Chinese Culture in Change
2 min readChinese Culture in Change
We have now almost finished the book, and we can find that most of the book is about things in the past or the traditional Chinese culture. However, Chinese culture as a whole can be divided into two: traditional culture and modern culture. Like all the other cultures of the world, the Chinese culture is changing continuously. Throughout history it has evolved and changed, and will be confronted with more changes in the coming years.
A Culture Between the Past and the Present
Before the mid-1900s, traditional Chinese culture was prominent as people and families lived by traditional values and beliefs as well as old teachings and ways of life. However, after the political change in 1949,a new culture or the modern Chinese culture was developed.
Today, the culture of China is neither traditional nor fully modern, as most people would think it to be; instead, it is a combination of both. You may see high-rise buildings and people wearing Western-style clothing in many parts of China; or you may see McDonald in most cities of the country and Starbucks in Shanghai’s nightlife. And the ways of life in China might seem similar to those in the United States or Europe.
Yet you will also see traditional festivals being celebrated, tributes to ancient styles and artifacts, the integration of traditional sounds in modern music, celebrations of traditional art and design through stores and classes, and special concerts and programs shown both live and on
TV devoted to the traditional culture.In the rural areas and villages traditional culture is even more prominent，as country farmers and village people continue to live simple lives without modern technology.
The two“subcultures”of traditional culture and modern culture are clearly distinct yet closely connected，or“co-existing”to some degree.And even the modern culture is experiencing another big change.In fact，there is never a culture unchanged，and this can be seen in the development of the Chinese history and culture.
In addition，what we usually call“Chinese culture”is mainly the culture of the Han people originated from the Central Plain，which are well nourished by the national ethnic cultures and world cultures as well.In other words，the Chinese culture is not created only by the Han people but by all the Chinese people that ever lived and are living on this land；and in the meantime，it is enriched by other cultures around the globe.
