Chinese Culture Fading as the Country Urbanizes

[Frodo]

Price of progress?

In China, ‘Once the Villages Are Gone, the Culture Is Gone’

By IAN JOHNSON
FEB. 1, 2014

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[Tetro Kornbluth]

Culture is just a term to indicate what people do, so the false dichotomy is false and a dichotomy.

[World politics is up Schmitt creek]

Culture is just a term to indicate what people do, so the false dichotomy is false and a dichotomy.

While strictly speaking true, that seems somewhat obscurantist to the extent that people or groups of people often perceive their sets of things that they do as falling into some sort of continuity or narrative.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

No different to what happened (and continues to happen) elsewhere.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

Culture is just a term to indicate what people do, so the false dichotomy is false and a dichotomy.

While strictly speaking true, that seems somewhat obscurantist to the extent that people or groups of people often perceive their sets of things that they do as falling into some sort of continuity or narrative.

But is it the same narrative everywhere? Or even within each 'culture'?

[World politics is up Schmitt creek]

Culture is just a term to indicate what people do, so the false dichotomy is false and a dichotomy.

While strictly speaking true, that seems somewhat obscurantist to the extent that people or groups of people often perceive their sets of things that they do as falling into some sort of continuity or narrative.

But is it the same narrative everywhere? Or even within each 'culture'?

No, of course not, which is why it's definitely possible to interpret 'culture' in an excessively static and essentialist way. I don't think that that invalidates the premise of this article.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

Culture is just a term to indicate what people do, so the false dichotomy is false and a dichotomy.

While strictly speaking true, that seems somewhat obscurantist to the extent that people or groups of people often perceive their sets of things that they do as falling into some sort of continuity or narrative.

But is it the same narrative everywhere? Or even within each 'culture'?

No, of course not, which is why it's definitely possible to interpret 'culture' in an excessively static and essentialist way. I don't think that that invalidates the premise of this article.

I think you mean 'impossible'.

Of course it doesn't invalidate the article. Only the argument that this is necessarily a bad thing or that Chinese are losing some essential 'Chinese-ness'.

[World politics is up Schmitt creek]

I think you mean 'impossible'.

I mean 'possible'. It's possible and undesirable to interpret the idea of culture in a manner that gives it too much credit as some sort of independent entity.

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Certainly--although one can imagine other, legitimate, arguments for the view that this situation is lamentable, including some that do take the idea of culture and involve it in some more developed position, it's true that waving that idea around like a magic wand really doesn't do that.

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This is, of course, ridiculous.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

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Ok, it might be possible. But would it give you a correct answer? Me? I'm skeptical.

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Of course you can, but could you mind elaborating on what these are?

I mean, we have to ask, what do the Chinese think of it? Especially those migrating.

[World politics is up Schmitt creek]

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Ok, it might be possible. But would it give you a correct answer? Me? I'm skeptical.

That's what I'm saying. Possible and undesirable.

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Of course you can, but could you mind elaborating on what these are?[/quote]

Some of these are more legitimate than others, but these are some of the perspectives that come to mind:

1. Ideological, aesthetic, or lifestyle preference for the real or perceived content of the variety of Chinese culture that is fading over that of the variety of Chinese culture that is in the ascendant.
2. Ideological, aesthetic, or lifestyle preference for ruralities over urbanities.
3. Belief that, while cultures aren't mystical monolithic entities that mustn't change, having a multitude of cultural perspectives in the world is a good thing and diminishing that multitude a bad one, and that the effect of the current cultural changes in China is to bring (some variety of) Chinese culture closer into conformity with some other culture in a way that causes it to lose differentiating features.
4. Dislike for or spite towards the current government of China and desire to see its social policies fail (you could obviously argue against the legitimacy of this one; I certainly wouldn't consider it a praiseworthy reason to disapprove of something like this).
5. Concerns about the demographic and economic effects of urbanization on the remaining population of the countryside (could in some cases fall under 2).

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I'd love to see a recent study of this if there are any.

[tik 🪀✨]

What the hell is "Chinese culture" that it cannot adapt to urbanisation? Or is it simply that this "Chinese culture" is, in essence, just living a rural lifestyle? That's not culture, that's just.. circumstances. As though urban environments are not somehow Chinese or that the rural way of life is worth preserving because it is different or old. It's worth remembering and recording, maybe it's worth studying to stay in touch with your roots, but there's not really any reason in my mind to care at all. It's neither good nor bad, and it's also not real. Culture is always evolving, things are always "fading" and many things are "gone." Perhaps what's growing and here is leading to a more vibrant Chinese culture in the future.

[Beet]

"Chinese culture" is not dying, it's just changing- hopefully into something more dynamic. The Cultural Revolution was a pretty big shock to "Chinese culture" as well... as was the introduction of Buddhism.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

At the very least the word 'dynamic' ought to be banned in this sort of context.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

People have to stop talking in abstractions when referring to people.

[Beet]

At the very least the word 'dynamic' ought to be banned in this sort of context.

The ability to change is one of the hallmarks of cultural survival (and perpetuation).

[Foucaulf]

An article that, though misguided, does make two points:

1. "urbanization" is too vague to describe the land seizure occurring in the countryside. Early on in the decade the central government tried to promote reinvestment in villages, but that has changed as stimulus money prefers demolition and reconstruction. Actually, the article is very focused on this: someone screwed up with the headline.

2. The CCP have had unprecedented success in improving literacy, but only through imposing a standard curriculum. There is serious debate over how languages in the South can be conserved, as well as the integrity of minority populations. It's an economic question as well, as shown by the U.S.'s so-called cultural capital.

[TheDeadFlagBlues]

This is what the term "modernization" means in practice and this is the case for a reason.

[Storebought]

A good thing if it means less demand for Chinese traditional 'medicine,' but I am probably being too optimistic.