Chinese Culture and Politics

Thesis statement

Culture has greatly affected politics in China and vice versa. Changes in the cultural and political landscape of China have induced social changes which was evident in the shift from the value of hierarchy during the dynastic rule to an egalitarian society after 1949.

Introduction

“When we speak of the political culture of society, we refer to the political system as internalized in the cognitions, feelings, and evaluations or its population.” (Almond and Verba, 1963: 14).

Culture and politics is an interesting idea. They both affect each other and together provide the impetus for social change. The culture of China refers to the shared system that links the different members of Chinese people together and their relationship with history, thereby giving them an identity. Culture is how the Chinese interpret different symbols. These cultural symbols exist everywhere and could range from being anything like car and house to rain and storm. Cultural symbols of China are the ways in which the Chinese people interpret these symbols and are unique to the Chinese people. These symbols come out to affect the Chinese culture and also the Chinese politics. The way these symbols affect politics also change the concepts that the Chinese have about their own community and the world around them. Symbols in culture also influence the way in which politics and the government works. Therefore, there is a close relationship between culture and politics.

Discussion

An important part of China is its old cultural history which is the oldest on earth. The system of Chinese writing for example can be dated back to be 4,000 years old. The culture of China has widely influenced the way in how political systems work. The governments and dynasties in China have a long history of having adopted policies that conform to the cultural traditions of China. China has been witness to different historical eras which were much influenced by the cultural beliefs of the people. They came to affect politics and in turn politics and the government played their role in affecting culture. Through their effects on each other, they very much influenced and induced changes in the society. The first recorded era in Chinese history relates to the dynastic rule. The political culture inherited by China due to this long era centered on Confucian values. The political landscape and policies of the rulers were very much influenced by the cultural values which in turn were largely centered on Confucian values. These values related to harmony, order and a deep rooted sense of hierarchy which specified subservient and superior positions. Cultural identity of China was strengthen and affected by the politics as the policy of the government which ensured China's relative isolation with the rest of the world induced strong feelings of cultural identity among the masses. This cultural identity which was a high degree of “ethnocentrism” gave the people and the rulers a feeling of superiority and they came out to view their culture as being superior to other cultures (Shenkar ...