CHINESE
CULTURE
In Focus
"See more clearly when you are informed"
Chinese Culture
One of the longest continuous cultures in history, the people of China have a rich, varied, and wondrous set of cultural practices and traditions. Many of which are now commonly known throughout America, such as the Lunar New Year festival and Feng Shui, due to the strong Chinese American population. Below you will find key terms, statistics, and other useful tools to understand and talk about Chinese Culture. If you would like to know more, consider coming to an IYC event. Our next one can be found below in the section labeled Our Events. We host them virtually, on a wide range of topics, discussing policy, civics, and current events.
Key Terms You Should Know
Hanzi:
Mandarin Chinese characters elevated to art through calligraphy; also popular as decoration on clothing, artwork, & tattoos.
Jade:
A stone popularly used in jewelry and art as a symbol of prosperity, preciousness, beauty among other meanings.
Hongbao (Mandarin), Lai See
(Cantonese), Ang Pow (Hokkien):
Red envelopes with money symbolizing best wishes & good luck traditionally given to friends & family for celebrations, most familiarly Lunar New Year.
Feng Shui:
Ancient Chinese art of arranging space, buildings, & objects in an environment to achieve harmony & balance.
Dim Sum:
Traditional Chinese meal made up of
small plates, dumplings, and snack
foods, usually served with tea.
Sometimes imprecisely used to refer to
the dumplings themselves.
Moments In History
2100-1600 B.C. - Chinese history begins with the Xia Dynasty, the 1st dynasty in China.
1882 - The Chinese Exclusion Act was the first and only law to essentially forbid an entire ethnic group from entering the United States.
11/17/2022 - Sherry Chen, a Chinese American hydrologist, won a settlement of $1.8M against the U.S. government for wrongful prosecution & dismissal from her job at the National Weather Service.
770 B.C. - A key period in Chinese Civilization, the age of Confucius, Daoism, and legalism, marked by war and advances in philosophy, science, agriculture, and literature.
1990 - President George H. W. Bush designates May as Asian American month.
Statistics
20%
of all Chinese/English Dual Language Immersion Programs in the United States are in Utah.
3.5 million
households in the United States speak Chinese at home.
77% increase in hate crimes against Asian people living in the U.S. from 2019 to 2020 documented by the FBI. From 3/2020 - 3/2022 the # of self-reported anti-AAPI hate incidents in the U.S. was 11,500
40-100
different methods of Chinese cooking. The 8 most popular are Anhui, Cantonese, Fujian, Hunan, Jiangsu, Shandong, Szechuan,
& Zhejiang.
0 --> 10
Kung Fu traditionally did not have belt levels. Modern Kung Fu now often includes ten belt levels.
Values
Harmony
Filial Piety
Confucianism
Collectivism
Benevolence
Notable Names
Vera Wang
Eric Yuan
Xiong Yan
Gary Locke
Bowen Yang
Symbols
Our Events
Future
Past
Further Resources
Chinese Culture Infographic
Share what you have learned about Chinese Culture. Our Infographic has been designed to be shared easily by printing, emailing, or posting on social media. Click on the image to view or download the PDF File. (Not for commercial use.)
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Celebrate & Create Event Video
Our crafting event for kids was lots of fun! Use your own materials to participate in our craft project. Watch the video to learn how to make your own Lunar New Year Red Envelope! You can also make an event out of it by hosting your own Celebrate & Create: Chinese Culture crafting party. Feel free to share this video with others! (Not for commercial use.)
Take Action
Don't assume everyone who looks Asian is foreign born and avoid asking, "where are you from?"
Visit an Chinese-American Museum or Buddhist temple, immerse yourself in a local Chinatown, or watch a documentary about Chinese experiences.
Commit to a weekly act that helps you understand Chinese culture.
Learn the names of famous American celebrities of Chinese descent like Bowen Yang & Awkwafina.
Share our Chinese Culture Infographic with friends, family, and anyone and everyone you think would appreciate becoming more informed!