Chinese Civilization

Chinese Culture
China History:
China is one of the oldest continuing civilizations in the world. In 1928 China was reunified
under Chiang Kaishek, but was soon invaded by the Japanese in 1931; it struggled through the war until 1945 when the Japanese surrendered.

During this time, the Communists grew in power and influence. They believed China was capable of achieving greater equality for its citizens through a peoples government free of corruption
For culture in mainland China after 1949 Chinese culture is one of the world's oldest cultures. The area in which the culture is dominant covers a large geographical region in eastern Asia with customs and traditions varying greatly between provinces, cities, and even towns. Important components of Chinese culture include literature, music, visual arts, martial arts,cuisine, religion etc.

Mythology and Spirituality Chinese religion was originally oriented to worshipping the supreme god Shang Di during the Xia and Shang dynasties. A large part of Chinese culture is based on the notion that a spiritual world exists. Countless methods of divination have helped answer questions.

Page 1

Chinese Civilization
Chinese festivals
Dragon Boat Festival The time of this festival The Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated at the fifth of the fifth lunar calendar

The Lantern Festival The time of this festival The Lantern Festival is one of the most traditional festivals.

Martial Arts Chinese martial arts are collectively given the name Kung Fu ((gong) "achievement" or "merit", and (fu) "man", thus "human achievement") or (previously and in some modern contexts) Wushu("martial arts" or "military arts

Page 2

Chinese Civilization

Fashion
Different social classes in different eras boast different fashion trends

Chinese Crockery

Page 3

Chinese Civilization
Chinese Architecture: Chinese architecture refers to a style of architecture that has taken shape in Asia over the centuries. The structural principles of Chinese architecture have remained largely unchanged, the main changes being only the decorative details

Page 4

Chinese Civilization

Imperial architecture
there were certain architectural features that were reserved solely for buildings built for the Emperor of China. One example is the use of yellow roof tiles; yellow having been the Imperial color, yellow roof tiles still adorn most of the buildings within the Forbidden City. The Temple of Heaven, however, uses blue roof tiles to symbolize the sky. The roofs are almost invariably supported by brackets ("dugong"), a feature shared only with the largest of religious buildings.

Religious architecture

Page 5

Chinese Civilization
Longhua Pagoda in Shanghai, originally built during the Three Kingdoms era. Generally speaking, Buddhist architecture follows the imperial style. A large Buddhist monastery normally has a front hall, housing the statue of a Bodhisattva, followed by a great hall, housing the statues of the Buddhas. Accommodations for the monks and the nuns are located at the two sides. Some of the greatest examples of this come from the 18th century temples of the Puning Temple and the Putuo Zongcheng Temple. Buddhist monasteries sometimes also have pagodas, which may house the relics of the Gautama Buddha; older pagodas tend to be four-sided, while later pagodas usually have eight-sides.

Page 6