A Comparative Essay about Culture of Pakistan and China

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 andcooking 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 tosubarctic 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.