LECTURE No. 16. Culture of China

1. Features of Chinese culture

Chinese civilization is one of the most ancient in the world. According to the Chinese themselves, the history of their country begins at the end of the XNUMXrd millennium BC. e. Chinese culture has acquired a unique character: it is rational and practical. China is characterized by some dogmatism. A new thought could develop only in the form of comments on the old sayings of the sages.

Chinese culture has greatly influenced the development of neighboring countries (Japan, Korea and the states of Southeast Asia). Knowledge of Chinese art, literature and music has long been considered the main virtue of an educated Asian.

2. Education and science. Religion. National holidays

Knowledge and learning were treated with great respect in China. Knowledge usually meant postulates from the sphere of the humanities. As for other sciences (mathematics, astronomy, medicine, etc.), the observational data accumulated over many hundreds of years were generalized, but not theoretically comprehended. These areas of knowledge were not prestigious.

What are the achievements of the Chinese in the field of exact and technical sciences connected with? Mathematics originated in China in ancient times. Chinese mathematicians wrote essays on calculations using a pole in a circle. From the 12th century BC e. the Chinese knew the properties of a right triangle, in the 4st century. n. e. a treatise was created summarizing the mathematical knowledge accumulated in China over several centuries. Astronomy developed. Already in the II millennium BC. e. the ancient inhabitants of China divided the year into XNUMX months, the month - into XNUMX weeks. Chinese doctors have made a great contribution to world medicine. Of the technical inventions, the water mill should be mentioned.

Knowledge of writing is based on sources, many of which were compiled in the early periods of Chinese history. It is known that already in the XV century. BC e. In China, there was a developed system of hieroglyphic writing (more than 2000 hieroglyphs). The great invention was the manufacture of paper, the production of which began in 105 AD. e. It was cooked from tree bark, rags, hemp. The author of this largest discovery in the history of mankind was the official Tsai Lun.

Myth-making in China dates back to ancient times. The place of numerous revered gods in Chinese culture is occupied by legendary sages and cultural heroes like Huangdi.

Later philosophical teachings - Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism - undoubtedly enriched Chinese culture. It is characteristic that all the religious systems of China had much in common: they all had a cult of obedience, reverence for elders and ancestors, and the idea of ​​a passive, contemplative attitude towards reality. These ideas defined the Chinese national psychology.

Buddhism, which came to China in the XNUMXst-XNUMXnd centuries, also had a very significant impact on Chinese culture. A lot is connected with Buddhism in the history of culture. For example, the legend about the origin of tea and tea drinking. In the future, Buddhism, like Taoism, will give way to Confucianism, which developed criteria for evaluating the actions of each Chinese.

The Chinese love for ceremonies is widely known. In imperial China, all significant events in the life of a person, family and society were arranged with a complex ceremonial ritual. Among the holidays with the most ancient history, the following stand out:

1) spring festival (New Year);

2) a festival of lanterns;

3) dragon boat festival;

4) Mid-Autumn Festival;

3. Literature

Chinese literature has its roots in deep antiquity. The oldest Chinese literary monument is the poetic anthology Shijing (Book of Songs).

Chinese literature is quite unusual in its genre diversity. Known for example:

1) rhyming prose "fu";

2) "shi" verses;

3) verses "tsy";

4) novels.

During the Han Dynasty, the main Chinese historical work, Sim Qian's Historical Notes, was written. This work contains a detailed description of prominent personalities and events.

Buddhism introduced China to artistic prose. The apogee of the cultural development of the country is considered to be the times of the Sui, Tang and Song dynasties. It was during these years that versification literally permeated the entire educated Chinese society. Poems were given to friends, relatives, patrons.

During the Ming and Qing dynasties, novels became widespread. During these years, 4 famous Chinese classical novels were written:

1) "Three Kingdoms" by Luo Guanzhong;

2) "River Backwaters" by Shi Naian;

3) Chen'en's Journey to the West;

4) "Dream in the Red Chamber" by Cao Xue-qin.

These novels had a huge impact on Chinese culture and were later translated into many languages ​​around the world.

4. Chinese fiction of the 1920s and 30s

Early 1920th century was marked by the growth of the national self-consciousness of the Chinese, which contributed to the overthrow of the imperial system in the country. The New Youth magazine, which appeared in these years, criticized traditional Chinese culture and called for the speedy introduction of Western norms. Chinese fiction of the 30s and XNUMXs characterized by the influence of socialist and communist ideas, harsh satire on the existing order.

The path of Chinese literature after 1949 (the creation of the People's Republic of China) is associated with the development of such problems as:

1) changes in the countryside;

2) the emancipation of the broad masses of the peasantry;

3) the national liberation struggle of the Chinese people.

At the same time, the progressive movement of literature and art in the early 1950s. repeatedly hampered by various ideological campaigns of the Chinese Communist Party (for example, the discussion about the evaluation of the novel "Dream in the Red Chamber"). A significant number of well-known writers suffered.

The 10th anniversary of the "cultural revolution" (1966-1976) caused even more damage to Chinese literature. During these years, the publication of fiction and the vast majority of magazines completely ceased.

5. Theatre. Music

The role of the Chinese theater was significant, all performances in which were accompanied by music. Back in the 80st century BC e. more than 5 types of national musical instruments were known in China. In the process of long development, XNUMX main types of traditional music have gradually formed:

1) songs;

2) dance music;

3) music of song tales;

4) music of local operas;

5) instrumental music.

Each emperor of China kept a staff of musicians and dancers at court. In China, professional music was considered a deed unworthy of a noble person, and even court musicians were representatives of the lower social strata. At the beginning of the XX century. Chinese music has been significantly influenced by European music. Significant changes in society, the influence of leftist ideas contributed to the emergence of works in folk style, reflecting popular moods. In order to enrich the cultural life of the people, major music festivals, such as the "Shanghai Spring", were regularly held in many cities of the country.

The Chinese theater united:

1) dance;

2) singing;

3) speech;

4) action;

5) acrobatics.

Already in ancient China, there were various types of spectacles:

1) circus;

2) acrobatic dances;

3) theaters of puppets and shadows.

In the cities of medieval China, there were permanent theater buildings. Actors in China were considered the lowest class and had to abide by many rules and prohibitions.

The theatrical arts of China include:

1) more than 300 traditional genres;

2) over 60 types of shadow and puppet theaters;

3) European opera;

4) dance drama (ballet).

Since there are practically no theatrical props on the stage, conditional gestures are used. Action is not limited in time or space.

6. Dance. Ballet. Cinema

Ballet, which has deep historical roots in folk dance art, has become a new type of theatrical art in China. From the early 1950s to the mid 1960s. a number of ballet performances on historical and contemporary themes were created, and in the 1980s. Over 100 new productions have already been staged. One of the most famous is the ballet "Flowers on the Silk Road", which tells about the friendship of the Chinese people of the Tang Dynasty era with the peoples of other countries. In the 1950s European ballet penetrated the Chinese stage.

Cinema in China appeared in the 1920s, but it achieved its most significant success after 1949. Chinese films have recently become more and more popular in the world and receive awards at international film festivals. In addition to feature films, filmed:

1) documentary;

2) popular science;

3) animated films.

7. Painting

Guohua is a traditional genre of Chinese painting. Paintings are written in black or gray ink with a brush on paper or silk. The master, using just a few strokes of black ink of various thicknesses, creates the general outlines of the landscape and human figures, without writing out the details.

Landscapes were and remain the main theme of "guohua": mountains and rivers, flowers and birds. Pictures as a whole and their individual details, as a rule, have their own interpretation. For example, a pine tree often depicted on canvases symbolizes stamina and longevity, a willow - femininity, modesty and sophistication, an orchid - simplicity and nobility, etc.

For Chinese artists, there was no linear perspective, and the mountains, which were present in abundance in their paintings, were perceived as a symbol.

Buddhism, especially Chan Buddhism, played a large role in the flowering of classical Chinese painting. Applied arts, the flourishing of painting and sculpture are associated by many researchers with Buddhism: many statues of various deities and saints were placed in Buddhist temples. Painting was especially developed (in ink on paper, silk), as well as the art of frescoes.

Buddhist, like Taoist, monasteries have been one of the centers of Chinese culture for many centuries. Generations of poets, artists, scientists and philosophers spent time here, looked for inspiration and created. In the archives and libraries of the monasteries, priceless treasures of written culture were accumulated, translators, compilers, and scribes worked. It was the Chinese Buddhist monks who invented the art of woodcutting, that is, typography - the reproduction of text using matrices (boards with mirror hieroglyphs carved on them).

The genres of Western fine arts have also become widespread in China:

1) oil;

2) engraving;

3) watercolor.

Simultaneously with painting, calligraphy, which was considered the pinnacle of all arts, developed in China. The Chinese appreciate in their writing the strength, expressiveness and elegance of lines, the compositional harmony of the combination of graphic elements. This type of art reached a special flowering in the XNUMXth-XNUMXth centuries, when the four highest qualities of calligraphy were established:

1) style full of energy and vitality;

2) severity, strength;

3) balance;

4) aesthetic quality.

8. Architecture. Arts and Crafts

Already in the II millennium BC. e. Jade and bone carving was developed. Green jade was a cult object in China, it was revered as an "eternal stone" that keeps the memory of ancestors. The value of jade was so great that it played the role of gold and silver - coins were made from it, the purity of golden sand was estimated from it. Jade products are mainly produced in Beijing and Shanghai. Ivory carving is developed in Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai. The most important center for the production of products using cloisonne enamel is Beijing. Embroiderers usually know dozens of work techniques that allow you to subtly convey the texture of the object, the transitions and shades of colors, the volume of the depicted object, as well as spatial perspective.

Interesting and unusual architecture of China. Already in the 2st millennium BC. e. the Chinese built buildings of 3-XNUMX or more floors with a multi-tiered roof. Typical was a building consisting of supports in the form of wooden pillars with a tiled roof, which had raised edges and a clearly marked cornice - a pagoda. This type of building was the main one in China for many centuries.

In the III century. BC e. Over 700 imperial palaces were built in China. The central hall of one of them accommodated more than 10 people.

The time when a single centralized state was formed in the country (221-207 BC) was marked by the construction of the main part of the Great Wall of China, which has partially survived to this day. It is known that it was built by more than 2 million prisoners, many of whom were punished for dissent. The length of the wall is more than 4 thousand km.

Author: Konstantinova S.V.

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