The Aspect of Chinese Culture - Report Example

Name: Instructor: Course: Date: The Aspect of Chinese Culture: Consumption Introduction Can Sexuality, Music and Tourism forms of Consumption be implicitly used to define the Chinese Culture? The subject matter in this given context is a relative statement and a paradigm that is still left unanswered in many societal ecosystems. Whether the three forms of consumption can be used to define the Chinese culture or not depends on several environmental factors. Culture is defined as the quality in a person or society that arises from a concern for what is regarded as excellent in arts, letters, manners, scholarly pursuits and many more (Dictionary.com). It can include fashion, class and civilisation. It depends on what is trendy as at that point in time that the definition is being arrived at. Taking into consideration the principals of relativity, what one individual takes as a culture definition may not necessarily be factual or hold water when it comes to another individual. According to Williams, “A key word, in such analysis, is pattern: it is with the discovery of patterns of a characteristic kind that any useful cultural analysis begins, and it is with the relationships between these patterns, which sometimes reveal unexpected identities.” (Williams 334). He holds that a pattern of living or way of life is what defines culture. When defining a particular group’s culture through their pattern of life, it is essential that their class be taken into consideration. On the other hand, Hall in his notes, “Deconstructing ‘the Popular’” opines that, “The things which are said to be ‘popular’ because masses of people listen to them, read them, consume them, and seem to enjoy them to the full. This is the ‘market’ or commercial definition of them: the one which brings socialists out in spots.” (Hall 66) He buys the idea that what defines a culture has more to do with the public perception or view on what is popular. Anything common does not necessarily mean it is popular. It must be said to be popular in order for it to define a culture. He further disagrees with Williams and reiterates that there is no relationship between class and a particular cultural form or practice (Hall 71). The factors here in stated will help determine whether Music, Tourism and Sexuality can absolutely be used to define the Chinese Culture or not. Cultural Analysis A report on a survey conducted in China (Xiangdong 175-176) on weekly average time allocations in urban households’ accounts for 21%, 44%, 10% and 25% of time spent to work, personal life, home work/ chores and leisure respectively of a day. These findings further illustrate that, with time and as the Chinese adopt a much to the lifestyles of other foreigners, the time in terms of leisurely consumption would rise as compared to work time. Due to this increment in time consumed for leisure activities, more time would allocate for entertainment and other cultural activities. A further survey report illustrated that a larger number of Chinese prefer visiting parks as compared to other activities such as playing Majiang, cinema attendance, taking part in joint drinks in bars, farming that involves horticultural practises, driving vehicles, artistic paintings and pottery which follow in that same order (Xiangdong 176). Further to this findings state that, a good number of the societies interviewed from five states, Beijing have the largest population agreeing to the fact that they are satisfied with their leisure life. Beijing being most urbanised, following the results, a general picture is shown that most individuals in urbanised regions are more satisfied with their leisure consumption time than others in less urbanised regions. Following the upcoming trend reports, a good percentage of household leisure time consumption goes to activities that encompass several/ a variety of practises. For instance, from the reports, more of Chinese people prefer listening to music and watching VCD as compared to reading, most prefer a combination of sightseeing, recreation and entertainment. Some prefer going shopping, participating in sports, theatre performance and taking delicious meals together for holidays. This shows that sightseeing alone is less popular as compared to combined activities (Xiangdong 176). Therefore entertainment and cultural activities take much of the time consumption in modern setups. Looking at the Chinese consumption trends, it is evident that with the rise in technology levels and use of the internet, more Chinese prefer watching and obtaining news to do with sport on TV, people work, meet friends and communicate on the internet and most prefer taking part in traditional multicultural activities that involve lute playing, chess plays, calligraphy and many more (Xiangdong 182). This is a reflection that more of science, technology, and culture are defining the direction taken by leisure consumption. The approach given here tends to agree with Hall’s claims that whatever is found popular defines the culture of a region. In a different set up, Notar in his article, “Producing Cosmopolitanism at the Borderlands: Lonely Planeteers and ‘Local’ Cosmopolitans in Southwest China,” he tries to explain why the inhabitants of a town called Dali are referred to as Cosmopolitans. A cosmopolitan individual is one that has lived or travelled in many countries or has become familiar and at ease with certain lifestyles. Being well conversant with several diverse cultures is in itself diversity. Dali is referred to as a cosmopolitan region, not because the inhabitants are well travelled, but because of the tourists that pass through this region while touring China. In his writing, Notar illustrates this using an example of a Muslim that runs a cafe in this town Southwest of China. Frank, a cafe owner (Notar 616), prefers using this name just to attract tourists passing by. He wants to make the tourists feel at home with the environment despite being in a foreign land. In Notar’s story of two Americans in this town further depicts this concept. The Americans are surprised at the familiar music, food and the language that is used (Notar 615) in this environment. Despite Dali being a small town in China, they have adopted a way of life that is not characteristic of them. The cafe owners in this town in an attempt to make this environment more diverse and multicultural for the transnational tourists have ended up being diverse in terms of culture themselves. Despite not travelling to other countries, the cafe owners have brought cultures that belong to the transnational tourists passing through the town to their town thereby becoming technically cosmopolitan. In this given context, we see yet another influence that tourism has on culture. The trend that begins in Dali as a way of making sure that transnational tourists are comfortable and enjoying maximum benefits from the touring Americans turns out to define the lifestyle of a certain group of Chinese. In this again, Williams’ theory applies. In his writing about The Analysis of Culture, he quotes that, “In the analysis of contemporary culture, the existing state of the selective tradition is of vital importance, for it is often true that some change in this tradition-establishing new line with the past with the past, breaking or re-drawing existing lines-is a radical kind of contemporary change.” The comparison made by Notar is an exemplary example that depicts a change in tradition thereby leading to the culture of the Dali group and therefore the Chinese Culture being cosmopolitan. On the other hand, this does not agree with Halls theory of culture being defined by what is popular. This is just but a small population as compared to the whole china and therefore their way of life cannot at any given cost be used to define the culture of China. Based on Eileen et al’s Journal, “Creating Modernity by Touring Paradise: Domestic Ethnic Tourism in Yunnan, China”, we again encounter how domestic tourism can change a peoples way of life and where according to William, a way of life or lifestyle defines culture. This article further illustrates how different ethnic groups tour the outskirts or non urban regions of China. Due to rapid growth of China in terms of economics and urbanisation, most of the local tourists in China prefer to tour areas outside urban areas where the beauty of nature is still preserved and cultural practises are still original. China being a multi ethnic group has diverse cultures. As these cultures and ethnic groups from different backgrounds intermingle, they inherit acquire different behaviours from one another which ends up bringing forth a totally different breed of the Chinese population with an interest to explore more and more (Eileen et al 1-10). A discussion in this article by Eileen of domestic ethnic tourism in Yunnan illustrates issues based on ethnicity and encounter in China. In this discussion, it is opined that tourism plays a role in building the national body. In this encounter of domestic tourism, cultural activities such as those that portray very minor cultures that do not threaten the government, and topics such as primitivism, sexuality, and family are used to represent traditional modalities of portraying ethnicity in a modern environment. With this varied interactions in place, the domestic tourists adopt these aspects as representative of modernity and therefore become modern Chinese identities. Yet again we see sexuality and other family activities defining a people’s way of life, thus Culture. In Jeroen’s article, “Popular Music and Youth in Urban China” we yet again encounter a definition of culture that depends on popularity. He talks about the Dakou Culture that makes reference to the evolution of Rock music in China right from the 1980’s all through to the 21st Century. In his sentiments, he opines that the types of practises that can be categorised as being “rock cultures” involve different styles and genres of which each has its characteristic identity. It becomes very technical to properly locate/ categorise a specific type of song. The Dakou Culture that started in Beijing 1990s declines to acknowledge that fact that the Culture of Chinese rock had been brought to a halt. The present bands under this context (Jeroen 609-625) portray a break from the old rebellious past to a much more modern and cosmopolitan way of performance. The political bands in this dakou generation specialise in ironically and sarcastically critique the contemporary China and have brought down the marketing facilities supported by the state leading to establishment of local recording companies. This illustrates how the dakou generation has made Chinese Rock be a political as their voices are being heard. These scenes illustrating different rock groups from different backgrounds are driven by the interest of making Chinese Rock embrace a national figure and finally into the world map of music. The spirit that drives the dakou culture is slowly vanishing with time as those who embraced it are aging and the current Chinese generation of youths are adopting the Western lifestyles. It is unlike before when Western world was considered worlds apart. With the emergence of computers and popular songs all over web sites with the help of internets, most youths download songs from the western cultures thus the dakou culture and generation is fading. In this context again, popularity of music defines the culture of a future generation. The youths form part of the public and therefore in line with Jameson, “Culture is public because meaning is.” Conclusion In line with the above mentioned sentiments, Culture can be defined in many varied ways. In studying the Chinese Culture, aspects that include tourism, sexuality and music have been looked at. When studying these aspects of defining culture, it is evident through the various researches that are carried out that consideration is given more to lifestyles that the Chinese people lead. To be able to travel widely amidst the harsh economic times, it is only logical that you must belong to a particular class to be able to afford it. As much as the studies in Dali tend to explain that it is not essential for one to travel in order to be cosmopolitan, it is absolute that the changing modalities of living are majorly brought about by influences from the Western world. Further to this we see that even though class does not really define a culture as Hall puts it, an individual must belong to a particular class in order to afford certain parameters that define leisure consumption time. To be able to visit parks, watch TV, listen to music, and travel a lot to satisfy the quest for exploration, finances are attached to these activities and only some classes of people can afford. As such, it is implicit to reiterate that culture is defined through a most popular pattern of life. The trendy, popular lifestyles that encompass the Chinese population as at this point in time of analysis popular music, sexuality as used in defining ethnicity and tourism and thus their culture. Works Cited Hall, Stuart. Notes on Deconstructing ‘the Popular’. Sage: London. 2005. Print. Jameson, Fredric. Thick Description: Toward an Interpretative Theory of Culture. New York: USA. 1973. Print Jeroen de kloet. Popular Music and Youth in Urban China: the dakou generation. China. 2005. Print. Notar, Beth. Lonely Planeteers and a Transnational Authentic: Displacing Desire: Travel and Popular Culture. Honolulu: China. 2006. Print. Walsh, Eileen, and Swain, P. Creating Modernity by Touring Paradise: Domestic Ethnic Tourism in Yunnan, China. 2005. Print. Williams, Raymond. The Analysis of Culture. Arnold: London. 1995. Print. Xiangdong, Yin. New Trends of Leisure Consumption in China. Spring. 2005. Print Read More

Beijing being most urbanised, following the results, a general picture is shown that most individuals in urbanised regions are more satisfied with their leisure consumption time than others in less urbanised regions. Following the upcoming trend reports, a good percentage of household leisure time consumption goes to activities that encompass several/ a variety of practises. For instance, from the reports, more of Chinese people prefer listening to music and watching VCD as compared to reading, most prefer a combination of sightseeing, recreation and entertainment.

Some prefer going shopping, participating in sports, theatre performance and taking delicious meals together for holidays. This shows that sightseeing alone is less popular as compared to combined activities (Xiangdong 176). Therefore entertainment and cultural activities take much of the time consumption in modern setups. Looking at the Chinese consumption trends, it is evident that with the rise in technology levels and use of the internet, more Chinese prefer watching and obtaining news to do with sport on TV, people work, meet friends and communicate on the internet and most prefer taking part in traditional multicultural activities that involve lute playing, chess plays, calligraphy and many more (Xiangdong 182).

This is a reflection that more of science, technology, and culture are defining the direction taken by leisure consumption. The approach given here tends to agree with Hall’s claims that whatever is found popular defines the culture of a region. In a different set up, Notar in his article, “Producing Cosmopolitanism at the Borderlands: Lonely Planeteers and ‘Local’ Cosmopolitans in Southwest China,” he tries to explain why the inhabitants of a town called Dali are referred to as Cosmopolitans.

A cosmopolitan individual is one that has lived or travelled in many countries or has become familiar and at ease with certain lifestyles. Being well conversant with several diverse cultures is in itself diversity. Dali is referred to as a cosmopolitan region, not because the inhabitants are well travelled, but because of the tourists that pass through this region while touring China. In his writing, Notar illustrates this using an example of a Muslim that runs a cafe in this town Southwest of China.

Frank, a cafe owner (Notar 616), prefers using this name just to attract tourists passing by. He wants to make the tourists feel at home with the environment despite being in a foreign land. In Notar’s story of two Americans in this town further depicts this concept. The Americans are surprised at the familiar music, food and the language that is used (Notar 615) in this environment. Despite Dali being a small town in China, they have adopted a way of life that is not characteristic of them.

The cafe owners in this town in an attempt to make this environment more diverse and multicultural for the transnational tourists have ended up being diverse in terms of culture themselves. Despite not travelling to other countries, the cafe owners have brought cultures that belong to the transnational tourists passing through the town to their town thereby becoming technically cosmopolitan. In this given context, we see yet another influence that tourism has on culture. The trend that begins in Dali as a way of making sure that transnational tourists are comfortable and enjoying maximum benefits from the touring Americans turns out to define the lifestyle of a certain group of Chinese.

In this again, Williams’ theory applies. In his writing about The Analysis of Culture, he quotes that, “In the analysis of contemporary culture, the existing state of the selective tradition is of vital importance, for it is often true that some change in this tradition-establishing new line with the past with the past, breaking or re-drawing existing lines-is a radical kind of contemporary change.” The comparison made by Notar is an exemplary example that depicts a change in tradition thereby leading to the culture of the Dali group and therefore the Chinese Culture being cosmopolitan.

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