Culture

The culture in China has developed over thousands of years with influences from many peoples and nations. Communism brought about a change. The Table.Media editorial team has all the news on culture in China. Why is China an advanced civilization? China is one of the oldest cultures in the world. The first writings are up to 3,500 years old. Confucianism – one of China's three world views – dates back to the fifth century BC. Daoism is around the same age. The third culture, Buddhism, arrived in China around the year zero. The culture in China developed undisturbed for a long time, constantly receiving new influences and nuances through the lively trade and exchange with other countries and peoples via the Silk Road. The Opium War with Great Britain and European colonialism were decisive turning points. How did Chinese culture change under communism? When communism was first introduced in the newly founded People's Republic in the 20th century and then a cultural revolution took place in the '60s and '70s, central aspects of Chinese popular culture were completely reinvented. Since then, it has primarily served the moral education of citizens and the dissemination of the Communist Party's policies. Culture in China, like the individual, must be subordinate to the common good. Accordingly, on March 1, 2021, the Communist Party issued rules of conduct that affect an entire industry. Since then, artists in China have had to adhere to a set of 15 guidelines. This affects musicians, actors, magicians and comedians, among others. The moral guide for artists in China The guide with instructions for artists in China includes commandments such as "love for the party and its principles" or service to "the people and socialism". It is also forbidden to denigrate China's history or show solidarity with Tibetans or Uyghurs. Prominent cultural figures in the People's Republic are also prohibited from misleading consumers through "appearances in commercials" or engaging in "religious practices". The background to this is that the Communist Party in China also feels responsible for the moral education of its citizens. Compliance with the rules is monitored by an ethics committee made up of "exemplary artists". Those who violate the requirements are threatened with a professional ban of up to five years and retraining. Although the guidelines are new, monitoring the content of culture in the People's Republic is not. Artists have been under scrutiny ever since Mao Zedong. China's President Xi Jinping has already made it clear that art and culture must serve socialism. Minority culture in China is suppressed The Communist Party's treatment of minority culture in the country shows just how important culture is for a people's identity. An extreme example is the autonomous region of Xinjiang in the northwest, the area of the Muslim Uyghurs. The Chinese Communist Party is deliberately settling Han Chinese in Xinjiang. They now make up 46% of the population there. Uyghur human rights activists accuse the government of Sinicization. The native culture of the Uyghurs is being deliberately pushed into the background. In addition, there are re-education camps in which the values and culture of the Han Chinese are imposed on the Uyghurs. Music in Chinese culture The Chinese Communist Party is also cracking down on the music industry. In the eyes of President Xi Jinping, hardly any other group has so much influence on China's youth. Accordingly, tattoos, earrings and inappropriate language are banned. The state newspaper Global Times commented: "The greater the popularity, the more you must be self-disciplined; the more popular you are, the more you must abide by the law." The most popular way to listen to music in China is the streaming service Tencent Music. The service is so popular that in 2021 the market regulator SAMR had to take action against the group's monopoly position. As a result, Tencent Music had to terminate exclusive rights to music labels. Chinese film industry as a soft power tool Film plays a particularly important role in Chinese culture. Not only is the People's Republic the largest cinema market in the world, but the Communist Party's soft power strategy is also to be implemented via the silver screen. Essentially, it is about making a state stronger and more attractive through its foreign policy, its political values and its culture. Because of China's undiplomatic behavior and its serious human rights violations, film plays a particularly important role. Investments are correspondingly high. In 2018, businessperson Wang Jianlin had the world's most modern studio complex built in the eastern Chinese city of Qingdao. At a cost of EUR 6.5 billion, 40 film studios were built there. Jianlin also owns the film "studio" Legendary Entertainment ("Jurassic World", "Batman: The Dark Knight Trilogy"). At the same time, Amblin Partners, Steven Spielberg's production company, has agreed to cooperate with the Chinese Alibaba Group. Despite all these investments, Chinese blockbusters are rarely shown outside the country. This is also due to the fact that the films are mostly works of propaganda. They have to adhere to the guidelines for artists in China and are censored as soon as they are made. Conversely, only 34 foreign productions are allowed to be shown in China each year. In order to get past state control, the films – such as "The Martian" or "James Bond: Skyfall" – sometimes have to be massively recut and altered. Internationally successful literature from China Culture in China is also shaped by the political interests of the Communist Party in the field of literature. Jiang Yu from the Development Research Center says: "Art and literature are important battlegrounds for ideas and ideology and therefore extremely important for the work of the party." Science fiction works are also popular abroad and supported by the state in China. The background to this is that the entire society is very future-oriented. The People's Republic's space program, futuristic cities and a high affinity for technology do the rest. The works of Chinese authors are also used to produce television series and films. For example, the Trisoloris trilogy by Liu Cixins, which is being adapted for Netflix. Video games: An unloved part of Chinese culture Video games are part of Chinese culture. However, since the coronavirus pandemic, when children had to stay indoors and increasingly turned to games, the state has wanted to intervene to regulate them. This affects an industry worth billions. Turnover in the Chinese games industry amounted to a whopping EUR 35 billion in 2020. The Communist Party is therefore planning to exempt the games industry from tax breaks. It is actually an industry of the future that is to be massively promoted. However, the industry is no longer in the start-up phase. The argument is that billion-dollar corporations such as Tencent should pay something back in the form of taxes. Communist Party takes action against video games Tencent, the global market leader in video games, wants to make concessions to the Communist Party. For example, the company is voluntarily limiting the daily playing time for the hit title "Honor of Kings". During the week, users are only allowed to play it for one hour. Only two hours at the weekend. However, Tencent was unable to prevent a stricter youth protection law that makes it more difficult for players to circumvent this ban. Another sign that the games industry in China is losing favor with the Communist Party is the tone that the press is taking towards video game companies. They are selling "intellectual opium". Due to the Opium Wars against Great Britain, this comparison is historically charged and is seen as a serious attack. China's President Xi Jinping has also taken a clear stance. Games are among the "dirty and confusing things to be found online", he said in a report by the Xinhua news agency. Traditional fashion in Chinese culture In China, there are four traditional garments that are part of the country's culture. The Hanfu is the oldest Chinese clothing. It is a silk robe – a garment with a tradition dating back four thousand years. Men also often wear a Zhongshan suit, also known as the Mao suit. The Tang suit has its roots in the Tang dynasty (the years 619 to 907). The most famous wearer of the black jacket is perhaps Bruce Lee. The fourth traditional garment is the cheongsam. A long dress. In modern times, fashion in China – and therefore also part of the culture of the People's Republic – is dictated by fast fashion. The market leader is the fashion platform Shein. It sells cheap clothes for women. The cost is between five and twenty dollars per item. The design is created by artificial intelligence. In one week in May 2021, the system designed 30,000 new items of clothing in order to cater to the tastes of every region in the shortest possible time. Only five to seven days pass between the design being created by the artificial intelligence and the first items being put on the shelves. Current news on culture in China China's culture could undergo a major change in the coming years due to demographic change. China's population is getting older and older. The relaxation of the one-child policy in 2016 and the relaxation of the two-child policy in 2021 came too late to bring about a noticeable change in demographics in China. All news on culture in China in German from the Table.media editorial team.