Core
Module
24
Life of Chinese Nationals
Foundation part: Everyday Life in
Rural and Urban Areas
What’s the lifestyle of modern Chinese residents? For instance,
what’s the situation in respect of income, consumption and
education?
Is urban lifestyle the same with rural lifestyle? If there are any
differences between them, what exactly are they? And what are the
reasons behind them?
Will Chinese traditions and culture change following the change in
people’s lifestyle? Will the change of modern urban lifestyle and
rural lifestyle has any impact on Chinese traditions?
1
Part 1:
Urban and Rural Life
in China
2
Lead-in Activity: learn the differences
between and within rural and urban areas.
Lead-in Activity: Guess who I am
(1)
Note: due to space constraints, only parts of Chinese
citizens’ lives are introduced below, which doesn’t
represent the whole situation of China.
I am 40 years old. And I have assets of RMB 10 million
with an average annual consumption of RMB 1.7 million.
I have a son who is going to enter university abroad. In
fact, there are at least hundreds of thousands of families
like mine in China.
(2)
To be frank, I won’t deny that I feel lonely living alone at home. My
children form their respective families in different cities or towns and
send money home every month. But I never expect them to send me too
much money since the expenses of living in cities are quite large.
(3)
Compared with our parents, we have been very lucky.
Although we are not rich and have to walk for an
hour to go to school, we at least have the chance to
(4)
go to school. Therefore, we cherish this precious
education opportunity very much.
(5)
When I was young, I had to toil in the fields from dawn to dusk,
but I could not even make ends meet. Now things have changed,
and villagers have become rich and been living a good life.
I work a long time of at least 10 hours every day. In order
to increase income, I even work overtime on Sundays. I
am so tired. I have ever thought that life in city would be
better and never imagined it is so hard.
As most people living in the city, the basic quality of my
life is fine. Although I am not rich, I can afford the basic
living expenses and basic entertainment expenses.
3
(6)
1.
According to the above conversations, find out the identity of the persons of the conversations,
and match the numbers of the persons with their identity with straight line.
2.
Figure (1)
Figure (2)
Figure (3)
Figure (4)
a) Grandma Cheung living in village
b) A peasant labourer working in city
c) A middle class family living in village
d) A young and rich man living in city
Figure (5)
Figure (6)
e) A child living in village
f) A middle class family living in city
Can you observe some phenomena in China from the conversations of above persons? How do
the phenomena reflect on their different lifestyle?
China has now been better-off and people's lives have been improved.
Information Processing
: Children “living under the same sky”
Watch video clip: “One Child(一個孩子)”, Hong Kong Connection,
RTHK, 2000.
Please watch the video clip carefully. Try to compare two children living in
rural and urban areas respectively and their lives, and discuss the
differences in lives between rural and urban residents.
Child from urban family
Child from rural family
Clothing
presentable and fashionable
plain and simple
Living condition
comfortable and well-equipped
shabby and poorly-equipped
4
Job category and
work in office with high and stable
income
do farming with low income
Consumption
patterns and habits
fairly lavish
quite thrifty
Entertainment
travel and play computer
go home to visit relatives
Requirements on
diet
quite high, generous meal
quite low, simple meal
Relationships with
their family
members
fair, isolated
good, intimate
income level of
their parents
1.
How do you describe the lifestyle and features of urban and rural residents?
(You can extract any parts of the video clip to describe and enrich the description in the table
above.)
The lifestyle and features in the two places differ a lot, e.g., children from cities wear
presentable clothing, some of which are of famous international brands. In contrast, children
from villages wear simple and plain clothing, none of which is of famous brands. In terms of
living conditions, the living environment of the former is comfortable and well equipped with
household appliances, such as television, refrigerator, computer, etc. However, the residences of
the latter are shabby with few appliances.
2.
Do you know where in China the above similar cases mentioned would take place?
Urban families of relatively developed areas, such as Shanghai.
Rural families of fairly poor areas and remote areas, e.g. Gansu Province.
5
Data analysis
Worksheet 1: Lifestyle of Chinese residents as a whole
Since the reform and opening-up of China in 1978, the standard and quality
of life have been improved for people in both rural and urban areas.
Although the overall living conditions are better than the past, the degree of
changes in people’s lives varies between rural and urban areas. What
actually are the differences in lifestyle between rural and urban residents?
And what are the reasons behind?
: Changes in living conditions of Chinese residents
over the past 30 years
Source: China Statistical Yearbook 2010. (The website of National Bureau of Statistics of China:
http://www.stats.gov.cn/tjsj/ndsj/2010/indexch.htm)
6
1.
Calculate the changes of income of residents in rural and urban areas between 1978 and 2009.
Can you point out the changes by combining the data presented in the following table?
Rural areas
Urban areas
Changes of income
$5153-$134
= $5019
$17175 - $316
= $16859
Percentage of change
in income
($5153-$134)/$134 X 100%
= 3745.52%
($17175 - $316)/$316 X 100%
= 5335.13%
The income in rural and urban areas both increased from 1978 to 2009, and the growth of income in
urban areas was larger than that of rural areas.
2.
Compare the income difference between rural and urban residents between 1978 and 2009. Can
you point out the changes by combining the data presented in the following table?
Income difference between urban and rural
residents
Percentage of income difference between urban
and rural residents
(What is the percentage of rural income to
urban income?)
1978
2009
182
12022
0.42
(rural income is 42%
of urban income)
0.30
(rural income is 30%
of urban income)
The income difference between urban and rural residents has been increasing between 1978 and 2009,
from the 182 yuan (or 42%) in 1978 to the 12,022 yuan (or 30%) in 2009.
7
3.
Please form groups with four people each, each student in a group is responsible for reading one
piece of information. Sum up the related factors that may impact on the lifestyle of urban and
rural residents.
Related factors
How do they affect the lifestyle of urban and rural residents?
State subsidies
With the state subsidies and development in urban and rural areas, the
income and living conditions of the two places have been improved.
Level of literacy
Economic efficiency
Life quality will be improved with the increase of literacy level.
Make efforts to push forward economic development, promote
innovation and strengthen competitiveness. Generally speaking, higher
economic efficiency in urban areas will bring higher income to urban
residents and help to realize higher life quality.
Taxing residents will decrease their income. Heavy and complicated
Tax arrangement
Level of education
(and other factors)
taxation will impose heavier burden on peasants and make their lives
much harder.
Higher level of education will increase human resources and push
forward economic development, as well as increasing residents’ income
and improving the quality of life.
8
Jigsaw Reading and
Information Processing
Student A:
Among the increased incomes of rural residents, the increase of salary amounted to 17.9% last year.
Thanks to the general growth of the prices of farm products, the operating income of families from
rural areas had also risen by 12.1%. In addition, the income generated by state subsidies also had fast
growth.
China’s Premier Wen Jiabao set forth the historic task of building “A New Socialist Countryside” on
the 4th session of the 10th National People's Congress. He said the target of this task was to bring a
significant and fast change to rural areas. For the development of program, Wen Jiabao set out the
target as “advanced production, improved livelihood, civilized social mood, clean and tidy villages
and democratic management”. On the whole, this meant putting emphasis on the improvement of the
living conditions and other aspects such as level of literacy and democratic management of villages
while developing the economy of these places. Besides, the government also took steps to promote
the growth of village and township enterprises through investing in fixed assets such as plants,
machineries and others, together with enhancing warehouse storage capacity, taming prices and
minimizing dramatic loses due to “potential financial risks”.
Source: Summarising the reports of various newspapers, 5 February 2011 and 3 March 2011.
Student B:
According to the ranking list of economic indicators of mainland cities last year, Suzhou was ranked
second on the list with total industrial output value of 2.8 trillion yuan. Per capita GDP based on
household registered population had exceeded USD 20,000, which indicated that Suzhou had entered
the period of late-industrialization. In an interview with reporter from Hong Kong, Suzhou Mayor
Yun Li said that “to strongly promote transformation and upgrading, and push forward innovative
development has been a necessary policy for Suzhou”. He said that the government was going to
increase per capita income of residents of the city through implementing six main policies, including
9
innovative and guiding policy, opening up and promoting market efficiency, strengthening talent
development, attaching great importance to people’s livelihood and sustainable development.
Many cities in the regions of Pearl River Delta and Yangtze River Delta have the highest economic
efficiency in China, especially for the cities with highly developed private economy, their actual
economic efficiency are higher. The cities with higher proportion of heavy industry are doubtful in
respect of their economic efficiency since they largely rely on state investment.
Source: Summarising the reports of various newspapers, 14 March 2011 and 11 May 2011.
Student C:
According to data released by National Bureau of Statistics, the income of rural and urban residents
saw steady growth in the first quarter, and the income of the former grew faster than the latter. Per
capita cash income of rural residents was 2,187 yuan, increased by 20.6% year on year. And the
average disposable income of urban residents was 5,963 yuan, with an annual growth rate of 12.3%.
The income gap between rural and urban areas is mainly attributed to the disadvantage of rural areas
that when economic development has achieved a certain level, it is inevitable that the growth of
agriculture will be slower than the secondary and tertiary industries, and the rural areas are naturally
rendered in an inferior position. Farmers have to pay various agricultural taxes and additional taxes
which are much higher than the value-added taxes in other industries of cities and towns. That is
another reason for the increasing gap between urban and rural income. Some aspects in villages like
welfare policy, industrial system, infrastructure and institutional arrangements are not as good as that
of cities and towns. Moreover, financial allocation from the state in villages is relatively lower, which
becomes another major factor contributed to the gap.
Source: Summarising the reports of various newspapers, 16 April 2011.
10
Student D :
Among rural workers, 14% of them are illiterate, 42% are only educated to primary school level,
38% are educated to junior secondary level, 5% are educated to senior secondary level, and less than
1% are educated to secondary vocational and higher education level. Compared with the 12.6% of
senior secondary educated and above all over China, the education level of rural workers is
apparently low.
The phenomenon that compulsory education developed unevenly in the whole provinces still exists.
On top of the large gap in education level between developed and developing regions, the difference
in education software development, especially in teacher provision, is still apparent. And an apparent
difference also exists in the standard of running school between schools in towns and cities.
According to the Ministry of Education, several policies would be adopted to promote integration of
urban and rural education and to push forward a balanced development of compulsory education,
such policies include unification of urban and rural teachers’ salary and material benefits, preventing
schools from charging school-choosing fee, reforming enrolment and entrance examination system at
senior secondary level, and encouraging an even distribution of enrolment quota of senior secondary
schools to junior secondary schools, etc.
Source: Summarising the reports of various newspapers, 25 February 2011 and 11 November 2011.
11
Rural residents’ lifestyle on the mainland
The education level and skills of rural residents are generally lower, and most of them engage in
agriculture and small business with low earnings. Hence, their living standard and consumption are
relatively low. They live in a thrifty, plain and simple way in various aspects such as residential
conditions, clothing, entertainment and dining. Rural residents generally live an arduous life with
poor material life and living conditions, and they don’t have ample opportunity for development or
making progress.
In order to increase rural residents’ income and improve their quality of life, the state strives to
increase purchasing price of farm and sideline products and implement countryside taxation reform,
as well as to solve various serious problems including the aging agricultural taxation system,
outdated tax collection and management, arbitrary charges and apportion expenses, and unjustified
fines, so as to relieve farmers’ burden. Moreover, the government also promotes the development of
village and township enterprises and rural industrialization in the hope of helping farmers get rid of
poverty.
Lifestyle of residents of mainland cities
Urban residents are usually of relatively higher level of education and skills, and engage in industry
and commerce and service industry with higher income. Thus, their living standard and consumption
are relatively higher, and they are more affluent in various aspects such as living conditions, clothing,
entertainment and dining. As urban residents have better material life and living conditions, they can
easily get opportunities of development and improvement which can help to bring them abundant
resource of life.
In terms of urban and township development, the state is dedicated to increase the proportion of
non-state-owned enterprises, reduce subsidy to enterprises in the red, strengthen marketization, as
well as enhance economic efficiency. Besides, the state continues promoting the opening-up policy
vigorously to attract foreign investment in cities in order to promote economic growth.
12
The changes occurred in life between the urban and rural areas in China are closely associated with
the regional policy adjustments of the Chinese government. At the early years of reform and
opening-up (in 1979), the Central People’s Government decided to adopt and implement “special
policies and flexible measures” in Guangdong and Fujian provinces, so as to push forward the
economic development on the mainland. Later at the beginning of 1984, the Central People’s
Government further opened 14 coastal port cities, which helped elevate the status of coastal economy,
making coastal port cities a pioneer of Chinese economic reform. In 1984, industrial output per
capita in coastal open cities was three times of the national average value. Thus one can see that
reform and opening-up were important to the economic growth of coastal cities.
In early 1990s, the Central People’s Government determined to speed up the development of the
Pudong New Area in Shanghai, and allowed Shanghai to implement policies related to economic and
technological development zones and special economic zones, so as to push forward the reform and
opening-up. Until mid 1990s, the economic data such as the growth rates of foreign trade and
attracting foreign capital of Yangtze River Delta had exceeded that of Guangdong province, making
it another region driving the growth of China’s economy.
At the end of 1999, the Central People’s Government had come up with a conception of “Big
Western Region Development”, aiming at offering preferential policies to the western region in the
areas of tax arrangement, enterprise development and attracting foreign capital, as well as
strengthening the infrastructure constructions, so as to speed up the economic development of the
western region and develop its economic potential.
13
Data processing
Extended Discussion 1: Will the increase of
income necessarily enhance living standard?
and analysis
The following three pieces of information reflect the living conditions of Chinese residents over the
past 30 years. Try to explain them.
Y-axis: Average annual
income of residents (Yuan)
Source: China Statistical Yearbook 2010. (The website of National Bureau of Statistics of China:
http://www.stats.gov.cn/tjsj/ndsj/2010/indexch.htm)
14
Y-axis: Average
annual consumption
of residents (Yuan)
Source: China Statistical Yearbook 2010. (The website of National Bureau of Statistics of China:
http://www.stats.gov.cn/tjsj/ndsj/2010/indexch.htm)
: The illiteracy rate in China (percentage)
The Proportion of Illiteracy in China from
1964 to2007
Source: The situation of education development in China.
(http://big5.gov.cn/gate/big5/www.gov.cn/test/2005-09/07/content_29930.htm)
15
Enrichment:
In 1978, the number
of university
graduates in China
was about 800,000,
while in 2010, the
number was up to
nearly 30 million.
Refer to the information above and answer the questions.
1.
Fill in the table the income and consumption of rural and urban areas from 1978 to 2009.
Rural
Urban
Income
1978：134
2009：5153
1978：316
2009：17175
Consumption
1978：138
2009：3993
1978：405
2009：12265
2.
What does source 3 reflect on the changes in the education of China?
The illiteracy rate in China dropped gradually from 1964 to 2007, which indicated that the
education level has been improved and China has almost achieved literacy for all.
3.
By combining the above information, what are the changes in the overall living standard of
Chinese residents? Please illustrate your answer with actual data.
The overall living standard of Chinese residents has been improved. (Students have to use the
changes in data over time to indicate improvement in living standard.)
16
Information
processing
Extended Discussion 2: What's the difference in lifestyle
between the younger and older generation in China?
: Comparison of consumption between the older
generation and younger generation in China
Item
Older generation
Younger generation
Birth period
Before 1960s
After 1980s
Family Size
Large families with numerous
siblings
Most of them are only child
Consumer Psychology
Rational and mature
Impulsive and immature
Consumption Concept
Diligent and thrifty
Conspicuous consumption
Consumption habit
Group mentality and
self-effacing
Personalized and self-display
Consumption
Orientation
Keep expenditures within the
limits of income; money-saving
oriented
“Moonlight” group (yue guang zu)*;
credit consumption
Consumption Tendency
Practical
Fashionable
Product Consumption
Cycle
Buy a new product only when
the old one loses its functions
Pursuit of new products
Consumption Attitude
Conservative; be accustomed to
old-style products
Adventurous; users of new products
* It refers to the group of young people who tend to spend all of their salaries at the end of every
month.
17
Shenyang high-end supermarket: a bottle of water cost more than
a buffet dinner
A high-end supermarket in Shenyang is currently put into service. In
this supermarket, a bottle of water sells at a price of 800 yuan, which is
more expensive than a buffet dinner in a hotel. However, it still attracts
many customers. This reflects a disparity between the rich and the
poor.
Source: Summarising the reports of various newspapers, June 2011.
Reflection of a couple who were born in 1950s
Now, times have changed. When we were young, a watch or
a bicycle had been really good consumer goods. Owning a
sewing machine meant one’s life was really good. At that
time, we had no demand other than having adequate and
ample food and clothing, and our daily consumption just
amounted to several hundred yuan. In early 1990s, our son’s
life and consumption had been very different from ours. At
that time, colour TV sets, refrigerators and washing
machines had become basic consumption goods for every
household. Their consumption level was much higher than
ours, not to mention our grandchildren. Nowadays, our
grandchildren drive their cars wherever they go, and they go
traveling abroad every year, and one trip costs at least
several thousand yuan. Their biggest goal is purchasing a
property. They are a typical “pleasure-loving” generation.
18
Refer to the above information and answer the following questions.
1.
Fill in the table the transformation on consumption of Chinese residents in different times.
Birth period
Representative
goods
Consumer
attitude
2.
First
Second
Third
From 1960s to the end of
From the beginning of
At the beginning of
1980s
1990s to the end of 1990s
21th century
Bicycle, watch and sewing
Colour TV set, refrigerator,
Car, housing and
machine etc.
washing machine etc.
traveling etc
Start to pursue the
Pleasure-loving and
enjoyment of life
self-display
Plain, durable and thrifty
Chinese residents from different times have different ways of consumption which represent
different values. Analyze the reasons which cause the changes in the ways of consumption of
the younger generation and older generation of Chinese residents.
The ways of consumption of the older generation relatively tend to be practical, thrifty, and
focus on actual use, while the younger generation has a conspicuous consumption way for the
pursuit of pleasure and self-display, and focuses on exchange value and transaction, and the
mental feelings after purchase. From the changes in ways of consumption, we can see that the
increasingly affluent Chinese society makes people not only focus on pursuing material pleasure,
but also on mental feelings.
3.
Someone think that “pleasure-loving” lifestyle is a symbol of advancement. Thus, it is good that
Chinese society has entered the age of “pleasure-loving” lifestyle. Do you agree? Why?
Any reasonable and relevant answers are acceptable.
19
Extended Discussion 3: Is there any difference between
urban and rural residents’ lifestyle?
: Comparison of lifestyle between Chinese urban and
rural residents in 2009
Urban areas
Income(annual
income, Yuan)
Consumption
amount(Yuan)
High-income
Common
residents
residents
51349
29004
1685023000
1130015000
Rural areas
Rural
Middle-income
farmers
farmers
8956
12300
3000-6000
1549
6743
7485
2875-4500
2354
migrant
workers
Workers in
Type of job or
Finance and
Service
Factory
village and
business
technology
industry
workers
township
enterprises
Entertainment
Outbound
and Leisure
travel
Clothing
Residence
relationship
shopping
village and
enterprises
surfing the
shopping
cards or
internet
high-end
buying new
for basic
buying new
clothing
clothes
needs
clothes
High-class
One-storey
Plank-
Spacious
residence
house
partitioned
one-storey
rooms
house
Proper
food to eat
enjoyment
Alienated
Pursuit of
basic
enjoyment
Clothes for
basic needs
Clothing
for basic
needs
One-storey
Shabby
house
house
Adequate food
to eat
Close, being humane
20
Chatting
mahjong
Regularly
Adequate
Farmers
township
and playing
Clothing
indulging
Workers in
Traveling and
of needs /
farmers
Farmers/
TV,
Fulfilment
income
Watching TV
Regularly
one’s appetite
Interpersonal
and
Watching
Pursuit of
Pursuit of
Diet
Traveling
Low-
High-income
Adequate
food to
eat
: Statistical table on overall life satisfaction of Chinese
rural and urban residents from 2000 to 2008
Note:
life
satisfaction
Year
Degree of satisfaction of
Rural residents
Degree of satisfaction of
Urban residents
2000
3.22
3.27
2001
3.50
3.28
2002
3.56
3.33
prices, health conditions,
2003
3.48
3.26
public security and so on.
2004
3.59
3.38
2005
3.46
3.28
2006
3.44
3.52
2007
3.53
3.35
2008
3.62
3.51
involves
many
aspects
such as personal financial
conditions,
job,
social
security, old-age security,
(Note: 5 means most satisfied, and 1 means least satisfied)
Source: Yuan Yue and Zhang Hui. Survey on Chinese residents’ life quality in 2008.
1.
From the figures in Source 1, what are the differences between the lifestyle of urban and rural
residents?
Urban residents earn more money, their lifestyle is more diverse and there are great differences
in entertainment, clothing, housing and dining.
21
2.
From Source 2, rural residents have a higher life satisfaction level than urban residents. Try to
explain the phenomenon with the information from Source 1.
Life is simple in the countryside, and people there don’t pursue things they don’t need, and can
be easily satisfied with their lives, thus the overall life satisfaction level is higher. Besides, they
have close interpersonal relations, and have good communication with each other, and thus can
achieve a higher satisfaction level with life.
3.
Based on all the above information and what you know, do you think life quality in the cities is
higher than that of the countryside in China? Give some reasons to support your answer.
Life in the cities is better：A better material life is the main reason.
Life in the countryside is better：A higher level of life satisfaction is the main reason.
22
Part 2:
Changes in the Traditional
Chinese Culture
Note：Due to space constraints, this part will
only focus on the influence of the reform
and opening-up policy on traditional culture,
and the development and changes before
will not be discussed.
23
Lead-in Activity：My family
Let the students observe the traditional
Chinese family life through the picture
below, and then study the traditional
family values and culture.
Try to describe the life pattern of traditional Chinese family from the picture above. What traditional
Chinese values and culture does the picture reflect?
Answers：extended family, man's superiority over woman, respect for seniority, emphasis on ethics,
respect for ancestors and valuing filial piety, lineage- and clan-centred, emphasis on the collective
24
Traditional Chinese Concepts of the Family
The Chinese emphasis on family could be attributed to the traditional agriculture-based society.
Family members cultivated and harvested together on the farmland and also lived together. They thus
valued family togetherness and tended to live in extended families.
In the traditional Chinese concepts of the family, individuals should regard themselves as a member
of the family, and should be willing to make sacrifices for their families, being self-controlled and
self-restraint, so as to maintain their families. Therefore, family members should respect and help
each other, and put the interests of their family members above their own benefits, being ready to
serve their families.
Husband-Wife, Parent-Child and sibling relations are the three main relations among family
members. Each relation has its respective moral standards and norms, which can be summarised by a
Chinese maxim “Husband should take his responsibility for his wife and wife should be obedient to
her husband; Parents should care for their children, and children should show filial obedience to their
parents; Elder siblings should be kind to their younger siblings and younger siblings should be
obedient to their elder siblings.” The love between husband and wife stems from the care, help and
understanding for each other. Husband cares for his wife; he is the support, model and head of the
family. Wife loves the family and her husband, make sacrifices for the family and her husband
unconditionally. From the relation between husband and wife, we can see that men are superior to
women. The relation between them is founded on the loyalty to each other and the moral
responsibility between them lasts forever. The relation between parents to children is founded on
kindness and affection, and raising children is regarded as parents’ main responsibility. At the same
time, children should show filial obedience to their parents, serving them selflessly. The relation
between siblings is founded on respect and love. Elder brothers’ care is resulted from the instinctive
love for the younger, while the younger brothers’ respect is based on the awareness of their own
inadequacy, thus this relation is based on equality, mutual respect and caring.
Based on this moral ideal, every family
member acts according to ethical norms,
everyone knows about his/her role and
responsibility in a family, and forming
a moral life which every individual can
comply with.
25
Worksheet 1: The changing traditional culture and values
With the rapid development in China in recent years, people on the mainland have
also seen some changes in their lifestyle. How has the traditional culture been
influenced by the changes in the society? What kinds of traditional values and
culture have remained and what have disappeared or changed? Now let us read the
material below and discuss it.
Family planning policy
The Family Planning Policy has been implemented in 1978 in China to
control population growth. In general, one couple can have only one
child (or so-called “one child policy”). From then on, population
growth in China has been gradually under control. Currently, at least
20% of the population under 25 is an only child. The economy in
China improved greatly in recent years and parents want to give their
children the best, so children are spoiled. They are self-centered and
show no respect to the elders. This problem has gradually aroused
concern from the society.
Improved status of women
Influenced by western culture, the equality between men and women has been valued.
Women’s education level and financial ability have thus improved. More and more
women like to take up challenges. They do not want to be fettered by family and
have no plan of having children. They think that work pressure in modern society is
very high, and having children will limit their freedom.
26
A song named Homecoming is very popular on the mainland and has
touched a lot of people. Here are the lyrics:
Find some time to go home, with your child.
With smile and wishes, go home with your beloved.
To listen to Mom’s nagging, to enjoy Papa’s treat.
Tell your troubles to Mom, talk about your job to Papa,
Go home, Wash dishes for Mom.
Parents’ hope is not about our achievements…
But family reunion.
The revision of the Law of the Peoples Republic of China on Protection of
the Rights and Interests of the Elderly has been basically completed in
January 2011. One major amendment is to write “Homecoming” into the
In modern China, most
young people in the
countryside leave their
home and work in cities,
leaving their old parents
home. This leads to the
phenomenon
of
“empty-nesters”.
revised draft.
: Divorce Rate of China during 2001-2009
Divorce Rate(%)
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
0.98
0.90
1.05
1.28
1.37
1.46
1.59
1.71
1.85
Source: Statistics Report of the People’s Republic of China on the 2009 Development of Civil Affairs Undertakings,
Ministry of Civil Affairs of the People's Republic of China
1.
Based on the above information, what kinds of traditional values do you think have changed in
modern China? Try to explain the reasons.
Family Values
Past
Family Size
- Large Family
Present
- Nuclear family, less
number of children
27
Reasons
- “One child policy”
- Be obedient to parents
- The main purpose of
marriage and family is to
Marriage and
carry on the ancestral
Family Values
line
- Collectivism; Parents
hope that their children
- Free to choose one’s
spouse
- Higher divorce rate in
- Society is open and
influenced by western
recent years reflects the
thoughts; more emphasis
vulnerability of family
on individualism
and marriage
put family first
- Men's superiority to
women
- Education level of
- Traditional concept of
women has increased
“Men’s work centers
Status of Men
around outside, while
- Men and women is
and Women
women’s work centers
relatively equal
and their independency
has been emphasized
- Society is open and
around the home
influenced by western
- Patriarchy, father or
thoughts
husband is the head of a
family
- Children live with their
parents and have close
Relationships
among Family
Members
relations
- Emphasize filial piety;
- More estranged
- Young people in the
countryside have to
relationship between
children should be
work in cities, leaving
children and parents
obedient to and respect
their parents home
for their parents and the
elderly
(The answers above are for reference only; any reasonable and relevant answers from students can
also be accepted.)
28
Through Worksheet 2 students
can discuss what kinds of
Worksheet 2: The continuity of
traditional Chinese values and culture
traditional Chinese values and
culture continue to exist till today.
Although the society constantly advances and changes, some traditional Chinese values and culture
still exist and are highly regarded. However, with the change of time, some of values may be
expressed in a different way, but the essence has been preserved.
From the information below, can you find out what kinds of traditional Chinese values and culture
have remained?
“For the a better life of my grandson in the countryside, my son and
daughter-in-law decided to work in cities to earn more money to support the
family. I don’t mind working hard to take care of my grandson, as long as it
is for the sake of the next generation. I hope to make some contribution to
the family. Fortunately, my son and daughter-in-law always care about me,
and they will come back to see me and my grandson at Spring Festival
every year. Family reunion is the most important.”
Grandma Huang from
countryside in Hubei
province
The female infant mortality rate is higher than their male counterpart in China
In China, statistics from the Fifth National Population Census of China show that in cities or in
towns and villages, the female infant mortality rate is higher than their male counterpart.
City
Town
Village
Male infant mortality rate
8.61%
13.98%
28.28%
Female infant mortality rate
10.69%
20.1%
41.16%
Source: Summarising the reports of various newspapers, 3 July 2009.
29
The “DINK” becomes “DINK Exit Clan” due to great pressure
The “DINK (Double Income No Kids)” refers to couples who choose not to have
children. The “DINK Exit Clan” refers to couples who refused to have children
when they were young, but regretted it when they stepped into middle age.
There is an old Chinese saying: “There are three forms of unfilial conduct, of which the worst is to
have no descendants.” With respect to the importance of carrying on the ancestral line in China, the
DINKs have borne great pressures. Generally speaking, the pressure comes from three aspects,
namely, parents’ nagging, relatives’ and friends’ excessive concern and the worries from themselves.
They worry about whether it will affect their marriage, and whether they will feel lonely and no one
will take care of them when they are getting old.
Source: Summarising the reports of various newspapers, 15 November 2011.
1.
Based on the above information, what kind of traditional Chinese values do you think have
remained? Try to list them.
Source
Values Remained

Specific Examples

The virtue of helping and
supporting each other among family
1

support the family

members
Filial piety
Young couples work in cities to
Go home at Spring Festival every
year regardless of the hard work
30
2


Men’s superiority to women
higher than the male rate


3
The concept of carrying on the
ancestral line
Couples who chose not to have
children regretted it when stepping
The view of raising children to
support parents in their old age

The female infant mortality rate is
into middle age

Carrying on the ancestral line is a
traditional Chinese value and couples
without kids have to face the
pressure from relatives and friends
2.
What kinds of traditional Chinese values do you think are worth preserving in modern China
and what are open to discussion? Try to explain the reasons.
Any reasonable and relevant answers.
31
The Changing Traditional Chinese values
Owing to modernization, China has transformed into the modern industrial and commercial society
from a traditional agricultural society. People’s work no longer centres around the family and they
work in different industrial and commercial organizations. Young people often work outside, and
sometimes even leave their villages and go to cities. In this living environment, parents and children,
and couples often have different jobs and work in different places. People now no longer need a large
family to improve productive force, and nuclear families gradually become popular.
Besides, the relationships between people become more estranged due to different living
environments. Marriage becomes vulnerable, and divorce rate increases. The relations between
parents and their children become more estranged, and quarrels among siblings become more
frequent. The traditional family centred concept is replaced by individualism. People now pay more
attention to individual development and status, and put individual interests above family interests.
The moral values and norms based on the traditional concepts of the family have been swayed.
Facing the changes in the traditional Chinese values, it is now time for us to reflect on the relations
between individuals and family, and individuals and society, to understand the importance and basis
of individual value and family value, so as to find our footing in modern society.
32
Worksheet 3: Understand Chinese traditional
values and culture through traditional festivals
Have you ever thought that you can study traditional Chinese values and culture
through traditional festivals? In this part we will discuss the change and continuity
of traditional festivals in China’s cities and villages nowadays. You can also think
about to what extent these traditional festivals still have significance to modern
China.
Students can study the Chinese traditional values and culture
through different traditional festivals in Worksheet 3.
The Spring Festival
The Spring Festival is also called the Lunar New Year or Chinese New Year. It is originated
from the ancient harvest celebration. It is the most important and lively traditional festival.
Over thousands of years of development, customs have been
established and some of them still exist today, including cleaning
the house, eating Chinese New Year cake, dumplings and sweet
dumplings etc. In addition, people will make special purchases
for the festival, paste up Spring Festival couplets, light
firecrackers, give gift money to children, visit friends and
relatives to send their New Year’s greetings, offer up sacrifices to
ancestors, go to the flower fair, celebrate with the Shehuo* and
more. Most important, it is a time for family gathering. And a
New Year’s Eve dinner will be prepared for all family members.
There are two things for everybody to observe in the New Year’s Eve dinner, one is that all family
members should be present, and the other is the order of sitting, i.e., grandparents will be at upper
level seats, grandchildren in the middle, and parents, lower level.
*Shehuo is a traditional festive occasion for songs and dances in celebrating Spring Festival. Activities varied according
to different regions, e.g. stilt, land boat dance, lion dance, dragon dance, and rural folk dance.
33
The Tomb Sweeping Day (or Ching Ming Festival)
Tomb Sweeping Day is a traditional Chinese festival, and also is the most
important festival for offering sacrifices to ancestors and sweeping tombs.
Sweeping tomb is usually called Shangfen; it means worshipping the
deceased. Traditionally, when sweeping tombs, people must bring foods,
Chinese liquor, paper offerings etc. and lay them in front of the tombs of
their beloved. People will then burn the paper offerings, put fresh earth on
the top of the tombs, put some new green branches on the tombs, kowtow
to pay their tribute and then go home after consuming all the food and
liquor. The custom of offering sacrifices to ancestors and mourning the past beloved at Tomb
Sweeping Day still prevails today.
The custom of eating moon cake at Mid-Autumn Festival
The traditional Mid-Autumn Festival falls on 15th August in
lunar calendar. It is called Mid-Autumn Festival because this
day is in the middle of autumn days. People looking at the
Moon cakes symbolize
reunion.
bright full moon will naturally long for family reunion. People
living far away from their hometown will unavoidably feel
homesick at that night. So, Mid-Autumn Festival is also called
Reunion Festival. There are many customs for the festival today
and they may be expressed in different ways. Major activities
include enjoying the full moon, worshipping the moon and
eating moon cake since they are the symbols of family reunion.
34
1.
Traditional customs of different festivals reflect the culture and values that are significant to
Chinese people. Try to analyze them based on the information above.
Festival
Spring
Traditional Customs

Festival
Values and Culture
Have family reunion dinner, sitting

in order of seniority

Value the relations among family
members
Visit relatives to send New Year’s

greetings
Value moral principle and respect
for seniority; collectivism;
family-centred
Ching Ming

Festival
Mid-Autumn
Festival


Value filial piety
Offer sacrifices to ancestors and

Value filial piety
sweeping tombs

Pay tribute to ancestors

Value courtesy and family ethics

Value the relations among family
Enjoy the moon, worship the
moon, eat moon cake
members

35
Be grateful to the nature
2.
Someone thinks the traditional Chinese festivals are out of date, and have no significance to
modern society and should not be preserved. Do you agree? Try to explain.
Any reasonable and relevant answers.
-
No. Many customs emphasize family values. They can nurture family values, improve
relations among family members and among people in the society, and build up the modern
family values of caring and harmony. Besides, many traditional customs are full of Chinese
characteristics, for example, the Mid-Autumn Festival and the Spring Festival are still
valued by the Chinese all around the world. With the commercial value, such festivals will
be a great motivation for local economic development.
-
Yes. Many traditional festivals have no scientific grounds and will lead to superstition.
Besides, many customs have been out of date and are not in line with the younger
generation’s thought and values. The significance of these customs is usually not
recognized by young people, and contradictions between the younger and the older
generation will hence arise from these issues. This will affect family relations.
36
Worksheet 4: Continuity and changes of
traditional Chinese festivals
This is the extension of Worksheet 3. Students can have a further
understanding of the continuity and changes of traditional Chinese festivals
from discussing the current Spring Festival customs.
According to the Regulation on Public Holidays for National Annual Festivals and
Memorial Days issued by the State Council, the New
Year’s Day, Spring Festival, Tomb Sweeping Day,
Labour Day, Dragon Boat Festival (or Tuen Ng
Festival), Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day are
official holidays, during which all citizens can have
holidays for celebration. Some scholars believe the
above arrangement made by the government is good
for the continuity of traditional Chinese customs and
will improve the situation that western festivals
having greater attractions to the young people than traditional
festivals in recent years.
Homecoming for the traditional Spring Festival?
The Spring Festival is one of the most important festivals in China. However, do all the 1.3 billion
Chinese still stick to the traditions of having New Year’s Eve dinner, watching the Spring Festival
Gala Program, setting off firecrackers and visiting their relatives to send New Year’s Greetings in the
Spring Festival nowadays?
In an online survey, more than 60% of respondents believed we should spend time with our parents
together and spend money on them during the Spring Festival. Even as
sending greetings with text message has become a main trend, there were
still 50% of respondents believe that we should not give up the traditional
customs such as “sending greetings personally” and “the married women
go back to their maiden home in the 1st month of the Lunar year”.
37
“Homecoming” is the most popular topic of conversation in the Spring Festival in the year of dragon.
According to the statistics from related government departments, passenger flow volume during the
Spring Festival travel period is expected to exceed that of 2011, and reach 3.158 billion. People from
all walks of life, ordinary people or movie stars, all want to go home for a happy gathering.
Source: Summarising the reports of various newspapers, 24 January 2012.
Traditional customs of the Spring Festival keep pace with the times
From experts’ analysis, the Spring Festival in modern China is also keeping pace with the times and
transforming. The traditional customs of gathering and dining are gradually transformed to new ways
of celebration, such as travelling abroad, making friends, and shopping etc., which are more
comprehensive.
Apart from western values, the reasons why some western festivals such as Christmas Day,
Valentines’ Day are so popular among young people lie in the elements of entertainment and
shopping. They spend lots of time and money in these western festivals.
“Air quality and the Spring Festival custom, which is more important?” Many netizens are talking
about the new changes about setting off firecrackers in the Spring Festival in microblog. It was
reported that there were less amount of firecrackers which were set off in downtown Shanghai on
New Year’s Eve and on the fifth day of the 1st month of the lunar year. This is a result of people’s
improved awareness of safety and environmental protection.
Regarding traditional festivals, we should put more attention to its future development, and make
them more acceptable to the younger generation. Traditional customs
like making dumplings, staying up late or overnight on New Year's Eve
and paying New Year calls were passed on to the next generation
through parents’ teaching and influencing in the past, and now we
should use the modern media like TV and internet to restore these
customs and make new progress.
38
1.
Based on the information above and what you know, what have changed in the customs of the
Spring Festival and its significance? What traditional customs have been preserved till today?
In Change

Remained
New Year greetings: People use

internet or text message to send

Traditional

“Visit personally”, “the married
Desire for shopping and
women should go back to their
entertainment, such as gathering,
parents”
making friends, travelling abroad,
Customs
dinner

greetings
Homecoming, have family reunion

Spending time and money in
shopping, etc.
accompanying and looking after
Less setting off firecracker with
parents
safety and environmental
protection concerns

Modern people focus on the

elements of entertainment and
shopping of festivals, and ignored
the cultural meaning behind
Significance
39
Value the relations among family
members

Filial piety
2.
What factors do you think are good for the continuity of traditional Chinese festivals and
customs?

The government has made traditional festivals official holidays, which gives people time to
participate in celebrating activities and think about the meanings of these traditional
festivals.

Many business people nowadays have commercialized traditional festivals. This gives
people the pleasure of shopping and entertainment during festivals, fulfilling the desire of
the younger generation.

Modern media (TV, internet, radio etc.) make New Year celebration the main theme during
the Spring Festival, which is good for promoting the culture of traditional festivals.

Many local governments would organize special celebration activities during traditional
festivals like large scale Spring Festival gala to promote meaningful and special customs.
3.
Someone believes the younger generation pays more attention to western festivals but ignores
traditional festivals. Do you agree with that? Try to explain with some examples.

Yes. Since the reform and opening-up, China’s economy has developed rapidly and
people’s income and education level have been improved. Influenced by western culture,
the younger generation pays more attention to individualism and entertainment, and
pursues western festivals. For example, more and more people organize parties on
Christmas Day and send gifts on Valentine’s Day to show their affection. They put lots of
time and efforts to prepare for these festivals which indicate that they embrace these
western festivals. However, many young people are not punctual in the family reunion
dinner, and leave right after getting the red pockets when visiting relatives. We can see that
young people value western festivals but ignore traditional festivals.
40

No. According to Source 2, the younger generation of China still values traditional festivals.
For example, people will try to go home in the Spring Festival for reunion. Many people
still believe we should spend time with parents and spend money on them in the Spring
Festival. They stick to the traditional customs like “paying New Year calls”, and “the
married women should go back to their maiden home”. Moreover, under the government
policy, people do not have much time to celebrate western festivals as they are not official
holidays.
4.
What are your suggestions for the continuity of traditional festival customs in the future? Try to
list at least three suggestions.

Commercialize traditional Chinese festivals to appeal to the younger generation and
promote in other countries to offer more people opportunities to understand such festivals.

Use the internet and social networks to promote traditional festivals.

More traditional Chinese festivals should be applied for the intangible cultural heritage in
order to popularize and protect them.

Strengthen the education of traditional Chinese culture; let the younger generation
understand the significance of traditional festival customs and their importance to the
society.

Other reasonable and relevant answers.
41
Concept Map on the Life of Chinese Nationals
Compare the two different lifestyles
through work, social relations,
consumption, entertainment, housing,
clothing and food
Lifestyle of urban
residents on the mainland
Lifestyle of rural
residents on the mainland
How do traditional family values and modern lifestyle reflected in urban and rural
residents’ lives
Modern Lifestyle
Individual
values
Traditional Family Values
How does modern lifestyle
influence traditional family values
42
Family Ethics