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> Are you claiming that in China there is only a collection of small, unrelated cultures, and no shared core? Are you implying it isn't? I mean there are more

by 1stop 12y ago

> Are you claiming that in China there is only a collection of small, unrelated cultures, and no shared core? Are you implying it isn't? I mean there are more than the Han chinese (ethnic culture), and even within that there is are quite varied cultures within the Han. Most people's "chinese generalisations" are generalising about upper-middle class Chinese from the Big 3 cities + Hong Kong. Because they are the majority that migrate. Shanghai-ese are not like Guangzhou-ese are not like Hong Kong-ese are not like Beijing-ese are not like Taiwanese. But they'd all call themselves Chinese. So yes you can make some fairly mundane observations: "They all use chopsticks", "They like eating rice", "They have an incredibly competitive education system", "They share a common grammar". But you could make similar observations about "Europe"... and I'm not sure your point still stands at that point :\

pavelrub 12y ago
It's usually the case that large cultures can be divided into subcultures (same with ethnic groups). The question isn't whether this is the case, but whether they form a larger culture with shared values and beliefs, and what those beliefs and values are. This is why the words "only" and "no shared core" appear in the question you are replying to. Saying that such generalizations cannot be made or that they only lead only to "mundane observations" is demonstrably false. The only question is whether the specific observation discussed here is correct.
chaostheory 12y ago
> there are more than the Han chinese (ethnic culture), and even within that there is are quite varied cultures within the Han. Most people's "chinese generalisations" are generalising about upper-middle class Chinese from the Big 3 cities + Hong Kong. Because they are the majority that migrate. There's not a huge, ginormous difference between the Han sub-cultures. I know because I'm descended from both a less populous Han subgroup as well as a larger one, and so are my friends and family by marriage. Usually when Chinese people speak of the 'differences', they are just referring to popular stereotypes. As for the other non-Han ethnic groups, they make up less than 9% of the population. Most of them also don't really consider themselves as Chinese or part of Chinese culture at large (since they aren't really integrated with it - nor are they treated as Chinese) like the Uyghur's which are closer to Turkish people, and the Tibetans and Koreans. In China's defense, this isn't much different from what happens in Japan.

by 1stop 12y ago

pavelrub 12y ago

It's usually the case that large cultures can be divided into subcultures (same with ethnic groups). The question isn't whether this is the case, but whether they form a larger culture with shared values and beliefs, and what those beliefs and values are. This is why the words "only" and "no shared core" appear in the question you are replying to. Saying that such generalizations cannot be made or that they only lead only to "mundane observations" is demonstrably false. The only question is whether the specific observation discussed here is correct.

chaostheory 12y ago

> there are more than the Han chinese (ethnic culture), and even within that there is are quite varied cultures within the Han. Most people's "chinese generalisations" are generalising about upper-middle class Chinese from the Big 3 cities + Hong Kong. Because they are the majority that migrate. There's not a huge, ginormous difference between the Han sub-cultures. I know because I'm descended from both a less populous Han subgroup as well as a larger one, and so are my friends and family by marriage. Usually when Chinese people speak of the 'differences', they are just referring to popular stereotypes. As for the other non-Han ethnic groups, they make up less than 9% of the population. Most of them also don't really consider themselves as Chinese or part of Chinese culture at large (since they aren't really integrated with it - nor are they treated as Chinese) like the Uyghur's which are closer to Turkish people, and the Tibetans and Koreans. In China's defense, this isn't much different from what happens in Japan.