Contemporary Chinese Culture - Essay Example

Contemporary Chinese Culture Name Course Name and Code Instructor’s Name Date Abstract Unlike before, there has been a dramatic change in the Chinese culture which has completely altered the way that people live in the current society. Such changes are reflected through the various consumption rates of the population, the different sexual behaviours of the young generation and the change in the fashion designs and styles adopted by the Chinese population. This research paper gives an explanation as to why the contemporary Chinese culture has changed and discusses why consumption of various materials by the people has led to a change in the Contemporary Chinese Culture. The paper also gives an explanation as to why the young generation of both men and women has altered the traditional Chinese Culture through the adoption of sexual lifestyles, which were not a norm of the traditional Chinese Culture. Key words: culture, contemporary, Chinese Contemporary Chinese Culture In the contemporary Chinese culture, there has been a dramatic change in consumption attitudes especially of the rich people. The consumption needs of the people are currently not limited to necessities but instead, they are based on luxurious items and pleasure. These trends are well reflected through the tendency of the upper classes Chinese to consume with distorted values and becoming more materialistic than ever before. In order to sustain a mutually beneficial relationship, it has now become a form of trading, business and an exchange of luxurious goods. In the contemporary Chinese Culture, a high number of people have now resorted to being more materialistic and thus instead of basing their relationships on true love, they have now resorted to various distorted habits/behaviors and attitudes which eventually develop into material-based relationships. For instance, Chinese men in the contemporary society are frequently engaging in various sex-related activities like Karaoke and even prostitution. On the hand, contemporary Chinese women have resorted to spending their cash on cosmetic surgeries and even fashion dresses regardless of the effects that may be derived from such. Chinese women in the contemporary societies in the country have thus resorted to the selling of their bodies or even beliefs in exchange for luxurious goods and necessities. Unfortunately, some of the individuals in the contemporary Chinese Culture are known to consume such goods and pleasure with lots of distorted values thus leading to a morally decayed society with no traditional backgrounds. For upper-classed Chinese individuals, prostitution and nightclubs are a basic need to them and thus they cannot survive without them (Elaine 1997). Material-based relationships are now a common phenomenon in the contemporary Chinese Culture and this can be well reflected to a high number of hostesses earning high incomes in several Chinese karaoke rooms. These materialistic relationships have now been turned into business deals, which instead of being done in decent meeting rooms have now turned to being conducted in places of entertainment with higher rates of success. Unlike before when love, marriage and general relationships were based on traditional Chinese cultures, the current Chinese culture adopts materialistic conditions and capabilities as the major factor for any successful relationship to start and become sustained. In addition, unlike before when honesty and loyalty were vital virtues that were given priority for women searching for husbands and kindness and virtuousness were number one criteria for men looking for wives, the current society has adopted richness and material ability as the number one factor. As a result, there have been huge differences in the Chinese social atmosphere because of a change in both the Chinese culture and its related values. As a result, people in the contemporary society now no longer cherish values but rather material ability and luxurious lifestyles (James 2002). The younger generations in the contemporary Chinese culture have now tended to put more focus and emphasis on external factors, which have led to both the popularization and adoption of plastic surgery. This can truly been be ascertained from statistics which have indeed indicated that plastic surgery is one of the most popular and money attracting businesses in the contemporary china because people believe that any needs could easily be fulfilled through beauty. Despite the pains and costs involved in plastic surgeries, young Chinese women are still insisting on using facial changes so that their bodies can become attractive to men. Young contemporary Chinese women will therefore do everything within their reach to ensure that they get an outlook that is nearly perfect. This has led to the emergence of Chinese upper-classed ladies who depend on newly rich boyfriends for not only branded goods but also to be sustained on a high standard of living. The change in the contemporary Chinese Culture is attributed to the reification theory, which describes the way through which older, and traditional forms of human activity are reorganized or taylorized instrumentally and analytically fragmented based on a variety of rational efficiency models. As a result, popular Chinese culture has also been linked to questions regarding tradition and traditional forms of life. The new distorted habits and attitudes have resulted into active destruction of the Chinese new ways of life thus transforming the culture to something new. The upper classed Chinese individuals have therefore quite often misinterpreted traditionalism as being a product of an anachronistic, backward-looking and conservative impulse. The cultural change in the Chinese culture is exhibited in the change of people’s sexuality and the fashion that they currently adore in the contemporary society. For instance, the cultural change that is currently observable in the contemporary Chinese culture can be termed as being “a polite” euphuism through which some cultural practices and cultural norms are driven out of the popular live centers through active marginalization. The current modernism as exhibited by the upper classed Chinese can be well referred to as modernism of mass culture. Unlike the past folk art and fashion, which were quite dependent on various social realities for their production and were a clear reflection of various distinct social castes or communities, the current Chinese culture has distorted habits and attitudes thus making the unification of social groups having cultural specificity to become difficult. The current aesthetic and social situation in China is thus both faced and shared by mass culture and modernism, which are resolved in antithetical methods. The pop culture in China has been turned into a marketing fad and the style cultures have been linked to consumer consumption in which men and women engage in various sex-related activities. The emergence of the cultural economy during the mid 1990’s in China in a model of film making which also distorted the attitudes and habits of the young Chinese men and women. This was because the films used access and popular appeal coupled with prestige in order to create a stronger link between the market forces and the film. As result, this greatly changed the consumption attitudes and fashion trends of the Chinese population due to a change in social networks, visual; experiences and aesthetic environment. The emergence of the neo-tribes in china has also led to a change in sexuality trends and even fashion designs, which have eventually resulted to the convergence of the Chinese global youth culture. Despite the successfully competition for a chance in international trade in both apparels and textiles during the post-era China, the country’s economic success has not tallied or been matched by the recognition of the Chinese “fashion design” n the global stage. This is attributed to the obstacles, which are posed by the current hierarchy in the fashion capitals, which have been very difficult to subvert. The Chinese women in the contemporary culture are so addicted to fashion designs to the extent that the money they obtain from prostitution and other sex related activities is spend in buying sexually appealing garments that do not resemble the Chinese cultural heritage. According to the Chinese lifestyles, culture can be defined socially as being a description of a specific way of life, which is expressed through certain values and meanings not only in institutions but also in art and in ordinary behavior. The study of actual relationships in real analysis reaches a point in which it is observed as studying a general organization in a specific example. The study of the Chinese theory of Culture can be regarded as the study of relationships between the various elements in an entire way of life. The current culture exhibited by the classed Chinese men and women that has led to distorted behaviors and attitudes cannot be blamed on anybody. This is attributed to the fact that the social character exhibited by the Chinese people is a representation of a valued system of attitudes and behavior, which is taught both informally, and formal and they are both a mode and an ideal. The sexuality and fashion reflected in the Chinese culture can be portrayed as a pattern of culture, which has, arose due to the selection and subsequent configuration of activities and interests and a specific valuation of them. This therefore results in the production of a distinct way of life (Wei 2013). Within any given society, the Chinese society included, selection will normally be governed through various kinds of special interest, which may also comprise of class interests. Just like the real social situation in any society will largely dictate the contemporary selection, the process of the society’s development and its historical changes will largely be predetermined by selective tradition. For instance, the traditional culture of the Chinese society will thus tend to correspond towards the society’s contemporary system of values and interests since it is not an absolutely body of work but rather, it is a continual interpretation and selection. The change in the Chinese culture can be attributed to failure of the institutions formally and legally charged with the keeping alive of the country’s tradition are wholly committed to it an are not keen on following the contemporary interests of the society. To analyze properly the contemporary culture in China, it is vital to put in mind the current state of selective tradition since the creation of new lines together with the past and the re-drawing of breaking of the existing lines is some form of contemporary change. The possibility of both historical and structural differentiation is well introduced through the commodity concept, which cuts across the reification phenomenon. In a world in which each and everything has become a commodity, the Chinese upper classed individuals have resorted to engagement in various sex-related activities, which are quantified rigorously with an aim of making the ends to meet. It is therefore clear to ascertain that such an extent of commoditization of the sexual services has an almost immediate implication towards the Chinese aesthetics, which are now based on aesthetic dimensions. In order to clearly understand the contemporary Chinese culture, it is important to comprehend how the operation of selective tradition works in the Chinese Society. The selection actually starts with the period right from the entire body of some things and activities. As a result, the selective tradition establishes, at one stage, a general “human culture” while at another level, it creates a “historical record” of a specific society and at the last level, it creates a rejection of considerable fields of what was once regarded as being a “living culture” (Raymond 1995). Within any given society, the Chinese society also included, the selection of tradition will be governed or be determined through various kinds of special interests like for instance the class interests. Just like the real social situation will immensely determine or ascertain the contemporary selection, the development of the Chinese society in this case and the process of the society’s historical change will largely ascertain or determine the kind of selective tradition that will be adopted by this society. It should therefore be noted that the traditional culture of the Chinese society and other societies in the world as well would normally tend to correspond or match to such a society’s contemporary system of values and interests since it is not an entire body of work but rather, it is a continuous interpretation and selection. Mostly in theory and to a smaller extent in practice as well, organizations, which are formally and legally tasked with keeping alive such traditions, they rarely put into mind the contemporary interests of the people. However, it should be noted that such commitments and concerns are very important since time and again, the workings of selective traditions, re-discoveries and even reversals have been not been easily available (Tiantian 2008). In conclusion, it should be noted by all and sundry that the cultural tradition as seen in the contemporary China should be portrayed as being both the continual selection coupled with the re-selection of the ancestors in which some specific lines are drawn thus leading to the emergence of different fashion trends and sexual preferences. It is of vital importance to note the current state of the Chinese selective tradition in its contemporary culture to understand why the current generation behaves the way it does. Bibliography Elaine Jeffreys, “’Dangerous amusements’: prostitution and Karaoke halls in contemporary China”, Asian Studies Review Vol. 20, Iss. 3, 1997 pp 43-54 Fredric Jameson, “Reification and Utopia in Mass Culture”, No. 1 (Winter, 1979), pp. 130-148. Available online, http://www.trinityhistory.org/AP/Jameson_reification%20utopia.pdf James Farrer, “Opening Up and other Stories: Stories of Sexual Change” (Opening Up: Youth Sex Culture and Market Reform in Shanghai, 2002, The University of Chicago Press, pp. 1-52). Raymond Williams, “The Analysis of Culture” (Boyd-Barrett and Newbold, eds. 1995. Approaches to Media: A Reader, London: Arnold, pp. 332-338). Stuart Hall, “Notes on Deconstructing ‘the Popular’” (Guins et Cruz, eds. 2005. Popular Culture: A Reader, London: Sage, pp. 64-71). Tiantian Zheng, “Commodifying Romance and Searching for Love: Rural Migrant Bar Hostesses' Moral Vision in Post-Mao Dalian” Modern China, October 2008; vol. 34, 4: pp. 442-476 Wei Luo, “Aching for the altered body: Beauty economy and Chinese women's consumption of cosmetic surgery” Women’s Studies International Forum 2013 Vol. 38 pp. 1-10 Read More

In addition, unlike before when honesty and loyalty were vital virtues that were given priority for women searching for husbands and kindness and virtuousness were number one criteria for men looking for wives, the current society has adopted richness and material ability as the number one factor. As a result, there have been huge differences in the Chinese social atmosphere because of a change in both the Chinese culture and its related values. As a result, people in the contemporary society now no longer cherish values but rather material ability and luxurious lifestyles (James 2002).

The younger generations in the contemporary Chinese culture have now tended to put more focus and emphasis on external factors, which have led to both the popularization and adoption of plastic surgery. This can truly been be ascertained from statistics which have indeed indicated that plastic surgery is one of the most popular and money attracting businesses in the contemporary china because people believe that any needs could easily be fulfilled through beauty. Despite the pains and costs involved in plastic surgeries, young Chinese women are still insisting on using facial changes so that their bodies can become attractive to men.

Young contemporary Chinese women will therefore do everything within their reach to ensure that they get an outlook that is nearly perfect. This has led to the emergence of Chinese upper-classed ladies who depend on newly rich boyfriends for not only branded goods but also to be sustained on a high standard of living. The change in the contemporary Chinese Culture is attributed to the reification theory, which describes the way through which older, and traditional forms of human activity are reorganized or taylorized instrumentally and analytically fragmented based on a variety of rational efficiency models.

As a result, popular Chinese culture has also been linked to questions regarding tradition and traditional forms of life. The new distorted habits and attitudes have resulted into active destruction of the Chinese new ways of life thus transforming the culture to something new. The upper classed Chinese individuals have therefore quite often misinterpreted traditionalism as being a product of an anachronistic, backward-looking and conservative impulse. The cultural change in the Chinese culture is exhibited in the change of people’s sexuality and the fashion that they currently adore in the contemporary society.

For instance, the cultural change that is currently observable in the contemporary Chinese culture can be termed as being “a polite” euphuism through which some cultural practices and cultural norms are driven out of the popular live centers through active marginalization. The current modernism as exhibited by the upper classed Chinese can be well referred to as modernism of mass culture. Unlike the past folk art and fashion, which were quite dependent on various social realities for their production and were a clear reflection of various distinct social castes or communities, the current Chinese culture has distorted habits and attitudes thus making the unification of social groups having cultural specificity to become difficult.

The current aesthetic and social situation in China is thus both faced and shared by mass culture and modernism, which are resolved in antithetical methods. The pop culture in China has been turned into a marketing fad and the style cultures have been linked to consumer consumption in which men and women engage in various sex-related activities. The emergence of the cultural economy during the mid 1990’s in China in a model of film making which also distorted the attitudes and habits of the young Chinese men and women.

This was because the films used access and popular appeal coupled with prestige in order to create a stronger link between the market forces and the film. As result, this greatly changed the consumption attitudes and fashion trends of the Chinese population due to a change in social networks, visual; experiences and aesthetic environment.

Read More