Michelle Yuan

428978
Chinese Civilization
Essay 1

Influences of Chinese Culture

A culture is not an unchanging entity, but rather a reflection of the people that it

represents. Over the course of history, a multitude of different ethnicities have moved into

what is now modern-day China. Each of these groups of people has their own distinct origins

and has contributed their own unique traditions as a facet of Chinese culture. As a result,

Chinese culture is fluid, constantly changing as new groups of people move and adapt to

parts of China. In fact, not only has Chinese culture changed drastically over time, but large

variations within culture can also be seen geographically, with different parts of modern-day

China having different traditions and different ways of life. The only constant in Chinese

culture its location origin and transformation. That is, every shift in Chinese culture can be

traced back to the land on which modern-day China exists.

For much of its past, China was not the singular nation that is currently known to the

world. Instead, it was comprised of many much smaller kingdoms that were founded within

China’s current borders. Many of these kingdoms were also extremely short-lived, receiving

much strain from political turmoil. The lack of strong government foundations played a

major role in inviting foreign invaders to enter and raid the land. In addition to attacking

kingdoms, the raiders also brought in elements of their own culture to intertwine with the

existing cultures. As a result, although these outsiders were not necessarily Chinese, the

Chinese adopted portions of their cultures, resulting in traditions and practices that would not

have otherwise existed. For example, although Confucianism, the foremost fundamental

school of thought in Chinese history, placed great emphasis on the respect and reverence that
society should have on the occupations of scholars and farmers, they slowly lost prestige as a

result of northern influences. The constant struggle for the powerful and educated to maintain

power caused many to look towards more indulgent ways of living, thus abusing the

expectations given to those scholarly leaders. Many farmers were also forced to work as

slaves for the raiders that captured them. (Ebrey 89) Because of the desensitization of cruel

treatment to farmers, many of the native kingdoms also began using serf and slave systems to

better profit and ensure luxury for themselves. This blatant shift in culture might not have

ever occurred without the foreign raiders acting as a catalyst for such a drastic change. On a

similar vein, if historians had not known of China’s tumultuous past, it would have been

difficult to understand such an impactful, relatively quick change in cultural values.

The introduction of large land estates was probably vastly influenced by the

increasingly common usage of serfs in China. Private armies were also hired to protect the

estates from outside attack. These changes resulted in an increasingly large gap between the

status of estate owners and the status of others, due to the majority of others being people

who willingly gave up their freedom in exchange for stability serving as a serf. (Ebrey 92)

These people were a large step from the serfs that were commonly used in the Zhou Dynasty.

During that time period, the majority of serfs and slaves were criminals, rather than average

people who were willing to sacrifice freedom for protection. Because of this, estate owners

become increasingly wealthy, as the increase in workers to tend their fields in turn increased

productivity of the land. The northern invaders, the Xianbei, were largely nomadic and had

beliefs that shared few ideals with Confucianism. Rather than placing importance on learning

and farming, they found that the most As a result, their raids largely influenced this major

departure from Confucian ideals in government.

 In addition, the prolific trade that occurred between China and various other parts of

the world also brought many new aspects to Chinese culture. For example, trade with India

was largely responsible for the introduction of Buddhism to Chinese culture. Although at the

time, Confucianism and Daoism were widely practiced, they were only practiced in theory,

with their concepts often not reaching real life usage. As a result people sought a more

relatable religion. It offered a religion where living beings transcended class and had

opportunities for upper mobility in future lives to those who needed hope for a better life.

(Ebrey 97) It was also responsible for the creation of countless examples of Buddhist art and

architecture in China. This proliferation of Buddhist art was responsible for the creation of

some of the most currently relevant and universally loved pieces of Chinese art and

architecture, such as rock carved temples throughout China. Many people also drew many

similarities between Buddhism and Daoism. Although Buddhism seemed very similar to

Daoism, it was far more direct in the answers it gave regarding life and death. However,

despite the similarities in the two religions, they came from far-removed roots. This is

particularly important for understanding why the two religions experienced such conflict

with each other.

This is also the reason why some aspects of Chinese culture might seem incongruous

or unharmonious to other aspects. A major conflict between the former Chinese culture and

the Chinese culture influenced by Buddhism is a key example of these issues. For example,

while people who chose the path of Buddhist monkhood would be required to shave their

heads and give an oath of celibacy. (Ebrey 97) However, Confucianism states that people

should in no war deform their bodies. The shaving of the head is thought to be a way to

deform the body. It also clearly states that to not have offspring is to be unfilial to their
parents. In addition, the creation of art not only created beauty that transcended class, but

also a financial burden on many of the kingdoms that commissioned the artwork. The sudden

increase in monkhood also drastically lowered government coffers, because of the lack of

need for monks to pay tax to the kingdom. The difference in the origins and end goals of

Buddhism and the much less foreign Daoism allow people to make sense of the rift between

the two religions and the logic behind those who adopted either one.

Another major aspect in the development of Chinese culture is the role in which

geographical locations played in its evolution. Because of China’s vast land mass, there is a

wide range of terrain to be experienced in China. As a result, people were not necessarily

able to react and make a living of the land in similar fashions. The vastness of the country

paired with the scattering of different kingdoms across it also discouraged easy exchange of

culture. Because of this, there are many differences to be seen from separate regions of

China. Even today, this is reflected in the fifty-six ethnicities that currently call China home.

Each of these ethnicities was historically situated in a single particular geographic location,

with little shift, thus resulting in different dialects and forms of traditional writing, though all

writing and speech has since been standardized for official use by the Chinese government.

The already-present differences in each culture make the adoption of new ideas within

cultures different by nature. Different cultures may choose to adapt different parts of a

foreign influence to better suit their day-to-day lives. Each of these cultures also represents a

different facet of Chinese culture in that they have contributed some part of their culture to

the overarching image of China that outsiders and scholars see.

Even now, China is constantly absorbing new concepts from outside influences. The

People’s Republic of China is currently officially run under the Communist Party. However,
it is receiving capitalist influences from Western countries. Many Chinese citizens also

choose to watch foreign television shows and emulate Western fashion. However, although

many people in China choose to adopt Western influences into their understanding of

Chinese culture, there is still a large number of people who do not choose to partake in this

new popular culture.

A culture is a fluid, heterogeneous entity that is largely receptive of outside

influences. Although the passage of time played a major role in the many changes that

Chinese culture experienced, many of these changes also saw the entrance of a foreign

influence as a catalyst to the change. However, while each culture has its own origin, it might

not necessarily be able to organically change itself. Rather, it often learns or adapts from

other cultures in order to better fit the needs of its people. Although all the changes in

Chinese culture were not necessarily ideal or even morally correct, they were doubtlessly

suited to the circumstances in which they were adopted. However, although major reigning

dynasties adopted certain practices, these practices remain unrepresentative of Chinese

culture as a whole. Because Chinese culture, although definable through its political

boundaries, is spread across so many different backgrounds and ethnicities, there is no

certain way to easily describe Chinese culture. The lack of acceptance of new practices

would have been tied to a variety of reasons, such a lack of geographical or linguistic

compatibility.