Confucianism
Not a real religion, is just an ethical and philosophical system, which
developed from Confucius’ thoughts and later was treated as a kind of belief
to educate common people. It obtained its stable position under the reign of
Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty (202BC-220AD), and became the ideology of the
society in the feudal system since then. Based on the Four Books and Five
Classics, the traditions and principles in the Confucianism played an
important role in the formation of Chinese people’s thinking patterns and
teaching methods.
Buddhism
Being brought into China 2,000 years ago, it was gradually widely accepted
by most Chinese people and developed into three sections, namely the Han,
Tibetan and Southern Buddhism. Buddhism not only brought a different
religion, but also brought a different culture. It influences the local culture on
three main aspects: literature, art and ideology. Many famous poems have
ideas from Buddhism and many Buddhist stone statues can be found, which
show its huge influence. It also promotes the countries’ intercultural
communications with foreign countries. In Tang Dynasty (618 - 907),
Jianzhen traveled to Japan to spread Buddhism as well as Chinese culture.
Xuanzang, who traveled to India to learn Buddhist doctrines, brought a
plenty information on the language of the countries he had been to.
Miao Nationality
Distribution and Population:
They believe that everything in nature has a spirit, which incombination are
mighty enough to control their lives. Every time there are disasters, they will
invite a wizard to perform ceremonies designed to drive out the devil
ghost. They worship their ancestors so much that memorial
ceremonies are very grand. Sacrifices such as wine, meat, and glutinous rice
are costly. Some also believe in Catholicism or other Christian religions.
Language:
Their language, which belongs to the Miao-Yao group of the Sino-Tibetan
phylum, has developed into three dialects: the dialect of western Hunan
Province, the one of eastern Guizhou Province and the one of ChuanQianDian
(Sichuan, Guizhou and Yunnan). Due to a long time living with the Han and
other people, they can also speak the Chinese, Dong and Zhuang languages.
They have been writing their own Miao language based on Latin since 1956.
Religion:
They believe that everything in nature has a spirit, which incombination are
mighty enough to control their lives. Every time there are disasters, they will
invite a wizard to perform ceremonies designed to drive out the devil
ghost. They worship their ancestors so much that memorial
ceremonies are very grand. Sacrifices such as wine, meat, and glutinous rice
are costly. Some also believe in Catholicism or other Christian religions.
Clothes:
Clothes are diverse across regions. Men wear short coats and trousers, while
women decorate themselves with very dainty and dazzling skirts and jewels.
On their skirts, there are many patterns taking themes from life such as
flowers, birds, etc. One of the most attractive, pleated skirts has as many as
forty layers!
The cheongsam, also known as a qipao, is a close-fitting dress that
originated in 1920s Shanghai. It quickly became a fashion phenomenon that
was adopted by movie stars and schoolgirls alike. The history of this iconic
garment reflects the rise of the modern Chinese woman in the twentieth
century.
Hanfu (meaning clothing of the Han people) is a name for pre-17th century
traditional clothing of the Han Chinese, which are the predominant ethnic
group of China. Hanfu appeared in China more than three thousand years
ago and is said that it was clothing of the legendary Yellow Emperor, a great
sage king of ancient China. The basic of Hanfu was developed in time of
Shang Dynasty, from 1600BC to 1000BC. Hanfu consisted of a yi, a narrow-
cuffed, knee-length tunic tied with a sash, and a narrow, ankle-length skirt,
called chang, worn with a bixi, a length of fabric that reached the knees.
They were made of silk and painted in red and green.
Falling on the 15th day of the first lunar month, Lantern Festival is the
first significant feast after Chinese New Year, so called because the most
important activity during the night of the event is watching various
wonderful Chinese lanterns. And because every household eats yuanxiao (a
rice ball stuffed with different fillings) on that day, it is called Yuan Xiao
Festival. For its rich and colorful activities, it is regarded as the most
recreational among all the Chinese festivals and a day for appreciating the
bright full moon, and family reunion.
Winter Solstice (also Winter Festival), one of the 24 Solar Terms, is a
traditional Chinese festival. It usually falls on December 21st, 22nd or 23rd
instead of on a fixed day. On that day, the northern hemisphere has the
shortest daytime and longest nighttime. After that, areas in this hemisphere
have longer days and shorter nights.
During the Spring and Autumn Period (770 – 476 BC), Chinese people
identified the day with an ancient tool named an Earth Sundial. Throughout
Chinese ancient times, it played an important part as an influential festival,
as the proverb goes “Winter Solstice is as important as Chinese New Year”.
