Anthropology

Culture builds the identity of a nation and represents a nation as a whole. In the modern age, many new aspects have had their effects on cultures of different nations and globalization is one of them.
Globalization has had its affects all over the world like all the other aspects that have change the way of our living in the new era. As globalization has had its positive impact on the society where it has shorten the distances between people of different religions and cultures, conversely it has also had negative affects on the cultures as people tend to adopt western culture leaving their own culture and heritage behind. Here we have considered the effects of globalization on the Chinese culture.

Background of Chinese Culture
    China is one of those civilizations which is very rich in its cultural heritage since the very day of its existence. The highlights of Chinese culture include particular festivals, dresses, food, music etc.
    Qiao Xiaoguang, a professor and director of the newly established Non-material Cultural Heritage Research Center at the Central Academy of Fine Arts defined the China as A nation rich in cultural resources, China has an ocean of non-material cultural heritage including folk art, literature, opera and dance (China.org, 2001)

Effects of Globalization on the Chinese Culture
    As far as International Relations is concerned, Globalization of Culture stands at a precarious situation. This form of globalization may help the countries to have a better understanding of each other and more tolerance towards each other. As immigration from one country to another is increasingly popular in search of better jobs and lifestyles, people come into contact with other nationalities and cultural diffusion takes place. However, this may also lead in the loss of the minoritys cultural values and the injection of the western concepts into the third world countries and other smaller countries who are not yet willing to embrace their concepts in either technological or social terms. The most debated issue these days is the Chinese indoctrination of the Tibetans and the gradual demise of the Tibetan culture.
Globalization has had major effects on the Chinese culture, some have been very positive has have given a good dimension to the already rich Chinese culture while some have been negative which have had an adverse effect on the Chinese culture and heritage. Here we will discuss both the positive and negative effects respectively.

Positive effects on Chinese Culture
    One of the major positive impacts of globalization on the Chinese culture is that of ethics and economy. The Chinese economy has been one of the most flourishing economies after the world experienced globalization.

    It has also given a new dimension to the trade of china and due to globalization, more goods which are a part of the Chinese culture are being sent to the markets all over the world which not only earns them foreign exchange but also gives people some awareness about the heritage of china. Another aspect is that of diversification which has had a positive impact on the Chinese culture giving new ways and options to perform certain tasks.

Negative effects of globalization
    Apart from the many positive effects, globalization has also had some negative effects. One major effect which has hit the Chinese nation is that people are adopting western culture as their own and are more inclined to western cultural heritage. Yun Li, a researcher from the China Academy of Social Sciences said Modernization does not mean Westernization or turning everything into Han culture (China.Org, 2001)
    The education is also a part of the culture and the education system of china is also being affected by inclusion of new courses and curriculums which have taken the place of traditional Chinese curriculum. Clothing, which is also an integral part of a culture, is also being changed as people are preferring clothes such as jeans and t shirts, while the original culture of china lays stress on wearing cheongsams and coats etc. Another major affect is that on the food of china. Chinese people have their own taste of food and eatables but the aspect of globalization has developed a taste for cheese as many global fast food restaurants are taking place of traditional Chinese restaurants. (Global Policy, 2003)

Factors Influencing the Chinese Culture
    There have been many factors of globalization that have influenced the Chinese culture.
One of the factors is the west. The west, as it has had its impact all over the world, has also influenced the Chinese culture immensely.

Another factor of globalization is that of the free trade policies, due to which more goods of abroad are coming in china which represent the culture of other nations.
Diversity is another important part of globalization and has largely influenced the Chinese culture with regards to its language, music, food, clothes and other related traditions.
Media has had a great role to play in todays modern era and has manipulated many cultures. Media has brought many factors of outside into China and that has led to some major changes in the lifestyle of Chinese people.

Preserving the Chinese Culture
    Just as the ancestors, despite all the hurdles and difficulties preserved and protected the Chinese culture, it is now the responsibility of the young generation of China to preserve and protect the Chinese Culture in all respects. Some ways in which we can preserve the Chinese Culture are listed below (Kluver, 1999)
Culture is the symbol of a nation and represents the heritage of them, and there is a need to gain the knowledge and understanding of the culture.
The younger generation can adopt the particulars of their own culture and practice their own traditional activities with more zeal and zest.
A responsibility lies on the scholars of intercultural communication, who can play their part in explaining the important aspects of preserving the Chinese Culture. (Kluver, 1999)
Diversity is appreciable, but if diversity develops a distance between your culture and heritage then it can have many negative impacts on our society. So sticking with diversity, people should diversify their own culture rather than adopting from the west or other influential cultures.

    There is an vast need of preserving and following ones own culture as it is an identity of the nation. Globalization has had many affects on the society in both ways and it is the duty of people of all generations to consider and adopt all the positives but simultaneously avoid the negatives to preserve and protect their own identity such that they can collectively be called one nation. As Mahatma Gandhi once said Culture on the mind must be subservient to the heart