| | Must Visits | Need to Know | Capital City Beijing | | Tipping Not mandatory | | Electricity 220 V | | Weights and Measurements Metric System |
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People & Language
Talk about China, you can’t not talk about its people- there are so many of them. With the world’s largest population- a hefty 1.3 billion, China is very much one of the largest `communities’ of the world. The population of China is pretty homogenous- 91% of the people are Han Chinese, with a sprinkling of other ethnic groups, like the Manchus, the Uygurs, the Zhang and the Mongols. Severe overpopulation has created terrible poverty in much of China- especially rural areas. In urban China, life is easier, and in fact, there is a burgeoning middle and upper class with an increasing amount of money to spend on `luxuries’ like entertainment and eating out.
In comparison to a number of other Asian countries, China is a land with fairly flexible social norms. True, Chinese society may be a dreadful culture shock to many Westerners- the pretty universal habit of spitting, smoking (even in so-called `no smoking’ zones), and bare-faced curiosity may get on your nerves. Also, the fact that the concept of `privacy’ doesn’t seem to exist in the Chinese lexicon can be a cause of embarrassment to most tourists. However, on the whole, the Chinese are fairly accommodating when it comes to clothing (you can get away with pretty meagre covering, but make sure it’s neat and clean) and behaviour- as long as you mind your language and aren’t rude, it’s okay.
Remember one thing, though: generosity is highly regarded in China, and should you be invited to a Chinese household, take along a gift of some sort- it’s almost expected of you. Similarly, if you’re at a restaurant with Chinese for company, it’s considered good manners to offer to foot the bill- not just part of it.
Hand shaking is not a Chinese style greeting, though gaining acceptance.
The language mostly commonly spoken in China is Mandarin. There are lots of other dialects, too: Wu (Shanghaiese), Yue (Cantonese), Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka, and more. There are also parts of China (especially Tibet) where the language used has absolutely no connection with China as such. However, Mandarin Chinese (the `official’ language of the country) is understood and used universally almost all over China.
Unlike languages of the Indo-Aryan group, Chinese consists not of letters, but of characters made up of pictograms- one per word. Also, while speaking Chinese, tonal inflections can change the very meaning of the word; learning Chinese includes having to learn what tones to use while saying a particular word. For the use of foreigners, the `pinyin’ system of Chinese pronunciation (using the Roman alphabet) has been devised. It’s widely used in guidebooks and phrasebooks, and can be very helpful when you’re trying to get the message across.
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Religion
China is officially atheist; however the people do follow different religions, of which the important faiths are Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism. The last-mentioned, Confucianism, is more a philosophy than a religion, and is embodied in the concept of living a moral life. Confucianism’s main thrust is at improving society, and it is known for two main ideas. The first is that of bureaucracy (Confucius, or to give him his Chinese name, Kong Zi- first put forward the notion of officials having to `qualify’- through examinations- for the positions they occupied). The second tenet is that of ancestor-worship, a practice that is still prevalent in parts of China.
As opposed to Confucianism, Taoism is the religion of the recluse- a religion, which inextricably ties up human life with nature, and preaches the supremacy of man’s oneness with nature. Taoism is basically a faith involved deeply with meditation and contemplation. Of the `imported’ religions, Buddhism is the main faith in China; Islam and Christianity have their followers but only in very small numbers.
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Food
A world-famous French chef once said ‘There are two great cuisines in the world- French and Chinese’. He may have been biased about the French, but he was certainly right about Chinese.
Chinese cuisine is greatly influenced by Chinese philosophy, particularly of Confucian, who laid down rules to cut, dice or slice, size of portions, cooking methods and the order of serving as well as the use of chopsticks. The emphasis on the ‘yin and yang’ aspects of a menu creates a balance not found in other cuisines. The result is a cuisine that is visually appealing, fresh, fragrant, and nutritious and makes best use of available ingredients. Food is not served in individual portions, but is to be shared amongst all those at the table. The staple diet of most Chinese is rice- in the form of grain, or as noodles. Wheat, too, is used, as noodles or as bread. Given the widespread poverty in the country, few people (especially in rural areas) can afford meat; dishes are therefore `filled out’ with lots of vegetables, beancurd and the like. Milk and dairy products are regarded as children’s food, and rarely consumed by adults. Flavourings such as spices (including the famous five-spice powder used to flavour classic meat dishes), wine, soybean and black bean sauce are used extensively.
Regional styles of cuisine in China, include the wheat based northern dishes; the spicy, chilly-hot cuisine of Szechwan; and the rice-vegetable-and-seafood diets of coastal China. Whichever part of China you go to, you’ll find food which is appetizing, interesting, and often pretty unusual too – thousand year eggs, bear’s paws, shark’s fin and bird’s nest are used.
Vegetarians can find little to cheer in China. Plain vegetarian dishes can be found in homes and restaurants, though the Chinese associate vegetarian food with the poor. Pure vegetarian dishes share the same names as their meatier counterparts, so check if your roast duck or twice cooked pork is kosher for you or not. Buddhist food bars the use of onions, garlic and some other spices; so if in dire need, head for the nearest Buddhist temple at mealtimes.
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Culture & Crafts
When it comes to culture, China’s heritage is hard to top. Few countries have as grand a cultural legacy- and so famous the world over. China’s culture has been enriched over the centuries, and in its long history has seen some impressive developments- in everything, from arts and crafts like brocade, jade carving, lacquer ware and Chinese paintings to temple and palace architecture and beautiful gardens. There are martial arts and there are forms of exercise- particularly tai-chi-chu’an. There’s music and dance and then there is Chinese cuisine, rated amongst the best in the world. These are the tangible aspects of Chinese culture; there are many intangible ones too. There are philosophies like Taoism and Confucianism; there is feng-shui (a form of geomancy, which dictates the construction and positioning of any building in such a way that it harmonises with its spiritual surroundings.
Chinese architecture is notable for its use of cosmological themes, temples, palaces and cities are all laid out accordingly. Ceramic roof tiles, cantilevered ornamental brackets and pillars were decorated with animal and human figures. Buddhism brought with to China pagodas, stupas, cave temples and grottos.
Traditional Chinese crafts include some exquisite ceramic and porcelain; highly decorative pottery, bronzes and sculptures; the finest of pure silks and brocades; stylized brushwork paintings and calligraphy and jade and lacquer objets d’art.
Chinese dance and music dates back to imperial time. Opera and vocal music is more popular than instrumental, though China boasts of ancient tradition of indigenous pipes, drums, zithers and flutes. Contemporary rock and pop music, unfortunately, is largely influenced by the West.
It’s all culture, pure out-and-out Chinese and with the fine-tuning of centuries of creative hard work, thought and effort.
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