China Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

China - Research Paper Example Taoism, Confucianism and other traditional beliefs are practiced by a quarter of the population. We can also see a small number of them are Christians, Muslims and Buddhists. It should be noted that since the nineteenth century there has been active catholic and protestant ministries but the progress to convert Chinese people to this religions has not been that effective. China has seven main dialects; these are mandarin, Hakka, Gan, Xiang, Cantonese, Wu, and Min. Mainland China has Putonghua the type of Mandarin that is based on the speech as its official national language. When writing the language in text it is symbol based. Just as geographical aspects and ethnic diversity influence the Chinese life so does it also affect the cuisine aspect. Cantonese way of cooking is among the main styles and comprises of Sezchuan and stir-fried dishes. Sezchuan mostly relies on using peanuts, ginger and sesame paste, it is well known for its spiciness. Fan is the Chinese word referring to rice but it also means meal. Rice is a staple food for the Chinese as well as scallions, bean sprouts and cabbage. Their consumption of meat is little but they occasionally indulge in chicken or pork. Their main source of protein is tofu. The rich mystical and spiritual history surrounding China plays a great role in their art. Many of the artistic pieces such as paintings and sculptures depict spiritual Buddhism figures. Music is also an integral part in their lives and some of the instruments such as the flute-like xun and the guqin are evidence. These instruments are in the Zither family. Musical history of the Chinese culture dates back to the beginning of its existence. Many of the movies we watch in theaters and at times in the comfort of our homes by the Chinese people show the kung-fu form of martial arts which has its birthplace in china. Chinese ancestors from ancient times were philosophers and avid writers especially in the famous Ming and Qing dynasties which is clearly ref lected in the liturgical history of china that is very rich. The beginning of the lunar year is marked by the spring festival which is also the largest festival taking place between mid-January and mid February. This is considered a time to honor the ancestors. The celebration lasts for fifteen days during which the children thoroughly clean their homes signifying a new beginning or a fresh start. Fireworks mark the holiday together with parades of dancers dressed as dragons. A great number of people make pilgrimages to the birthplace of Confucius in the province of Shandong. This is mostly during his birthday on September twenty eighth. People in China also observe the birthday of the goddess of mercy, Guanyin by visiting Taoist temples. It takes place between the months of late March and late April. The goddess of the sea known as Mazu or Tainhou has her birthday being celebrated in the months of May or June. In September or October they celebrate the Moon festival with moon gazin g, paper lanterns and fireworks. Edward L Davis’s book, the encyclopedia of contemporary Chinese culture has a great deal of historical information that is very educative but on a more important note it enlightens the reader about modern China. This book is a plethora on diverse aspects of culture in regards to the Chinese people and the author also did not forget to put into light the major cities that are present in China such as