Chinese culture is an acquired compliment of a long interactive process. It depends on period of time in which an individual is exposed to the interactive process and level of internalization of the subculture. Reflectively, culture varies from one geographic region to another. Besides, subcultures are unique in terms of beliefs, practices, and communicative gestures or language. Thus, this reflective treatise presents in-depth analysis of the Chinese cultural group in terms of socialization, education, religion and ethnicity.
The government of China values education and hence allocates about 10% of GDP to the sector. Most students attend state schools where education is subsidized by the state but some do attend independent schools and private schools. In most state schools, social sciences are elective but not mandatory subject. Mathematics and Chinese language account for more than sixty percent of class time during primary education stage. From kindergarten, a learner moves to primary the junior secondary education stages. Depending on the grades at junior secondary, a student may move to either vocational secondary or senior secondary before joining vocational and higher education centers respectively.
In China, family is the most established social group. Gender and ethnicity generally define status in the Chinese society (Kirshner, 2010). Male dominance is common in the society which is slowly fading off with increased education and the fact that women are taking on tasks that were traditionally considered as reserved for the male gender. There are lower and upper classes defined by economic, leadership, and religious status of the members.
The main religion in China is Buddhism which dictates the unique traditional dressing characterized by long acrylic colorful garments with printed philosophical words and patterns that have been preserved across many generations. Reflectively, religion in China is one of the most powerful tools of regulating the society. The principles of the Buddhism religion are specific on expected norms and laid down institutions that address a breach on the same (Kirshner, 2010). For instance, the deity framework tolerates as well as respects others of different opinions. The fundamental ideas from the public Confucius culture of the Chinese can be interpreted into social conception of the ideal sages that differentiated the freestanding since its content was set out independently of the comprehensive doctrines that members of the Chinese culture affirm (Zhuangzi, 2013).
There are five main ethnic groups in China. These ethnic groups are the Asians (Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, and the Philippines), the Hispanic (Nicaragua, Chile, Mexican, and Cuban), the Whites (Europeans, Americans, and others), the Indians, and the African Americans. Within the native Chinese ethnic group, Chinese Han subgroup forms the majority with a population of more than 1 billion. There are other 55 minority subgroups within the native Chinese ethnic group. Reflectively, the Asians of the Chinese origin are the majority and their culture is very dominant. For instance, the culture and the theme of Beijing City is that of the Chinese ethnic group (Kirshner, 2010).
The most common dresses in China are the qipao and Tibetan robes in addition to the modern suits. The Uygurs of Chinese descent are associated with the skullcaps that are diamond shaped. There are courtyard and yurt dwellings for the town and village dwellers. The marriage law permits men and women to marry at 22 and 20 years respectively. Internment and cremation of the dead are practiced in the rural and urban areas respectively. Noodles and rice are the most common food in the northern and southern parts of China respectively. The Tibetans prefer roasted barley flour called the tsampa besides the betel nuts (Lai, 2008).
Conclusively, Chinese culture has experienced dynamics in relation to education, religion, cultural beliefs and customs. It is apparent that Asians of Chinese ethnicity are the majority. Their rich culture dominates the urban and rural areas within China.
References
Kirshner, J. (2010). The tragedy of offensive realism: Classical realism and the rise of China. European Journal of International Relations, 18(1), 53-75.
Lai, K. (2008). An Introduction to Chinese Philosophy. London, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Zhuangzi, T. (2013). Chinese Cultural Studies: Zhuangzi Chuang-tse. Web.