledge of China. Jeffery N. Wasserstrom is one of the writers/ scholars on China today. He is a specialist in Chinese History in a wide range of topics ranging from the globalization affects urban life to popular culture to American views of Asia. He has also published several books on the topics of China (Wasserstrom).