20221231 LangCult 9

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Modern Applications of Traditional Chinese Color

名字中英，学号

Abstract

Chinese opera is one of the three oldest theater cultures in the world, along with Greek tragedy and comedy and Indian Sanskrit. This article will introduce the development of Chinese opera and focus on the five core opera genres: Beijing opera, Yueju opera, Huangmei opera, Pingju opera, and Yuju opera.

Live streaming culture in contemporary China

张婷Zhang Ting, 202270081679

Abstract

With the rapid development of live streaming industry, live streaming has been widely present in people's daily life. It is not only an economic phenomenon, but also a cultural phenomenon, reflecting the tendency and preference of contemporary people's spiritual culture and entertainment pursuit. This article will give a introduction live streaming, including its categories, ways of interaction and influence.

The Imagery in Chinese Classical Poetry

张文琦 Zhang Wenqi, 202270081680

Abstract

The imagery is an indispensable component of Chinese classical poetry, with rich cultural connotation and unique cultural spirit. After a brief introduction of its origin, development, definition and function, the author interprets some common imageries in detail according to four classifications. They are botanical imagery, animal imagery, character imagery and inanimate imagery.

Traditional Chinese Culture: Tiger-faced shoes

(c e n t e r) 章颖雯Zhang Yingwen, 202270081701 < / c e n t e r >

Abstract

Tiger-faced shoes, or Hutou Xie, is a kind of hand-made shoes for kids in China. With sophisticated and practical design, it has been brought into the intangible cultural heritage and has been a proud of the Chinese people. This paper will focus on tiger-faced shoes, and it would analyse the culture from the origin of tiger-faced shoes, design,allegory and value.

Chinese Horseface Skirt

Zhang Yuyan张玉燕,202270081681

Abstract

Horseface skirt (also named mamianqun or mamianzhequn) is one of the main skirt styles of ancient China. Originated from the Song Dynasties, flourished in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, horseface skirt is inherited and favored by people all over the world. Therefore, I’d like to devote this article to introducing horseface skirt so that readers can learn something about its history, structure, patterns and colors, thus bringing it to the world.

Key Words

horseface skirt; structure; patterns and colors

摘要

马面裙又名“马面褶裙”，是中国古代裙式的主要代表之一。它源于宋代，盛于明清，延续至今，受到无数人的青睐。在此，我想借此文介绍马面裙，让读者了解其发展历史、结构特征、图案纹样、色彩搭配等，使中国的马面裙走向世界。

关键词

马面裙、结构、图案纹样、色彩搭配

The Rise of ‘China Chic’: A Case Study of Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games

周晓兰 Zhou Xiaolan,202270081682.

Abstract

‘China Chic’ is a term that describes the trend of China-centric design, incorporating unique cultural elements into the latest trends. With the growing popularity of China’s native fashion trends, more young people are paying attention to traditional Chinese culture. And the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games can been as a good example of how young people have embraced China Chic. This paper focuses on the rise of China Chic, taking Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games as an example.

A Brief History of Petting in China

周子豪Zhou Zihao, 202270081702

Abstract

Pets had been considered to be a component of Western liyestyle, and Chinese, maybe due to the notorious reputation for eating dogs, has been long labeled as "a land unfriendly for pets". It was documented that, however, Chinese, especially those in high society, have been keeping pets since anicent times. This paper attempts to give a descriptive view to the petting history of China and a contrastive analysis to the Western.

202270081713 庄昊康 Zhuang Haokang 朝鲜语笔译(Korean translation)

                Chinese Table Manners
             Zhuang Haokang 202270081713

Abstract: As a part of catering culture, "table manners" have different cultural characteristics in different regions and countries. China has always been inclined to the concept of "food is the most important thing for the people", and because of China's vast land and numerous nationalities, the food culture in China is more abundant than that in other countries. Chinese food culture has a long history, and there is also a heavy historical and cultural accumulation on the small table. All kinds of table manners and "fastidious" show the broad and profound Chinese traditional culture.

Chinese Culture and A Child’s Education

Wellsand, Benjamin, 202111080018

Abstract

The social conditions of China have never been more taxing when it comes to a decades-long engrained child education culture and a problematic rapidly aging population. The social constructs of the longstanding loyalty to kinship and interdependence of collectivism within China place a cyclical concern from parent to child as one looks out for the other to ensure a fruitful economic future. The 1950s one-child policy has not only served to slow birth rates but has inadvertently allowed for a significant amount of finances to be set aside for the future of an only child to ensure the desired monetary success. The Chinese Communist Party has recognized the challenges the future of the country faces as a result of past policies and is seeking to revolutionize the education culture in order to permit Chinese families to grow without fear of missing out on a profitable and fulfilling future for the entire family unit. The modern-day CCP and the ancient philosopher, Confucius, align in their understanding of the vital role that the family plays in the future health of Chinese society.

Key Words

Collective Culture; Filial Piety; Kinship Culture; Private Education; Standardized Testing

Introduction

In Chinese culture, the family name is displayed prominently before the individual’s given name as a clear indicator of the honor given to the family unit and the collective nature by which the individual is viewed within foundational societal institutions. China is a culture that is overtly centered on kinship. “Male offspring were especially valued for their role in carrying on the family name, explains Li Liu of Beijing Normal University, “without a male heir, a family line originating from its ancestors is terminated, and the family’s place in the universe gets lost forever.” (2007: 57) China is world-renown for having the largest population. Beginning in the 1950s, the population grew on a steep trajectory from 540 million to 940 million by 1976. The booming industrialization caused concern of famine and housing shortages as more people were expected to start searching for higher-paying urban jobs as opposed to working on farms. In response to these concerns, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) started limiting births provincially in 1979 and finally standardized the one-child policy in 1980 which limited ethnic Chinese to only one child per couple. The fertility rate dropped from 6.1 in 1990 to 1.16 in 2021. (Master & Zhang 2022)

It is the cultural importance placed upon a male heir to carry on the family name that explains the resulting current skewed sex ratio. (Statista 2021) Charles Kraft shares, “Family and relatives are the big things to [kinship cultures]. Those with family are wealthy (whether or not they have any money).” (1996: 121) Great financial responsibility is placed upon a son’s family who is seeking to find a wife for him. 房子, 车子, and 票子 are viewed as the requirements that should be met in order for a daughter to agree to take a man as her husband. While housing prices have steadied (Aljazeera 2022), the job market continues to be a challenge do to an economic slow from the COVID-19 pandemic. (Bloomberg News 2022)

There is an inordinate amount of competition in children’s education that accompanies these high social demands. Laurie Chen (2018) reports that more than sixty percent of primary school children (up to seventy percent in larger cities) were tutored outside of the classroom and parents paid an average of 120,000 RMB on up to 300,000 RMB for extracurricular education. The 双一流 higher education ranking leaves limited space for academic success. Zhang Duanhong (2019), writes of “the ‘exhausting high school, carefree university’ paradigm, in which university life is treated as a reward for making it through the rigors of the country’s college entrance exam.” The 90 percent graduation rate further limits the space available in universities and increased entry competition. The highly competitive nature in higher education has conditioned both sexes to pursue the greatest quality of education and the highest paid positions obtainable. Students must place their entire life on hold and focus all attention on study.

To ease the high societal demands of childrearing and encourage population growth, the CCP has made significant policy changes in areas such as private education (Koty 2021), maternity leave (Huang & Huang 2021), afterschool childcare (Zhang 2021), along with child subsidies (Ma 2022). Yet it remains an uphill battle to change the social conditioning of a country built around a single-child family. The 鸡娃 parenting mentality continues on despite best efforts to curb this longstanding trend. (Feng 2021) Private education has not disappeared but has simply undergone a transformation as is the case with English tutors turned online product salespeople. (Jia 2022) Private education companies are believed to shift as well from educators to a rebranding as providers of AI products, software, and services for public education institutions. (Knox 2021)

The philosopher, Confucius, upon whose teaching pillars Chinese society is built, was a strong advocate of the family. He recognized human flourishing occurring within five complex relationships and three of these are familial: father/son, elder/younger brother, and husband/wife. Confucius felt that it was “in the context of the family that we acquire the building blocks for navigating the wildly complex relational networks that comprise human society.” (Ten Elshof, 2015: 14) Filial piety is no surprise in the face of a culture that centers on the family. Liu explains, “Filial piety is more than just showing filial obedience to parents: most importantly, it indicates raising sons to support aging parents and having sons to continue the family line.” (2007: 56) This too is a practice that finds support within Confucianism as a “value that calls on adult children to fulfill obligations to respect, obey, support, and care for elderly parents.” (Shea, Moore, & Zhang, 2020: 29) 养儿防老 is the Chinese parental motto that shows the expectations placed upon the children to care for their aging parents. Caring for the aged will only increase in difficulty as the average age of Chinese citizens rises. (Campbell 2019) Further exacerbating the age demographic phenomena is that this comes on the heels of the one-child policy that leaves two sets of aging parents on the shoulders of one married couple. Tang Youcai and Jeanne Shea discovered that those coming from rural areas “have both higher proportions of elderly folks and lower levels of economic development.” (2020: 92)

Conclusion

A collective, kinship country that is culturally conditioned to associate the wellbeing and preservation of the family with social and economic success finds itself in the face of a challenging future. The CCP is working tirelessly to show it supports and recognizes the need for the Chinese family, only that it has one major issue with it: its size. The battle for the family that started in Confucius’s day continues in the present. The academic atmosphere that crescendos at standardized testing (Li 2019) and a highly competitive job market that leaves even college graduates in a tight spot (Pike 2022) places the child’s education at front and center in the battle for social survival. The weight of the future of China predictably rests, from a cultural perspective, on the shoulders of the family unit.

References

Aljazeera. November 1, 2022. “China’s Property Slump Continues as October Prices Fall” [随着 10 月价格下跌，中国房地产市场继续低迷]. Aljazeera. [[1]].

Bloomberg News. October 9, 2022. “China Job Market Prospects at Record Low as Economy Slows” [随着经济放缓，中国就业市场前景创历史新低]. Bloomberg. [2].

Campbell, Charlie. February 7, 2019. “China’s Aging Population Is a Major Threat to Its Future” [中国人口老龄化是其未来的主要威胁]. TIME. [3].

Chen, Laurie. December 4, 2018. “Chinese Parents Spend up to US $43,500 a Year on After-School Classes for Their Children” [中国父母每年花费高达 43,500 美元用于孩子的课后补习班]. South China Morning Post. [4].

Feng, Emily. “Forget Tiger Moms. Now China’s ‘Chicken Blood’ Parents Are Pushing Kids to Succeed” [忘了虎妈吧。现在中国的“鸡血”父母正在推动孩子取得成功]. NPR. [5].

Huang, Fiona & Christine Huang. December 23, 2021. “China: Beijing and Shanghai Extend Maternity Leave by 30 Days; Parental Leave Entitlement Introduced" [中国：北京和上海将产假延长 30 天；引入育儿假权利]. WTW. [6].

Jia, Cui. June 15, 2022. “Former English Teacher an Online Sales Sensation” [前英语教师在线销售轰动]. China Daily. [7].

Knox, Jeremy. 2021. “How the ‘Taming’ of Private Education in China is Impacting AI” [中国民办教育的“驯化”如何影响AI]. On Education. Journal for Research and Debate, 4 (12).

Koty, Alexander C. September 27, 2021. “More Regulatory Clarity After China Bans For-Profit Tutoring in Core Education” [中国禁止核心教育中的营利性辅导后，监管更加明确]. China Briefing. [8].

Kraft, Charles H. 1996. Anthropology for Christian Witness [基督教见证人类学]. Maryknoll: Orbis Books.

Li, Xuanmin. July 24, 2019. “Resumption of Gaokao Propelled China’s Economic Takeoff” [高考复赛助力中国经济腾飞]. Global Times. [9].

Liu, Li. 2007. “Filial Piety, Guanxi, Loyalty and Money: Trust in China” [孝道、关系、忠诚和金钱：对中国的信任]. In I. Marková and A. Gillespie (eds), Trust and Distrust: Sociocultural Perspectives, pp. 51—77. Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing.

Ma, Josephine. August 17, 2022. “China Tries to Lift Birth Rate with New Measures to Make it Easier to Work and Raise a Family” [中国试图通过新措施提高出生率，使工作和养家更容易]. South China Morning Post. [10].

Master, Farah & Albee Zhang. August 16, 2022. “China to Discourage Abortions to Boost Low Birth Rate” [中国不鼓励堕胎以提高低出生率]. Reuters. [11].

Pike, Lili. “China has an Unemployment Problem. Why Nearly 20 Percent of Young Job-Seekers Can’t Land a Job” [中国有失业问题。 为什么近 20% 的年轻求职者找不到工作]. Grid. [12].

Shea, Jeanne, Katrina Moore, & Hong Zhang, eds. 2020. Beyond Filial Piety: Rethinking Aging and Caregiving in Contemporary East Asian Societies [超越孝道：反思当代东亚社会的老龄化和照料]. New York: Berghahn Books.

Statista. 2021. “Sex Ratio in China from 1953-2021” [1953-2021年中国人口性别比]. Statista. [13].

Tang, Youcai & Jeanne Shea. 2020. “Old-Age Support in Rural China Case Study of the Jiangxiang Model for Community-Based Filial Piety” [中国农村的养老支持 以社区为基础的孝道江乡模式案例研究]. In Shea, Moore, & Zhang, eds. Beyond Filial Piety: Rethinking Aging and Caregiving in Contemporary East Asian Societies, pp. 92-142. New York: Berghahn Books.

Ten Elshof, Gregg A. 2015. Confucius for Christians: What an Ancient Chinese Worldview can Teach us About Life in Christ [基督徒孔子：古代中国的世界观可以教导我们在基督里的生活]. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

Zhang, D. H. January 15, 2019. “The Problem with Chinese Universities? Not Enough Dropouts” [中国大学的问题？ 辍学率不够]. Sixth Tone. [14].

Zhang, Phoebe. July 5, 2021. “China Creates Thousands of Free Childcare Centres to Help Parents Cope with After-School Tutoring Crackdown” [中国设立数千家免费托儿中心，帮助家长应对课后辅导打压]. South China Morning Post. [15].

Terms and Expressions

房子, 车子, and 票子; 养儿防老; 鸡娃; 双一流

Questions

1. What is significant about the Chinese name coming first? A) Honor for the family unit B) Tribal units in China’s history C) Record keeping habits D) All of the above

2. The fertility rate in China has A) grown B) leveled off C) fallen since the 1990s

3. What are the three commonly expected requirements to be met prior to marriage? A) Good looks, education, and hobbies B) Love, laughter, and musical taste C) A house, car, and salary D) None of the above

4. What was the average amount a couple paid for the education of their child outside of public school? A) 300,000 RMB B) 210,000 RMB C) 120,000 RMB

5. The government has done what to encourage couples to have more kids? A) Created more video gaming systems and animated movies B) Provided free annual winter vacations to 三亚市 C) Offered various child subsidies

6. China is no longer a collective, kinship culture. True or False

Answers

1. A

2. C

3. C

4. C

5. C

6. False