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Running head: CULTURAL UNIVERSALS


Table of Contents

Introduction 2

Language 4

Family structure 5

Rules and laws 5

Education 6

Traditional art and culture 7

Religion 8

Rituals celebrations 9

Time view 9

Recreation and leisure 10

Diet and food preparation 11

References: 12









Introduction

Cultural universal involves traits and patterns which occur in all cultures around the globe. Culture involves a collection of symbols that a society uses, which are not limited to language, symbols, values, and beliefs. Norms are part of culture because they determine the behavioral expectation within the society. However, the cultural elements occur differently depending on the region or context. According to Antweiler, (2012), cultural elements occur depending on the context in different geographical distribution and time; cultural universals involve traits, patterns, institutions, and elements that relate equivalently to all cultures around the world. The collection of the cultural universals gets collectively referred to as the human condition. Examples of cultural universals include metaphors and figurative speech, abstract speech, units of time, antonyms and synonyms.

The paper reports on the globalization impacts of culture on the Chinese culture. It’s easy to tell that globalization has changed lots of things, not only from the manner that people communicate but rather the means that people interact and their practices. Globalization impact on culture is diverse because many elements are taken into consideration.

Alon, (2013) argued that technological advancement reduced the world into a global village and dissolved certain cultures and the ones that did not get dissolved placed in the world perspective. The report identified that globalization empowered the Chinese culture into acting and living like the westerners. Globalization is the background for economic empowerment and development, and lead to the development of a global village. Globalization can mobilize and empower individuals in a community and support collective identity through the provision of work opportunities and socialization. Culture globalization could misrepresent a people’s mandate and create colonization into the culture. The globalization could lead to the loss of group and self-identity and loss of individualism. The paper’s focus is solely dependent on the Chinese culture which became transformed thanks to the globalization that’s happening to the entire world.

Language

Language exists in two forms, spoken and unspoken language, meaning that hand signs or facial expression are part of the language. A hand gesture for instance, in a certain language, could mean something elsewhere. In a given case, a hand sign could mean a greeting while in another part it could require one to perform a given task. Hand signals are not liked in a certain culture and could get associated with rudeness. Body language differs from culture to culture, and people must understand that they have theirs just like others.

The Chinese culture has lots of diversity and heritage when it comes to language because they have many dialects consisting both written and spoken language. The Chinese language is among the old languages in the world dating over six thousand years. One requires the knowledge of around 2000 or up to 3000 words to be able to read a Chinese newspaper. Globalization led to the alteration of given aspects of Chinese language but the primary concepts remained the same.

Chinese comprises many language dialects, though the written language is prevalent to the rest. Writing is common because people can’t understand the other between different provinces, but with writing it’s easy. Written language has three forms mainly informal, traditional and simplified communication and the Chinese language can get transcribed into Roman.

Family structure

The family is the basic unit of life as most could define the term, and each person on earth came from a given family even if they are not married. Families are mostly headed by fathers, however, others though few are headed by the women. The family is the most important aspect of life and no one would refute the claims unless they don’t have one and didn’t come from one which couldn’t be true.

Alon, (2013) argued that China has a rigid family structure that’s also hierarchical and their elders are highly respected and obeyed by others in the community even in the globalized era. People get addressed differently in the Chinese culture from brother, sister, aunt, uncle and grandfathers. Respect is an important factor in the Chinese family structure, and their women respect their husbands and taking care of their children. The family is therefore, the core of everything in the Chinese aspect, despite the adoption of the western lifestyle. The traditional values are prominent when engaging their daily family aspects.

Rules and laws

In America, the most respected laws are probably the constitution because it guides the activities of people and their interaction with the other. In America are the states and the federal government whose laws might differ a bit but must get respected by everyone. The local governments operate under the state government, whereas the state and federal governments are more of complimentary bodies.

China has lots of regulations which are common sense to most of them, although others expect one to know the difference between right and wrong. Certain illegal things aren’t obvious and one must follow the laws and understand them. The Chinese culture has strict rules when naming their children, because their children must have names that are easy to translate. The Chinese are expected to protect their cultures and secrets from outsiders, for instance, once are not expected to give names outside their cultures.

Education

The manner that one gets educated gets determined by their culture, for instance, the American culture requires that everyone gets educated. The importance of equal education in America relates with the democracy practiced in American culture. Of course, there is nothing wrong when everyone gets educated. Through education, one passes, their cultural heritage to the other people and their offspring.one would get educated and get a job in future, thanks to education.

Education in china gets managed by the state, under the ministry of education docket. Children must get a minimum of nine years in a school funded by the government. The nine years comprised six years in primary education which begins at the age of six or seven. The child enters three years of secondary once they complete the primary. Variations exist in primary school when they may have five years of primary school, then three years into the senior middle school. Chinese love their education because the government reports a 99% attendance in the primary school, whereas 70% of 80% attendance for the secondary school. The government plays important role in education system with most of the funding.

Traditional art and culture

Huang, and Zürcher, (2015) Americans reckon with their Native American pottery, which when spotted elsewhere in the world would get related with them. The spread of panda animals around Asia made them produce cultures that relate with people. Americans, particularly, the Northwest produce arts that are bird images, while the African culture is known for their masks that one can hang on the walls of the house. The Arabians and the Russians have something that they know themselves. The vehicles these days are painted according to those respective cultures, for instance, India, Pakistan or even Nepal paint their commercial vehicles according to their culture.

Alon, (2013) argued that Chinese has one of the oldest civilization forms which dates over five thousand years ago. Chinese culture has lots of preserved artifacts whose origins date over six thousand years. The Chinese culture attracted people from different parts of the world, thanks for being unique, exceptional and inspirational. Chinese’ art comprises beauty and charm like no other culture.

Guillain, (2016) argued that Chinese culture takes different forms which include calligraphy, pottery, folk arts, ancient cartoons, and paper cuts that represent the people’s imagination and vision of the Chinese culture. The Chinese poets, writers, and philosophers made significant contribution towards promotion and preservation of the Chinese culture to other nations. The cultural artifacts document the suffering which the Chinese people faced, discontent and displeasure with the authorities.

Religion

Most cultures around the world practice religion and even more than one religion, the main religions that spread across the world include Buddhism, Christianity, Islam and even those that don’t worship any god. Religions are important because they help people differentiate the right from the wrong ones and the religions intend in most cases, to explain to people the reason behind creation and nature.

China practices different religions and globalization led to the encroachment of other religions into the nation. China practices more than one religion, Buddhism, Taoism, Protestantism, Islam alongside Catholicism. All the regions get practiced in the nation, thanks to the government’s freedom of belief. The government plays a significant role in the protection of the people’s religion. Buddhism came to China past two thousand years from the Indians and got classified depending on the languages which they spread. The Taoism is at least 1700 years old as it’s a native religion, and it’s based on the teachings and writings. The religion is one of the most influential in the Chinese culture.

Rituals celebrations

According to Lerman, (2017), Weddings are important rituals that relate to marriages and are common in different regions of the world. Indians have their forms of wedding, Americans, or the Africans have theirs too, however, the Africans westernized their marriage weddings and prefer taking them to church. Wedding rings mark the knot that gets tied by the wedding couple. Birthday celebrations relate with the birth of a newborn and the baby shower.

The Chinese culture embraces the worship of heavenly bodies, which they call the Border Sacrifice performed in the Southern Border. The Chinese placed sacrifices to their God whom they believe was their creator is held during the winter. Among the heavenly bodies they worshiped include sun, moon and stars. The Chinese culture lets them worship the earth, which takes place during the summer solstice. The chines had secular rituals like meeting rituals, birth and military rituals.

Time view

Alon, (2013) argued that time is important in cultures, for instance, when one calls you for an appointment you either turn up on dot or before, else the appointment becomes void. The perspective of culture depends on the region that one comes from. Time is important again when it comes to age because when one reaches a given age they get respect and given permission to perform given activities in the family. At the age of sixteen, for instance, Americans let the lady graduate into womanhood. Jewish people let their children accountable for their actions at the age of twelve.

Guillain, (2016) argued that the Chinese people are time conscious and when they intend to meet a person at a given time, they ensure they get there at the specified time or before the exact time. Chinese culture values time and classifies time into a commodity. They don’t capitalize time, but its value just like money. A Chinese person would show their gratitude to others when they finish their meeting with others.

Recreation and leisure

People engage in recreation activities in different manner everywhere around the world, for instance, through football, hockey and bull fighting. Games get practiced everywhere in the world, and sporting activity, though football is nearly loved in all cultures at the time.

Chinese practices different sporting activities when free and mostly take their free time outdoors. Children and their parents spend their time outside. Chinese prefer playing board games outside parks instead of playing them inside as most cultures prefer. Chinese attend parks that are full of people, including the young and the old from morning till the evening and some extending till the night. Chinese practice different leisure activities and sports. The Chinese are relatively social people and because of that, they prefer having their time with others rather than spending the time alone. Chinese spend their free time moving around and doing practical things which make them quite healthy compared to western nations like America which have many causes of lifestyle diseases.

Diet and food preparation

Different people have a unique culture when it comes to food, for instance, fried chicken and steak chicken in Texan. Japanese reckon with miso soup and sushi. Other cultures don’t eat corn and give the food to animals. Others eat donkeys and others eat horses while in other cultures its total taboo. The variations in foods cooked in homes differ, thanks to culture.

Guillain, (2016) argued that the Chinese prefer foods that are mostly fermented on miso soup because they believe that the probiotics enable them to get the nutrients from the food. The Chinese culture is strict on a balanced diet comprising dry and crispy ingredients. The yin foods are believed to make the body cool. The Chinese prefer foods that make them relatively healthy, and they comprise light foods that are natural and organic.

The paper reports on the globalization impacts of culture on the Chinese culture. It’s easy to tell that globalization has changed lots of things, not only from the manner that people communicate but rather the means that people interact and their practices. Globalization impact on culture is diverse because many elements are taken into consideration.


References:

Alon, I. (2013). Chinese culture, organizational behavior, and international business management. Westport, CT: Quorum Books.

Cho, L. (2013). Eating Chinese: Culture on the Menu in small town Canada. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.

Guillain, C. (2016). Chinese culture. Chicago, Ill: Heinemann Library.

Hill, M. (2013). Lin Shu, Inc: The making of an icon in modern China.

Huang, J., & Zürcher, E. (2015). Time and space in Chinese culture. Leiden: E.J. Brill.

Wang, L. (2015). Tea and Chinese culture. San Francisco: Long River Press.