IDENTIFYING FEATURES

1. National Dress:

One of the most identifying features of the Chinese people is their national dress.

In ancient Chinese tradition, differences in dress showed the social status of the wearer. Distinctions as to colour, design and decoration of dress were made between the emperor, officials and the common people.

The traditional dress for Chinese women is the Cheongsam, which means “long dress”. In some parts of China, including Beijing, it is known as a “qipao”.

The Cheongsam has a high neck, closed collar, and depending on the season, its sleeves may be either short, medium or long. The dress is buttoned on the right side, with a fitted waist, and slits up the side. It is often made from a patterned silk. But depending on whether the dress is for a casual or formal occasion, the cheongsam can be made from different materials and to different lengths. The style of the Cheongsam is simple and elegant, and suits the image of Chinese women. The picture on the right shows the traditional jacket worn by Chinese men - it's worn with loose fitting pants.

Traditional Dress for Chinese people.

2. Traditional Chinese Medicine:

One identifying feature of Chinese culture is their use of traditional Chinese medicines.

The traditional Chinese approach to medicine is very different to the views of Western countries. The Chinese approach is strongly influenced by their beliefs about universal natural laws and their effect on health and healing.

Some traditional Chinese medicines are herbal medicine, acupuncture, dietary therapy and Shiatsu massage. The oldest Chinese book on oriental herbal medicine (which is about 2000 years old) talks about 365 species of roots, grass, woods, furs, animals and stones that are used in Chinese herbal medicine.

To look at one type of Chinese medicine, acupuncture is a technique where fine needles are inserted into special points on the patient’s body. Usually about twelve acupoints (places where the needles are put in) are needed in one session, and the number of needles used may vary from just one or two to 20 or more. The aim of acupuncture is to increase circulation and balance energy within the body.

Many Australians now use these forms of Chinese medicine, but they are still considered alternative medicines.

Some of the ingredients of Chinese herbal medicine.


3. Chinese Superstitions:

Superstitions are one feature which identifies Chinese culture. The Chinese have always been very superstitious people.

The superstitions held by the Chinese affect many of their traditions and their ways of doing things.

Many traditions are based around Chinese superstitions of good and bad luck. For example, if you were going to give your friends some fruit, in Chinese culture it would be important to give them an even number because Chinese believe that odd numbers bring bad luck -so give them 10 apples instead of 9! The Chinese consider the number 4 to bring very bad luck, because the Chinese word for 'four' sounds similar to the word for 'death'. They take this superstition so seriously that many buildings have no numbered fourth floor (it goes from the 3rd floor to the 5th floor), and a lot of buildings don't even have any floors which contain the number 4 (eg 14th, 24th floor, etc)!! The numbers 6 and 8, on the other hand, are thought to bring very good luck

There are lots of things that are forbidden or taboo in Chinese culture, and many of these are based on superstitions. For example, umbrellas are not welcome in most places in China because the Chinese word for 'umbrella' is similar to the word for separation, so the Chinese see umbrellas as bringing bad luck, and that they may be going to separate from a loved one.

As we can see from the controls on the lift, there's no 4th floor in this building!




A very lucky number plate!!