Comparative
Study Of Pakistani & Chinese Cultures
This section will draw a comparison between Chinese
and Pakistani cultures focusing on diversified and pluralistic aspects from the
both sides by considering different parameters of the culture. The comparison
between these cultures has been discussed by taking care of material and
non-material aspects of both cultures. These both cultures immerse strong and
momentous roots with a milestone of thousands of years in spectra of
civilization.
Both countries share different Ideologies,
architecture, food, arts and crafts, festivals, ethical values, customs,
traditions, political setup, educational polices and religious beliefs within a
friendly borders; all these parameters are interconnected to the ancestral
teachings, philosophies by their idiosyncratic minds of their forefathers.
Although, they have different ideologies, religious
beliefs and style of life but both share a common border of love, harmony and
respect following the humanistic ethical and moralistic dimensions and always
strives to contribute for peace, unity and integration by contributing their
share to global index.
Culture is a way of life. The food you eat,
the clothes you wear, the language you speak in and the God you worship all are
aspects of culture. In very simple terms, we can say that culture is the
embodiment of the way in which we think and do things. It is also the things
that we have inherited as members of society. All the achievements of human
beings as members of social groups can be called culture. Art, music,
literature, architecture, sculpture, philosophy, religion and science can be
seen as aspects of culture. However, culture also includes the customs,
traditions, festivals, ways of living and one’s outlook on various issues of
life.
Culture is the
expression of our nature in our modes of living and thinking. It may be seen in
our literature, in religious practices, in recreation and enjoyment. Culture
has two distinctive components, namely, material and non-material. Material
culture consists of objects that are related to the material aspect of our life
such as our dress, food, and household goods. Non-material culture refers to
ideas, ideals, thoughts and belief and
it varies from place to place and country to country.
The three eternal and
universal values Truth, Beauty and Goodness, are closely linked with culture.
It is the culture that brings us closer to truth through philosophy and
religion; it brings beauty in our lives through the Arts and makes us aesthetic
beings; and it is culture that makes us ethical beings by bringing us closer to
other human beings and teaching us the values of love, tolerance and peace.
Culture of Pakistan
Culture
is sign of nation. Every country contains different culture. And those cultures
are very important for their country. "Culture is the sum of all the forms
of art, of love, and of thought, which, in the course or centuries, have
enabled man to be less enslaved "(Andre Malraux quotes)
Culture
regulates his conduct and prepares him for a group life. And I think culture is
a need of nation. In every aspect of life culture plays an important role in
the life of man. Culture is also very important for a country, because it is
also important for increasing the economy. And it is also important for living
in a community. And in this quotation it tells us about the culture that is
"people can only live fully by helping other to live. When you give life
to friends you truly live. Culture can only realize their further richness by
honoring other tradition. And only by respecting natural life can humanity
continue to exist."
(Daisaku
Ikeda ) Culture is the identity of
people. If it ended then the man will be
half dead. Culture distinguishes a man from the animal. It is the culture that
makes a man from an animal. Culture is important for the structure of old
tradition. It is the basic need of people.
There
is also a contact of culture and culture. Religious people also like the
culture, because it consists of systematic pattern of beliefs, its behavior and
the values. That is acquired by people as a member. However there is not same
all things in the religion, there are difference of interpretation of principal
and meaning. "No culture can live, if it attempts to be exclusive. ( Mahatma Gandhi quotes )
There
is not same culture in whole of the country. Different areas having the
different culture. And they are famous by their culture. In Pakistan there are
different provinces and they contain different style of living, different
languages, different dresses style and many different things. In Pakistan there
is five provinces that name is Punjab, Sindh, Baluchistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
and Gilgit Baltistan. And these all province contain different culture.
Punjab
is the great province of Pakistan. And its culture is also one of the oldest in
the history of the world. And its culture is very famous. People of Punjab
adopted different cultures. Bhangra is one of special art and culture of
Punjab. It is also listened in the west. Punjabi classical music is also very
popular in all over the Pakistan and in the other countries. And about food
Punjab has contain immense range of dishes. And "sarso ka saag",
"Maki ki roti"and "Lassi" are the well-known dishes of the
Punjab. And different languages are spoken in the Punjab like Punjabi, maji,
potohari and saraiki.
Sindh
has also adopting different style of living. And contain also different
culture. Sindhi language is almost spoken in Sindh. And there is many traditional
sports are playing in Sindh. The famous sports that are the part of culture are
following Wanjh Wati, Kodi, Thipai Rand, Notinn and Biloor.Sindhi music has its
qualities. Sufi music is performed at shrines, it is there tradition and other
different music is performed at gatherings. Ajrak is their traditional shawl.
It is a unique form of block printed shawl and titles. Commonly Ajrak is made
by the simple colors like red, blue, green, black and yellow. And on different
occasions, the Folk dance of Bhagat is performed to entertain the tourist.
Sindhi cultural festival is a compound of folk dance and music.
Baluchistan
is the big province of Pakistan. The main languages in the Baluchistan is
Balochi, which is spoken in the west, east, south and south-east, Pashto is
also spoken in the north and north-west
and Brahui in the center of Baluchistan. In areas bordering Central western
Punjab Saraiki is mostly spoken. There are also some people speaks Hazaragi Persian, Urdu and Punjabi in the
capital Quetta. Farsi Persian is also spoken.
Khyber
pakhtunkhwa is also the province of Pakistan. In this province mostly Pashto
language spoken. Hindko is mostly spoken in eastern parts of Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa, the Hazara Division, and especially in Abbottabad, Mansehra, and
Haripur, and also in the city of Peshawar but at minority. Hindko and Pashto
folk music is the tradition of this province. And mostly Pashto songs are
singing in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Azad
Kashmir is also the part of Pakistan. It is very beautiful place of the world.
Many different cultures are in the Kashmir. People come here to see the culture
and by this it increases the economy of the country and specially Kashmir.
Different songs, different dresses are their tradition.
Gilgit
Baltistan is the province of Pakistan. It is the most beautiful place in the
world. Different dances are performed there. One is Old Man Dance, this dance
is performed by more than one man wear some old style dresses and wear local
hat and dance. Second is Sword Dance, this unique dance is performed by men
taking one sword in right and Shield in left hand. One to six participants in
pair can perform dance. Third is Cow Boy Dance, this unique dance is performed
by a man wear earlier period dress, long
leather shoes and a stick has in hand. They are fond of music. In music
instruments that are commonly used in Gilgit Baltistan are, Dadang (drum),
Damal and Surnai while some other instruments like Sitar, Gabi (flute) Rubab
and duff that represent the different areas. Beside these khling-boo, chang,
porgho-too instruments are used in this region. Traditional sport game of
Gilgit Baltistan is polo. Polo was originally started from Gilgit centuries ago
and Britisher learned to play Polo from Gilgit during their stay in sub-continent.
It is still played in its original version at Gilgit. And this is the culture
and tradition of the Gilgit Baltistan. When polo starts then many people from
different areas come here to see the polo and their culture and this increases
the economy of that area.
These
all are very important cultures of the Pakistan. And through these cultures
economy of Pakistan is increasing.
v
CUSINE
Culinary art in Pakistan mainly a mix of
Indian cuisines with some Middle Eastern and Afghan influence. There are variations
of cooking practices across the country, mostly from spicy in Punjab and Sindh
to steamed and boiled in NWFP and Balochistan. Urban centers of the country
offer an amalgamation of recipes from all parts of the country, while food with
specific local ingredients and tastes is available in rural areas and villages.
Different specialties exist throughout the country mostly different type of
rice like Biryani, Pulao or Boiled rice with vegetables and meat are used with
Korma and desserts. There are also local forms of grilled meat or kebabs, Kheer
desserts, and a variety of hot and cold drinks.
v
Festivals
and Observance
·
Ramadan
Ramadan, the holiest month of the Islamic
calendar, is a month of fasting from dawn to sunset. It is widely observed by
Pakistan's Muslim majority. Muslims during this month will fast, attend mosques
with increased frequency, and offer "Namaz-traveeh" every day with
Isha prayer and recite Qur'an. Special foods are cooked in greater quantities,
parties are held, and special accommodation is made by workplaces and
educational institutes.
·
Chand
Raat And EID celebrations
ja Chand Raat is the Moon night when
crescent moon is sighted on last day of Islamic month of Ramadan and next day
is Eid ul-Fitr. In the night known as Chand Raat, people celebrate by various
means, such as girls putting henna on their hands. People buy gifts and sweets
that will be given to friends and families who come over to celebrate the end
of Ramadan
The two Eids, Eid ul-Fitr and Eid ul-Adha,
commemorate the passing of the month of fasting, Ramadan, and the willingness
of Ibrahim to sacrifice his son Ismael for Allah. On these days, there are
national holidays and many festival events that take place to celebrate
Eid.
On Eid ul-Fitr, money is given for charity and
as gifts to young children. On Eid ul-Adha, people may also distribute meat to
relatives and neighbors and donate food to charity.
v
Architecture
The architecture of the areas now
constituting Pakistan can be traced to four distinct periods: pre-Islamic,
Islamic, colonial, and post-colonial. With the beginning of the Indus
civilization around the middle of the 3rd millennium[2] B.C., an advanced urban
culture developed for the first time in the region, with large structural
facilities, some of which survive to this day.[3] Mohenjo Daro, Harappa and Kot
Diji belong to the pre-Islamic era settlements. The rise of Buddhism, Guptas,
Mouryas, and the Persian and Greek influence led to the development of the
Greco-Buddhist style, starting from the 1st century CE. The high point of this
era was reached with the culmination of the Gandhara style. An example of
Buddhist architecture is the ruins of the Buddhist monastery Takht-i-Bahi in
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
The arrival of Islam in today's Pakistan
introduced the classical Islamic construction techniques into Pakistan's
architectural landscape.[4] However, a smooth transition to predominantly
picture-less Islamic architecture occurred. The town of Uch Sharif contains the
tombs of Bibi Jawindi, Baha'is-Halim, and Jalaluddin Bukhari, which are
considered some of the earliest examples of Islamic architecture in Pakistan
and are on the UNESCO Tentative World Heritage Site list since 2004.[5] One of
the most important of the few examples of the Persian style of architecture is
the tomb of the Shah Rukn-i-Alam in Multan. During the Mughal era, design
elements of Islamic-Persian architecture were fused with, and often produced
playful forms of, local art, resulting in the establishment of Mughal
Architecture. Lahore, occasional residence of Mughal rulers, exhibits a
multiplicity of important buildings from the empire, among them the Badshahi
mosque, the fortress of Lahore with the famous Alamgiri Gate, the colourful,
still strongly Mughal-influenced Wazir Khan Mosque as well as numerous other
mosques and mausoleums. The Shahjahan Mosque of Thatta in Sindh also originates
from the epoch of the Mughals, as does the Mohabbat Khan Mosque in Peshawar.
v
Philosophy
Pakistani philosophers include: Allama
Muhammad Iqbal, Irfan Muhammad (KU), M M Sharif, Khalifa Abdul Hakeem, C A
Qadir, Kazi A Kadir, Abdul Wahab Suri (KU), Ather Rasheed, Absar Ahmad, Intasar
ul Haq, Waheed Ali Farooqi, B H Sidiquei, Sajid Ali, Abdul Khaliq, Naeem Ahmed,
Abdul Hafeez, Muhammad Maroof, Mirza Ather Beig, Shahid Hossain, Fazlur Rehman,
Shehzad Qaiser, Manzoor Ahmed, Ghazala Irfan, Javed Bhuto, Syed Zafarul Hasan,
Robina Lodhi and Waqar Aslam.
Culture of China
Chinese culture is one of the world's oldest cultures, originating
thousands of years ago.[1][2] The area in which the culture is dominant
covers a large geographical region in eastern
Asia with customs and traditions
varying greatly between provinces,
cities, and even towns as well. With China being one of the earliest ancient civilizations,
Chinese culture is extremely diverse and varying, and it has a profound effect
in the philosophy, virtue, etiquette and traditions of Asia to
date.[3]
Chinese
culture is considered the dominant culture in East
Asia historically. Chinese language, ceramics, architecture, music, dance, literature, martial arts, cuisine, visual arts, philosophy, business etiquette, religion, politics and history have a profound impact on
the world, while its traditions and festivals are also celebrated,
instilled and practiced by people around Asia.
v
PHILOSOPHY
Chinese philosophy originates in the Spring and Autumn
period and Warring States period, during a period know as the "Hundred Schools of
Thought", which was characterized by significant intellectual and cultural
developments. Although much of Chinese philosophy begins in the Warring States
period, elements of Chinese philosophy have existed for several thousand year;
some can be found in the Yi Jing (the Book of Changes) an ancient compendium of
divination, which dates back to at least 672 BCE. It was during the Warring
States era that what Sima Tan termed the major philosophical schools of China:
Confucianism, Legalism, and Daoism, arose, along with philosophies that later
fell into obscurity, like Agriculturalism, Mohism, Chinese Naturalism, and the Logicians.
Confucianism, also known as Ruism, was always being the
official philosophy throughout most of Imperial China's history, and mastery of
Confucian texts was the primary criterion for entry into the imperial
bureaucracy. A number of more authoritarian strains of thought have also been
influential, such as Legalism. There was often conflict between the
philosophies, e.g. the Song Dynasty Neo-Confucians believed Legalism departed
from the original spirit of Confucianism. Examinations and a culture of merit
remain greatly valued in China today. In recent years, a number of New
Confucians (not to be confused with Neo-Confucianism) have advocated that
democratic ideals and human rights are quite compatible with traditional
Confucian "Asian values". Confucianism is described as tradition, a
philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a way of
governing, or simply a way of life. Confucianism developed from what was later
called the Hundred Schools of Thought from the teachings of the Chinese
philosopher Confucius (551–479 BCE), who considered himself a retransmitted of
the values of the Zhou dynasty golden age of several centuries before.[24] In
the Han dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE), Confucian approaches edged out the
"proto-Taoist" Huang-Lao, as the official ideology while the emperors
mixed both with the realist techniques of Legalism.
There are many Eras from which China has gone through,
which are
1. Early Beliefs
2. Ancient Philosophy
3. Early Imperial Era
Philosophy
4. Mid to Late Imperial
Era Philosophy
5. Modern Era
And then New
Confucianism.
New Confucianism is an intellectual
movement of Confucianism that began in the early 20th century in Republican
China, and revived in post-Mao era contemporary China. It is deeply influenced
by, but not identical with, the Neo-Confucianism of the Song and Ming
dynasties.
v
CUSINE
Chinese
cuisine is a very important part of Chinese
culture, which includes cuisine originating from the diverse regions of
China, as well as from Chinese people in other parts of the world. Because of
the Chinese Diaspora and historical power of the country, Chinese cuisine has
influenced many other cuisines in Asia, with modifications made to cater to local palates. The
preference for seasoning and cooking
techniques of Chinese provinces depend on differences in historical background and ethnic
groups. Geographic features including mountains,
rivers, forests and deserts also have a strong effect on the local available
ingredients, considering climate of China varies from tropical in the south to subarctic in the northeast. Imperial,
royal and noble preference also
plays a role in the change of Chinese cuisines. Because of imperial expansion
and trading, ingredients and cooking techniques from other cultures are
integrated into Chinese cuisines over time. The most praised "Four Major
Cuisines" are Chuan, Lu, Yue and Huaiyang, representing West, North, South and East China cuisine correspondingly.
Modern Eight Cuisines" of China are Anhui, Cantonese, Fujian, Hunan, Jiangsu, Shandong, Sichuan,
and Zhejiang cuisines. Color,
smell and taste are the three traditional aspects used to describe Chinese food,
as well as the meaning, appearance and nutrition of the food. Cooking should be
appraised from ingredients used, cuttings, cooking time and seasoning. It is
considered inappropriate to use knives on the dining table. Chopsticks are the main eating utensils for Chinese food, which can
be used to cut and pick up food.
v
ARCHITECTURE
Chinese architecture is
a style of architecture that has taken shape in East Asia over many centuries.
The structural principles of Chinese architecture have remained largely
unchanged, the main changes being only the decorative details. Since the Tang
dynasty, Chinese architecture has had a major influence on the architectural
styles of Korea, Vietnam, and Japan. Chinese architecture, examples for which
can be found from more than 2,000 years ago, is almost as old as Chinese
civilization and has long been an important hallmark of Chinese culture. There
are certain features common to Chinese architecture, regardless of specific
regions, different provinces or use. The most important is its emphasis on
width, such as the wide halls of the Forbidden City serve as an example. One
notable exception is in the design of gardens, which tends to be as asymmetrical
as possible. Like Chinese scroll paintings, the principle underlying the
garden's composition is to create enduring flow, to let the patron wander and
enjoy the garden without prescription, as in nature herself. Feng shui has
played a very important part in structural development. Chinese architecture
also have a huge influence on the architecture of East Asia, and to a lesser
extent, Southeast Asia as well. The Chinese garden is a landscape garden style
which has evolved over three thousand years. It includes both the vast gardens
of the Chinese emperors and members of the imperial family, built for pleasure
and to impress, and the more intimate gardens created by scholars, poets,
former government officials, soldiers and merchants, made for reflection and
escape from the outside world. They create an idealized miniature landscape,
which is meant to express the harmony that should exist between man and nature.
Comments
Post a Comment