A Glimpse of Chinese Culture《中国文化概论》讲义chapters 18.docx

A Glimpse of Chinese Culture《中国文化概论》讲义chapters 18.docx

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AGlimpseofChineseCulture《中国文化概论》讲义chapters18

Chapter1

TheOriginofChineseCulture

文化词汇

Confucianphilosophy儒家哲学Confucius孔子Mencius孟子

thedescendantsofYanandHuang炎黄子孙

theSpringandAutumnandtheWarringStatesPeriods春秋战国时期

TheArtofWar《孙子兵法》porcelain瓷器

三皇五帝ThreeEmperorsandFiveSovereigns）

Gregoriancalendar/solarcalendar格里高利历,是国际通用的历法,即公历

lunarcalendar阴历

theTwenty-fourSolarTerms二十四节气

ChineseZodiac生肖

ChineseCulture---PastandPresent

Chinesehistorybeganwithtwolegendaryfigures—EmperorHuangandEmperorYan,who,togetherwiththeirtribes,inhabitedthedrainageareaalongthemiddlereaches（中游）oftheYellowRiver.BythetimeofXiaDynasty,aftercenturiesoflivingsidebyside,thesetwotribeshadgraduallymergedinto（合并，融合）one.Consequently,theChinesepeopleusuallycallthemselves“thedescendantsofYanandHuang”.Peopleatthattimebelievedthatthelandtheylivedonwasthecenteroftheworld,andcalledtheirstatethe"MiddleKingdom"（中国）,thusgivingChinaitscountryname.

TraditionalChinesecultureisrecordednotonlyinhistorybooksanddocuments,butalsoinarcheologicalrecords（考古记载）,suchasancientcitywalls,palaces（宫殿）,temples（寺庙）,pagodas（宝塔）,andgrottos（洞窟）;artifacts（史前古器物）,suchasbronzeobjects,weapons,bronzemirrors,coins,jadeandpotteryobjects,andcurios;andfolkculture,includingsonganddance,embroidery（刺绣）,cuisine（烹饪）,clothing,teaceremonies,drinkinggames,lanterns,riddles,martialarts（武术）,chessandkites.Withacontinuoushistoryof5,000years,ithasundergonefrequenttransformationstoproducearichandvitalculturalheritage.

Inthemodernday,withtheriseofwesterneconomicandmilitarypowerbeginninginthemid-19thcentury,WesternsystemsofsocialandpoliticalorganizationhavegainedadherentsinChina.Indeed,withintoday’sglobalizedenvironment,modernculturesinteractandcooperateincreasinglymorewitheachother.China’scultureofthefuturewillmostlikelyreflectthiscross-culturaldimension.Thus,obtainingasolidunderstandingofChina’scultureofthepastisnecessaryinordertosuccessfullyembraceallthattheculturehastooffertotheworld.

TheAppellationofChina

Chinaistheappellationofourcountrygivenbyforeigners.TheporcelainchinaisthetransliterationoftheplacenameChangnan（昌南）,whichwastheoldnameforJingdezhen（景德镇）.TheporcelainmadeinChangnanwassmoothandbright,andearnedanothernameofartificialjade.ItbecamefamousbothhomeandabroadandwasexportedtoEuropeinlargequantities.

Astimepassed,peopleinEuropeforgotthemeaningofChangnanandswitchedtheoriginalmeaningofporcelainoftheword“china”totheplaceofitsorigin.

TheAlternativeNamesofChina

⏹Chixian,Shenzhou（赤县、神州）

⏹Jiuzhou（九州）

⏹Hua（华）

⏹Huaxia（华夏）

⏹Zhonghua（中华）

⏹Hainei（海内）

ChineseMythology

ChineseMythologyisacollectionofculturalhistory,folktales（民间故事）,andreligionsthathavebeenpasseddowninoralorwrittenform.Chinesemythologyissimilartomodernreligioninthattheybothbelieveinrelationshipsbetweenmankindandahigherpower.

Historianshaveconjectured（推测）thatChinesemythologybeganin12thcenturyBC（closetothetimeoftheTrojanWar特洛伊战争）.Themythsandlegendswerepasseddowninoralformforoverathousandyears,beforebeingwrittendowninearlybooksuchasShuiJingZhuandShanHaiJing.

Theclassificationofmyth神话的分类

Creationmyth创世神话：

NvwaCreatedMan（女娲造人）

Heromyth英雄神话：

HouyiShootingtheSun（后羿射日）

Warmyth战争神话：

YellowEmperorTackledHuman-God（黄帝擒蚩尤）

CulturalMosaic

HeavenlyStemsandEarthlyBranches

ThestandardGregoriancalendarisgenerallyreferredtoasthesolarcalendarinChina.ThetraditionalChineselunarcalendar,alsoknownastheJiazicalendar,countstheyearsinsixty-yearcyclesbycombiningtwoseriesofnumbers---the10HeavenlyStemsand12EarthlyBranches.

TheTwenty-fourSolarTerms

ThetraditionalChineselunaryearisdividedintotwenty-foursolarterms,accordingtothepositionofthesunontheeclipticinrelationshiptotheearth.Thesolartermsdesignateagriculturalperiods,andcanpredictchangingseasonalconditions,temperature,andweatherthroughoutthecourseoftheyear.Theyareextremelyimportanttoagriculturalproduction.

Changesinthefourseasonsaredeterminedbyeightsolarterms:

立春（theBeginningofSpring）,春分（theSpringEquinox）,立夏（theBeginningofSummer）,夏至（theSummerSolstice）,立秋（theBeginningofAutumn）,秋分（theAutumnalEquinox）,立冬（theBeginningofWinter）,冬至（theWinterSolstice）

Changesintemperatureareindicatedbyfivesolarterms:

小暑SlightHeat,大暑GreatHeat,处暑theLimitofHeat,小寒SlightCold,大寒GreatCold

Changingweatherconditionsareindicatedbysevensolarterms:

雨水RainWater,谷雨GrainRain,白露WhiteDew,寒露ColdDew,霜降Frost'sDescent,小雪SlightSnow,大雪GreatSnow.

Recurringnaturalphenomenaareindicatedbyfoursolarterms:

惊蛰theWakingofInsects,清明PureBrightness,小满GrainFull,芒种GraininEar

ChineseZodiac

Inancienttimes,ourancestorscountedtheyearswith10heavenlystemsand12earthlybranches.Althoughthiswasscientific,mostpeoplewereilliterateandcouldnotmemorizeorcalculateeasily.Thustheanimalsthatinfluencedpeople'sliveswerechosentosymbolizetheterrestrialbranches:

therat,ox,tiger,rabbit,dragon,snake,horse,sheep,monkey,rooster,dogandpig.

Chapter2CulinaryCulture

文化词汇

culinary厨房的，烹饪的;烹调用的

cuisine烹饪，烹调法;菜肴

mainfood主食,主粮（staplefood）

Firetemperature火候

foodtonic食补

“Foodisthefirstnecessityofthepeople”（“民以食为天。

”）

“Governingagreatnationislikecookingasmallfish-toomuchhandlingwillspoilit.”（Lao-tzu,Chinesephilosopher）（“治大国若烹小鲜。

”）

Wellfed,wellbred.衣食足，而后知礼节。

“Thereisneitherrejectiontohisricebeingofthefinestquality,nortohismeatbeingfinelyminced.”（食不厌精，脍不厌细）.

AgeneralintroductionofChinesefood

Chinesecuisine（菜肴）iswidelyseenasrepresentingoneoftherichestandmostdiverseculinary（烹饪的）cuisinesandheritagesintheworld.

AmealinChinesecultureistypicallyseenasconsistingoftwoormoregeneralcomponents:

Zhushi（mainfood）---typicallyrice,noodles,ormantou（steamedbun）,andaccompanyingdishesofvegetables,meat,fish,orotheritems,knownascai（dish）intheChineselanguage.ThisculturalconceptualizationisinsomewaysincontrasttocuisinesofNorthernEuropeandtheUSA,wheremeatoranimalprotein（蛋白质）isoftenconsideredthemainfood（主食）.

RiceisacriticalpartofmuchofChinesecuisine.However,innorthernChina,wheat-basedproductsincludingnoodlesandsteamedbunspredominate（占支配地位）.Soupisusuallyservedattheendofameal.However,insouthernChinaitismoreoftenservedatthestartofameal.

Foodsymbolism

InChina,foodsaregivenparticularmeanings,sothatincertainoccasionatypeoffood,canonlybeeatenbysomespecificindividuals,ormustbeeateninspecificoccasion.

TheChinesewordforfish“Yu”soundslikethewordabundance（盈余）.Asaresult,fishisalwaysservedtosymbolizeaccumulationsofprosperityandwealthwiththeNewYear'sEvemeals.Inaddition,thefishisservedwhole,withtheheadandthetailattached,symbolizingagoodbeginningandendingforthecomingyear.

Longnoodleisthesymboloflongevity（长寿）inChineseculture.TheyareasmuchapartofChinesebirthdaycelebrationsasabirthdaycakewithlitcandlesinmanycountries,sothatyoungstersorseniorsallwillhaveabowlofLongLifeNoodleintheexpectationofahealthylife.

TheChinesebelieveeggssymbolizefertility.Afterababyisborn,parentsmayholda“redeggandgingerparty”,wheretheyserveroundhard-boiledeggstoannouncethebirth.

Seeds---lotusseeds（莲子）,watermelonseeds,etc.---representbearingmanychildreninChineseculture.InaChinesewedding,peopleoftenputreddates（红枣）,peanuts,Longan,andlotusseedsonthebedofthenewcouple,representingtheywillreproduceverysoon.

Chinesecookingart

Thecompletepresenceofcolor,shape,aroma（芳香，香味）andflavor（色香味形俱全）

Color：

Tohaveabright,pleasedandharmoniouscolorisoneofthemainprincipleswhencookingChinesefood.

Shape：

Shapemainlydependsonmethodsofcutting.

Aroma：

Aromameansthefragrantandappetizingsmellofthedishes.

Flavor：

Flavorreferstotastingthefood:

salty,sweet,sour,bitter,hot,etc.

CookingMethods

Timeandtemperatureplayanimportantroleincooking.

Theyincludeboiling（煮）,stewing（煲/炖）,braising（烧/焖/烩）,frying（煎）,stir-frying（炒）,quick-frying（爆）,deep-frying（炸）,fryingandsimmering（扒）,sautéing（快煎）,simmering（煨）,smoking（熏）,roastingorbarbecuing（烤）,baking（烘）,steaming（蒸）andscalding（白灼）.

Seasonings

Tastemainlydependsontheseasonings.

Therearemanytastes—salty（salt,soysauce）,sweet（sugar,honey）,sour（vinegar）,pungent（chili,ginger,scallion葱）,fragrant（sesameoil香油,coriander香菜,wine）,prickled（麻的）（pricklyash花椒）andtangy（monosodiumglutamateorMSG味精）andbitter（driedtangerine陈皮,bitterapricotkernel苦杏仁）.

EightCuisines

Chinaisavastcountrywithdiverseclimate,customs,products,andhabits.Peopleincoastalareaspreferseafoodandaquatic（水产的）products,whereasthoseincentralandnorthwestChinaeatmoredomesticanimalsandpoultry.Alltogether,themostinfluentialandtypicalknownbythepublicarethe'EightCuisines'.Theseareasfollows:

ShandongCuisine,SichuanCuisine,GuangdongCuisine,FujianCuisine,JiangsuCuisine,ZhejiangCuisine,HunanCuisine,andAnhuiCuisine.

Tablemanners

Ataformalbanquet,thehostpreparesadequateseatingfortheguests.Foralargenumberofguests,theelderlyorpeopleofhighstatusareallocatedspecificseats.Specialguestsan