What is China?

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 Introduction

Being an old country with 5,000 years of history, China is an important birthplace of

human civilization. The great inventions of China, such as paper, gunpowder, the compass, the

technology of printing, along with china and silk, have spread to the world and enhanced the

cultural exchange between China and other nations; the poems, painting, music, dance and drama

created by Chinese people all express their love for nature and their emphasis on ethics and

moral obligations, which constitute the essence of Chinese culture and art; the rich and colorful

traditional Chinese festivals of various kinds show the passions and emotions of Chinese nation;

the traditional architecture of China, such as ancient cities, palaces, temples, common residences

and classical gardens, has reflected the Chinese culture and spirit of different eras in history; and

the all-embracing attitude Chinese people take towards foreign cultures has further developed

and promoted Chinese culture.

Custom

China is an extremely large country, and the customs and traditions of its people vary by

geography and ethnicity. More than 1 billion people live in China, according to the Asia Society,

representing 56 ethnic minority groups. The largest group is the Han Chinese, with about 900

million people. Other groups include the Tibetans, the Mongols, the Manchus, the Naxi, and the

Hezhen, which is smallest group, with fewer than 2,000 people. China is a country steeped in

ancient customs and traditions of which the native people are proud. To many people in the west

countries, the word 'China' typically conjure up thoughts of dragons, giant pandas, the color, the

number 8 and the distinctive calligraphs, all of which are traditional to this country. China and

the whole Europe share similar-size land area. With such a large area, customs are always
different in different parts. In addition, due to the fact that this country is one of the existing

oldest cultures, traditions have grown over centuries with unique festivals, customs, arts and

cuisines.

Tradition of China

China is a country steeped in ancient customs and traditions of which the native people are

proud. To many people in the west countries, the word 'China' typically conjure up thoughts of

dragons, giant pandas, the color, the number 8 and the distinctive calligraphs, all of which are

traditional to this country. China and the whole Europe share similar-size land area. With such a

large area, customs are always different in different parts. In addition, due to the fact that this

country is one of the existing oldest cultures, traditions have grown over centuries with unique

festivals, customs, arts and cuisines.

Legend

As a legend goes, a monster, named Xi, always finds food in villages for its lack of food in

winter. Villagers are afraid of this monster, so they come up with a way to frighten and expel Xi

by lighting bamboos and paste red paper on their doors. Xi fears the sound of lighted bamboos

and red color, so it runs away. People successfully chase away Xi. The day people expelling Xi,

people call it Chu Xi which is the Chinese of New Year’s Eve. (Chu in English means expelling

or killing.). Nowadays, people still kindle bamboos in New Year’s Eve, but just for celebrating

the coming of New Year.

Religion

The Chinese Communist Party that rules the nation is officially atheist, though it is

gradually becoming more tolerant of religions, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.

Currently, there are only five official religions. Any religion other than Buddhism, Taoism,
Islam, Catholicism and Protestantism are illegal, even though the Chinese constitution states that

people are allowed freedom of religion. The gradual tolerance of religion has only started to

progress in the past few decades. About a quarter of the people practice Taoism and

Confucianism and other traditional religions. There are also small numbers of Buddhists,

Muslims and Christians. Although numerous Protestant and Catholic ministries have been active

in the country since the early 19th century, they have made little progress in converting Chinese

to these religions.

Language

There are seven major groups of dialects of the Chinese language, which each have their

own variations, according to Mount Holyoke College. Mandarin dialects are spoken by 71.5

percent of the population, followed by Wu (8.5 percent), Yue (also called Cantonese; 5 percent),

Xiang (4.8 percent), Min (4.1 percent), Hakka (3.7 percent) and Gan (2.4 percent).

Chinese dialects are very different, according to Jerry Norman, a former professor of linguistics

at the University of Washington and author of "Chinese (Cambridge Language Surveys)"

(Cambridge University Press, 1988). "Chinese is rather more like a language family than a single

language made up of a number of regional forms," he wrote. "The Chinese dialectal complex is

in many ways analogous to the Romance language family in Europe. To take an extreme

example, there is probably as much difference between the dialects of Peking [Beijing] and

Chaozhou as there is between Italian and French.

Chinese Festivals

The Double Ninth Festival

The Double Ninth Festival can be traced back to the Warring States Period. During the Tang

Dynasty, the Double Ninth Festival was on official lists of folk festivals. During the Chongyang
Festival, people went outside and climbed mountains together, and engaged in many other

activities, such as enjoying the chrysanthemum, inserting Zhuyu, eating Chongyang cakes, and

drinking chrysanthemum wines, among others.

Double Seventh Festival Facts

The Double Seventh Festival (Qixi Festival) is one of Chinese traditional festivals, and also

known as a Chinese Valentine's Day. It falls on the seventh day of the seventh Chinese lunar

month. In 2015 it falls on August 20 (Thursday). There is no public holiday for this festival.

Qingming Festival

Qingming Festival, also called Tomb Sweeping Day or Pure Brightness in English, usually falls

on April 4 or 5. Qingming is the second of 24 solar terms on the traditional Chinese solar

calendar. It is also a time for people to go outside and start enjoying the greenery of spring.

In 2015 Qingming Festival falls on April 5. The three-day public holiday in China is April 4–6,

2015, including Monday April 6th.

China's Lantern Festival

The Lantern Festival is celebrated on the 15th day of the first Chinese lunar month, and

traditionally ends the Chinese New Year period. In 2015 it falls on March 5. There is no public

holiday for this festival. Chinese New Year, also known as Spring Festival in China, is China’s

most important traditional festival. It is also the most important celebration for families, and a

week of official public holiday.

Winter Solstice

In the Gregorian calendar, the Winter Solstice usually falls around December 21, and more often

refers in particular to the day when the sun is exactly at the celestial longitude of 270°. It marks

the longest night and the shortest day in the northern hemisphere. In China, the Winter Solstice
was originally celebrated as an end-of-harvest festival. Today, it is observed with a family

reunion over the long night, and pink and white tangyuan are eaten in sweet broth to symbolize

family unity and prosperity.

Conclusion

Finally, it was worth to undertake the study of China as a country, it is a nation with great

information and content to study. The research will be important to other scholars since it will

not only give information about the country but also act as a guide for future research. China is a

great nation as indicated from the above study.

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