China is a large country, and its people are very diverse. Nevertheless, there are some characteristics that are common to Chinese culture.
These include food, style, language, marriage, morals and music. Some Chinese living abroad also change their names to follow Western custom, but most will still maintain a sense of cultural identity.
Origins
During the California Gold Rush of the 1850s and the building of the Central Pacific Railroad in the 1860s, tens of thousands of Chinese immigrated to America. Their hard work helped build America. But they suffered racial discrimination at all levels of white society, spurred on by virulent nativism and the “Yellow Peril” rhetoric.
In response, a number of clan, district, fraternal, and merchant associations sprang up, as they had in China. These organizations provided social and cultural support for their members. In addition, they lobbied for equal treatment by local government agencies and businesses. Their role was vital to the survival of the Chinese community. They were also important for the development of the Chinese language in America.
Migrations
Overseas Chinese have migrated to many countries across the globe, especially Western countries, since the end of the Qing Dynasty. They are often highly skilled professionals, entrepreneurs and business owners. They also place a high value on education for their children, as well as personal wealth preservation. Since the 1950s, the Chinese government has loosen its control over emigration and encourages “weiguo fuwu” (serve the motherland) to allow for a flow of return migrants that can boost investment, business and intellectual capital back in China.
In more recent times, the upper middle class and even the super-rich have begun to emigrate as a new form of “weiguo fuwu” in search of better opportunities. They are now largely concentrated in North America, Australia and Oceania, but also have significant communities in Europe and Africa.
Family life
Family is a crucial facet of Chinese society. Traditionally, most Chinese expected to be married, and marriage was a major marker of coming of age. Today, however, many younger Chinese are choosing to cohabit instead of marrying and fertility rates have dropped well below replacement levels.
Despite these trends, the Chinese are still very close to their families. Filial piety is highly regarded, and parents are often willing to sacrifice their own well-being for the sake of their children’s. This is in line with the idea that the interests of the family come before the individual. In fact, researchers have found that older Chinese immigrants with a tight-knit family type had better cognitive outcomes.
Religion
Many Chinese people participate in a variety of rituals and beliefs that are not officially associated with any religion. Some practices, such as ancestor worship and paying respects to deities or supernatural forces, may be considered spiritual but not religious, according to Chinese surveys.
Confucianism, the most problematic strand of Chinese popular religion, is well-suited to be understood as a form of ultimate transformation or ultimate orientation toward the goal of sagehood (sheng). However, other strands of Chinese religion may be harder to categorize, especially those related to a cult of spirits. Some of these practices involve contacting local gods and spirits, sometimes with the help of spirit mediums. Other rituals include divination for weather, warfare, illness, administrative decisions and royal births. Also, there is a lively sense of the power of omens and fate.
Education
The community supports many educational, cultural and sporting activities. It also provides opportunities for learning and understanding Chinese culture and language.
China’s education planners envisioned that by 1995, all towns and villages in economically moderately developed areas would offer universal 9-year compulsory schooling, and that university education could be introduced to rural populations. They encouraged private enterprises, trade unions and democratic parties to establish schools in towns. These were called spare-time or workers’ universities, and in the 1990s there were around ninety of them, enrolling tens of thousands of students.
Chinese people living in Melbourne are mainly located in the city of Monash and its southeast and eastern suburbs. This group is less likely than other Asian groups to have a bachelor’s degree or higher.