Chinese Culture:
Time for another bit about Chinese culture. People nowadays think the People’s Republic is the only place where ancient Chinese culture is alive and well but nothing could be further from the truth. There are actually a bunch of countries where elements of Chinese culture still prevail or even dominate to this day:
Hong Kong
Traditional characters, feng shui, traditional Chinese medicine, bone setting and Cantonese tradition. Do I need to say more?
Macau
Gambling originated in ancient China (like so many other things)
Taiwan
When the nationalist army retreated to Formosa Island, they took most of ancient China’s cultural heritage with them. Art objects, treasures you name it. Because of this focus on tradition and history, the Taiwan of today is a wonderful mix of ancient China and modern elements.
Japan & Korea
This one is a surprise, isn’t? In Korea for example, before Han-Gul was introduced as the official alphabet, the people used to write in classical Chinese. Karate originated in China, so did Zen Buddhism, Japan’s most popular religion. There are bunch of more things ranging from Daoism to Confucianism, food, martial arts and technology. Even though these countries don’t always seem eye to eye these days, they share a rich cultural history.
So this is it. Chinese culture is alive and well around the world. Stay tuned for the next bit of Asian culture. And if you are here already, why not check out our selection of Chinese art t-shirts and subscribe to our newsletter? 😉