ChinaCultural Geography Project

By Tahniat, Nilufar, Demarco, John

History

• China is one of the oldest countries in the world, with a recorded history of over 5000 years.

• China experienced many dynasties such as, Qin Dynasty, Tang Dynasty, Han Dynasty, and Ming Dynasty.

• The People’s Republic of China is located East Asia• It consists of 22 provinces, 5 autonomous region, and 2 self-

governing “special administrative regions”.

Facts about ChinaHDI

(Human development Index)0.719

Total GDP(Gross Domestic Product)

9.24 trillion USD

GDP per capita(Gross Domestic Product)

$6,807 USD

NIR(Natural Increase Rate)

0.5%

Total Population 1.357 billion

Literacy Rate 95.1%

Data obtained from: The World Bank

MusicPeking opera• A popular musical drama

originated in Beijing, China in the 18th century.

• It consists of high-pitched vocals, percussion, and instruments such as, suona and jinghu.

Short video of Peking opera

Traditional Instruments

Guzheng • A Chinese plucked zither with 18 strings.• An ancient instrument from thousands of

years ago and became extremely popular since the Tang Dynasty.

Erhu• A two-stringed bowed instrument• Emerged in 10th century

Modern MusicCantopop Mandopop

•Popular in Southern China where Cantonese is spoken, especially in Hong Kong.

•Share similar style as Western Pop music.

•Originated in Shanghai and later Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore.

•Influenced by K-pop through Cultural Diffusion

Joey Yung

Andy Lau

Major cuisines include:

1. Cantonese (e.g. Dim sum)

2. Sichuan (focus on spiciness)

3. Fujian (focus on seafood)

• Fujian cuisines are mainly seafood due to its geographic location near the sea.

• Jiangsu and Anhui cuisines share many similarities through cultural diffusion and their physical location.

Food

Szechuan Cuisine Fujian Cuisine

Shanghai CuisineZhejiang Cuisine

LanguageMandarin • The official language of China• With more than 960 native speakers• Originated in Northern China• Based on the Beijing Dialects

1. Good Morning -> 早安 (Zǎo ān)

2. Hello -> 您好 (Nín hǎo)

3. Subway -> 地鐵 (Dìtiě)

4. Airport -> 機場 (Jīchǎng)

Other languages and dialects

Cantonese • Spoken in Southern China• With 62,000,000 native speakers• The official language of two special administrative region of

China, Hong Kong and Macau. • Due to time-distance decay, Cantonese is only common

in Southern China and did not spread to the North.

Dialects• There are hundreds of dialects in China• Each province has their distant dialects• Ex. Wu (77 million), Min (72 million),

Hakka (30 million)

• China is a multi-ethic country with 56 ethnicity.

• Han Chinese is the majority of the population (91.6%)

• The minority groups live mostly in western and Northwestern China.

• Minority groups include the Zhuang (1.3%), Hui (0.8%) and Mongol (0.45%).

Ethnicity

• The conflicts and ethic tensions in China between the minorities and Han Chinese is an example of Centrifugal force.

• The same cultural background among Han Chinese is a Centripetal force that unite the population.

• China has been a multi-religious country since the ancient times.

• Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism are the main religions that shaped the Chinese culture.

• Many people in China are “non-believer”, though most of them practice some form of ancestor worship or folk religions.

Religion

52%

18%

5%

2%

22%

1%

Religion in China

Non-religious BuddhismChristianityIslamFolk Other

• The air pollution in Beijing forces people to wear mask.

• Wearing mask has become a culture in Beijing to avoid the harmful and toxic air.

Environment

Popular vs. Folk

Culture

Popular Culture Folk Culture

Cantopop & Mandopop music Chinese New Year

Hollywood Movie Dragon Boat Festival

Japanese Anime Mid-Autumn Festival

American Fast Food Ancestor worship

Learning English Strong Family Value

European Fashion Martial Art

New Technology (e.g. iPhone) Confucianism

• Popular cultures are heavily influenced by the West.

• The Custom of eating with a round table has influenced Chinese people for thousands of years.

• Chinese people also practice cultural appropriation by adopting custom such as, using knife and folk to eat and producing their own pop music.

• Placelessness can be used to describe metropolitan cities in China such as, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Hong Kong, becoming more westernized and globalized.

• The folk culture of China create Cultural Landscape in which temples are built everywhere in China.

Popular tourist

destinations

Great Wall of China(Beijing)

Forbidden City(Beijing)

Terracotta Army(Xi'an)

Mount Huang(Anhui)

Bibliography

1. ChinaHighlights. (2013, January 1). China History. Retrieved December 3, 2014, from http://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/culture/china-history.htm

2. Dewey, C., & Fisher, M. (2013, May 23). A surprising map of where the world’s atheists live. Retrieved December 3, 2014, from http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/05/23/a-surprising-map-of-where-the-worlds-atheists-live/

3. Kahn, J., & Yardley, J. (2007, August 25). As China Roars, Pollution Reaches Deadly Extremes. Retrieved December 3, 2014, from http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/26/world/asia/26china.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

4. Lilly, A. (2009, July 8). A Guide to China's Ethnic Groups. Retrieved December 3, 2014, from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/08/AR2009070802718.html

5. LAPETINA, A. (2014, January 13). 10 little-known historical facts about American Chinese food. Retrieved December 3, 2014, from http://www.thrillist.com/eat/nation/chinese-food-history-how-american-chinese-cuisine-is-different-thrillist-nation

6. Touropia. (2014, July 15). 10 Top Tourist Attractions in China. Retrieved December 3, 2014, from http://www.touropia.com/tourist-attractions-in-china/

7. Travel China Guide. (2013, January 1). Chinese Language, Mandarin Learning, Chinese Characters, Dialects. Retrieved December 3, 2014, from http://www.travelchinaguide.com/essential/language.htm

8. Uloocn. (2006, July 12). Peking opera. Retrieved December 3, 2014, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHPegoquV5I

9. World Bank Group. (2014, January 1). Retrieved December 3, 2014, from http://www.worldbank.org/

10. WENZHOU. (2014, November 1). Cracks in the atheist edifice. Retrieved December 3, 2014, from http://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21629218-rapid-spread-christianity-forcing-official-rethink-religion-cracks

TahniatNilufarDemarcoJohn