China: One of the World's Four Great Ancient Civilizations
Along with ancient Egypt, Babylon, and India, China is one of the four great ancient civilizations of the world. Home to one of the world’s oldest and most complex civilizations, China boasts a history rich in over 5,000 years of artistic, philosophical, political, and scientific advancement. Though regional differences provide a sense of diversity, commonalities in language and religion connect a culture distinguished by such significant contributions as Confucianism and Taoism, the former being the official philosophy taught and practiced throughout most of Imperial China’s history and which has had a strong influence upon other countries in East Asia as well. In approximately the 21st century BC, a primitive agricultural society first appeared in the areas around China’s Yellow and Yangtze River, where animal husbandry joined hunting and fishing as a means of human sustenance. Approximately two millennia later, the Xia Dynasty (21st— 17th century BC) emerged as China’s first dynastic government. This was followed by the Shang Dynasty (17th—11th century BC) and the Western Zhou Dynasty (11th century— 771 BC), which further refined the national system of gover- nance.
The Flourishing of Thought in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods
China’s Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods saw a great upsurge in science and technology, as well as in ideology and culture. Much as ancient Greece gave rise to Socrates, Plato, and Aristo- tle, China produced, during this time, a number of great scholars who possessed abundant ideas and extensive knowledge, including Kongzi (Confucius), Laozi, Mozi, Xunzi, and Mengzi (Mencius). The atmo- sphere of free debate that had existed among the different schools of philosophy founded by these Chinese thinkers was aptly characterized by the saying, “Let a hundred flowers blossom and a hundred schools of thought contend. ”
Like their contemporaries in ancient Greece, the Chinese philoso- phers established schools and accepted pupils, discoursed and debated eloquently, pondered military and governmental affairs, and served as strategists and advisors to their country’s leaders. They left future generations a valuable legacy in philosophy, politics, education, and the military, and had a profound influence on the culture of China and the entire world. One of these illustrious figures, for example, is the military strategist Sun Wu (Sunzi). His renowned work, the Art of War is still used extensively in the areas of military and economic affairs.
The Multifaceted Manifestations of Traditional Chinese Culture
Traditional Chinese culture is recorded not only in history books and documents, but also in archeological records, such as ancient city walls, palaces, temples, pagodas, and grottos; artifacts, such as bronze objects, weapons, bronze mirrors, coins, clocks, jade and pottery objects, and curios; and folk culture, including song and dance, embroidery, cui- sine, clothing, tea ceremonies, drinking games, lanterns, riddles, martial arts, chess, and kites. Chinese civilization has its source far in the distant past, and its depth and breadth is being revealed evermore. With a con- tinuous history of 5, 000 years, it has undergone frequent transforma- tions to produce a rich and vital cultural heritage.
The Modern Transformation and Future Prospect of Chinese Culture
In the modern day, with the rise of Western economic and military power beginning in the mid-19th century, Western systems of social and political organization have gained adherents in China. Some of these would-be reformers have chosen to reject China’s cultural legacy altogether, while others have sought ways of combining the strengths of both Chinese and Western cultures. Indeed, within today’s globalized environment, modern cultures interact and cooperate increasingly more with each other. China’s culture of the future will most likely reflect this cross-cultural dimension. Thus, obtaining a solid understanding of China’s culture of the past is necessary in order to successfully embrace all that the culture has to offer to the world.
