The Han nationality is the largest ancient ethnic group in the world. It has a long history, developed culture, adheres to agriculture and respects ancestors and elders.

Customs and Habits of the Han Nationality

Cultural Beliefs

The Han nationality traditionally believes in Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. In the social foundation of Confucian culture, Taoism, Buddhism Many scholars are respectful! However, unfortunately, under the impact of Western culture in modern times, people's utilitarian ideas have gradually taken over the mainstream form, while China's traditional culture and religion have gradually declined. Many people believe in Christianity, Catholicism and other Western religions. The Han nationality, also known as the Chinese or Tang people in Southeast Asia, is the main ethnic group in China and the most populous ethnic group in the world. At present, the Han population is approximately 1.3 billion, accounting for 19% of the world's total population, and is distributed throughout the world. In addition to the four places on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, Han people are also widely distributed in Southeast Asia and North America.

The history of the formation of the Han nationality

From about 5000 BC, the Huaxia nationality, the main body of the current Han nationality, originated in the Yellow River Basin and began to gradually develop, entering the Neolithic period, and successively experienced Matrilineal and patrilineal clan commune stages. In 2700 BC, a tribe named Ji was active in central Shaanxi. The leader was Huangdi. To the south there was a tribe named Jiang headed by Emperor Yan. There were frequent frictions between the two sides. The two tribes finally broke out. At the Battle of Banquan, the Yellow Emperor defeated the Yan Emperor. After that, the two tribes formed an alliance and conquered various surrounding tribes. The predecessor of the Huaxia tribe came into being. According to the legends recorded in the pre-Qin documents, the ancestors of the Han nationality had close relationships with the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties. Within the scope of Lidu, the ancient ancestors of the Han people generally took the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River from Longshan in the west to Taishan in the east as their activity areas; the two types of Neolithic cultures, Yangshao Culture and Longshan Culture, which are mainly distributed in this area, are generally considered to be That is, the cultural relics of the ancient ancestors of the Han people. Ancient legends also describe that the ancestors of the Han nationality experienced a long period of primitive commune system. Before the Yellow Emperor, the matrilineal clan tribe went through the stage of "knowing the mother but not knowing the father" (see matrilineal clan system); the legend about the Yellow Emperor marks the transformation from matrilineal clan tribe to patrilineal clan tribe (see patrilineal clan system), and has Enter the tribal alliance stage. Legend has it that after the Yellow Emperor, Yao, Shun, and Yu, who successively abdicated as leaders of the large tribal alliances, were considered to be the descendants of the Yellow Emperor. In the 21st century BC, the primitive commune system in the Central Plains came to an end, and class society appeared in the Yellow River. On the land of the middle and lower reaches plains. From the 21st century BC onward, several dynasties emerged one after another: the Xia (approximately 21st century BC to 16th century BC), the Shang (approximately 16th century BC to 11th century BC), and the Western Zhou Dynasty (approximately 11th century BC to 771 BC). First, it is located between the Yellow River and its tributaries Wei, Fen, Yi and Luoxia to Heji and the upper reaches of the Huaihe River tributaries Ru and Ying; then it develops to the vast areas of the Huaihe River, Sishui River, Yangtze River and Hanshui River. During the Western Zhou Dynasty, the clan names of Hua, Xia, or Huaxia together appeared to distinguish them from Man, Yi, Rong, and Di. However, at this time, the distinction between Hua and Yi was not very strict. During the Spring and Autumn Period (770 BC to 476 BC), the concept of the superiority and inferiority of Chinese and barbarians was already very strong. At that time, race and culture were both valued as the criteria for distinguishing Chinese and barbarians, with culture being the most important factor. Huayi people can often change places with each other due to factors such as etiquette, costumes and other factors. Qin and Chu are not only called "Zhuxia" together with Qi, Yan, Han, Zhao, and Wei, but they are also the two most powerful Chinese princes. The seven heroes combined vertically, horizontally, merged, and fought, but the clans were the same, forming a unified trend among the Xia. As a result, Huaxia became a stable clan, and its distribution area has reached the middle and lower reaches of the Liaohe River in the northeast, the Taohe River Basin in the northwest, and Bashu and Guizhou in the southwest. Southeast Hunan, Hunan, Wuyue and other vast areas. Qin Shihuang unified China and established the Qin Dynasty, and then the Han Dynasty was established and ruled China for more than 400 years. During this period, China's territory expanded unprecedentedly. At this time, the Han population was still concentrated in the Yellow River and Huaihe River basins. From the end of the Western Jin Dynasty, the Five Husties disrupted China. The Han population gradually migrated on a large scale to the Yangtze River, the Pearl River and southeastern China. During the period from the Western Jin Dynasty to the establishment of the Sui Dynasty, the Han people entered Central Asia and Yunnan. By the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the Han population in the south had exceeded that in the north. Later, the Manchus prohibited Han people from leaving the country and entering the Northeast. In the late Qing Dynasty, in order to enrich the frontiers, the Han people were allowed to enter Northeast China. When Zhang Zuolin ruled the Northeast, a large number of Han people from Shandong were introduced. Since the Ming Dynasty, Han people began to immigrate to Southeast Asia sporadically, and from the 19th century onwards, Han people immigrated to Europe, North America and other places.

Language

The language of the Han nationality is Chinese, which is written in Chinese characters.

Chinese belongs to the Sino-Tibetan language family. According to the more common classification method in academia, it can be divided into seven major dialects: Northern Dialect (Mandarin dialect), Wu, Xiang, Gan, Hakka, Min, and Cantonese (there are many different classification methods. See the entry on Chinese dialects). In recent years, many scholars believe that Pinghua in Guangxi and Jin dialect in Shanxi should be ranked alongside the other seven major dialects. The provisions of standard Chinese language vary in different regions where the Han people are located. Mainland China, Taiwan, and Singapore set it as standard Mandarin (a language developed based on Beijing dialect in the Mandarin area, and its titles are different depending on the location. Mandarin, Mandarin, Chinese), Hong Kong positioning standard Cantonese (Cantonese). Chinese characters are written in traditional Chinese characters and simplified Chinese characters. In addition, some scholars also divide the Fujian dialects into southern Fujian dialects and northern Fujian dialects. These dialects have their own distribution areas, and each dialect can be subdivided into different regions, thus forming a complex language state of Chinese dialects, in which the north and the south are incompatible with each other. Nevertheless, due to the high degree of unity of Chinese characters, which has a strong cohesive effect on the Han nationality, it seems that we can say without exaggeration: without Chinese characters, there would be no Han nationality.

Economic Development

The Han people have always been known for their hard work, frugality and creative spirit. The economy is mainly based on agriculture, with family sideline businesses. This natural economy of "men farming and women weaving" has always had an absolute advantage in ancient China. Agriculture is the main material foundation of ancient Chinese civilization. Agricultural production has always been developed in history, and it is especially famous for its developed water conservancy irrigation and intensive farming. Many water conservancy projects have been built in the past dynasties, some of which have been beneficial to this day. For example, in the middle of the 3rd century BC, the Dujiangyan Irrigation System built under the leadership of Qin Shu Governor Li Bing not only made the Chengdu Plain a famous granary in the country in ancient times and enjoyed the reputation of the "Land of Abundance", it still benefits the Chengdu Plain today. Dujiangyan can be regarded as a typical representative of ancient water conservancy and irrigation projects. In terms of farming technology, the Han people and their ancestors have always focused on farming time, soil improvement, rotation of cultivated land, fertilization, moisture conservation, seed selection, cultivating new varieties, and improving agricultural tools. At the same time, they have also continued to absorb new technologies from various ethnic groups in the country and even from abroad. crop varieties and learn farming techniques. As a result, it not only created a yield that was very high in ancient times, but also had a rich variety of crops that was rare in the world. The handicraft industry also has a fairly high level of development. On the basis of highly developed agriculture and handicraft production, ancient science and technology such as astronomy, mathematics, agriculture, medicine, smelting, architecture, etc. have all shined in the history of world civilization and development. The inventions of papermaking and printing, fire Medicines are used in warfare, compasses are used in navigation, and technologies such as sericulture, silk weaving, porcelain making, and tea making have made outstanding contributions to the development of world culture, science and technology. Business also developed to a certain extent in ancient times. In addition to the farming ethnic areas represented by the Han people, China also has numerous ethnic groups in nomadic areas, hunting areas and fishing and hunting areas. The exchange of agricultural, handicraft products, livestock and hunting products and other local products between these two groups of ethnic groups , not only meet the needs of life, but also promote the production and development of people of all ethnic groups. The "Tea-Horse Mutual Trade" formed since the Tang and Song Dynasties is the main form of mutual economic complementation and exchange between the Han people and other ethnic groups. The development of commerce, in turn, is conducive to the development of agriculture and handicrafts. By the middle and late Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the sprouts of capitalism had emerged, especially in the handicraft workshops and commerce of some towns in the Jiangnan region. The sprouts of capitalism had developed to a certain extent. From the mid-to-late 19th century to the 1930s, China's modern industry also developed to a certain extent, mainly in areas along the coast and in inland large and medium-sized cities with relatively developed transportation where Han people lived together.

Architectural forms

Due to the vast distribution area of ??the Han people, their traditional houses have different styles depending on the region. The traditional houses of the Han people living in the North China Plain are mostly bungalows with brick and wood structures, and the courtyards are mostly courtyards, represented by Beijing courtyard houses. The traditional houses of the Han people living in the Northeast are basically similar to those in North China, with the difference being the walls and roofs. , the houses there are generally very thick, mainly to keep warm; the Han people living in northern Shaanxi dig cave dwellings for housing based on the characteristics of the Loess Plateau's thick soil and low underground water level. The cave dwellings are not only warm in winter and cool in summer, but also do not occupy cultivated land. Area; The traditional houses of the Han people living in the south are mainly wooden houses, which pay attention to the structure of flying eaves, heavy pavilions and lumao. Due to different customs and natural conditions in various parts of the South, there are also differences in the layout of housing buildings. For example, buildings in hilly and mountainous areas are built along the mountains; water towns in Jiangsu and Zhejiang focus on the front streets and rivers; the earth buildings in Fujian are large and beautiful; and the pavilions in Suzhou are small and beautiful.

Regardless of the Han people in the south or the north, the common characteristics of their traditional houses are that they face south and pay attention to indoor lighting; they use wooden beams to bear the load, and use bricks, stones, and earth to build protective walls; the main hall is the center, and they are decorated with carved beams and paintings. The roof and eaves are good.

Culture and Art

The Han people created splendid culture and art in ancient times with distinctive characteristics. Regardless of the fields of politics, military, philosophy, economics, history, natural sciences, literature, art, etc., there are many representative figures and works with far-reaching influence. During the Western Zhou Dynasty, a complete cultural achievement was formed, which is the culture of ritual and music. The Zhou rituals are very complicated. According to the "Zhou Rites", there are five rituals: auspicious, unlucky, military, guest, and Jia. Music was attached great importance to in the Western Zhou Dynasty, and there were specialized officials to manage it. , there are also music officials recorded in bronze inscriptions. Zhou Dynasty music and dance such as "Da Wu" was composed by King Wu of Zhou Ke Shang. The Zhou Dynasty had a relatively complete education system. The six arts of "ritual", "music", "shooting", "imperial", "calligraphy" and "numerology" were the cultural education content of the nobility of the Zhou Dynasty. China's earliest classics such as "Book of Changes" and "Shangshu" ", "The Book of Songs", "Zhou Rites", "The Book of Music" (lost), and "Spring and Autumn" all came from this period, as well as the theories of various scholars in the Spring and Autumn Period. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, various vassal states in China witnessed a lively scene of a hundred schools of thought contending. The achievements of various ideological and academic schools reflected the ancient Greek civilization of the East and West at roughly the same time. During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty (reigned from 141 BC to 87 BC), the policy of "deposing hundreds of schools of thought and respecting Confucianism alone" was implemented. As a result, Confucianism represented by Confucius and Mencius became the ruling ideology, ruling the ancient thought and culture of the Han people for nearly 2000 years. , affecting other ethnic minorities to varying degrees, and even affecting China’s neighboring countries. In terms of ancient military theory, the famous military work "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu was published as early as the late Spring and Autumn Period. In the early years of the Western Han Dynasty, 182 schools of military art were sorted out, especially the "Seven Books of Martial Arts", which has been a must-read for martial arts since the Song Dynasty, and concentrated the essence of ancient military works. Paying attention to historiography is also a prominent feature of Han cultural history. Since Sima Qian wrote "Historical Records", all dynasties have had historical books in the chronological and biographical style. By the Qing Dynasty, the famous "Twenty-Four Histories" had been formed; the chronological style was represented by "Spring and Autumn", "Zuo Zhuan", and "Zi Zhi Tong Jian"; and other various Chronicles, late-style history books, ancient histories, miscellaneous histories, local historical records, historical theories and other official and private writings have made China the country with the richest ancient historical documents in the world, most of which were written by Han scholars. In terms of natural science, the achievements of astronomy and mathematics have always attracted the attention of the world, including Zhang Heng (78-139), Zu Chongzhi (429-500), Yixing (common name Zhang Sui, 683-727), Guo Shoujing (1231-1316) etc. have been recognized as world cultural celebrities. Ancient agriculture often includes various achievements of ancient science and technology. According to incomplete statistics, more than 370 agricultural books have been lost and circulated to this day in more than 2000 years, including "The Book of Si Sheng" and "The Essential Art of Qi Min". ", "Wang Zhen's Agricultural Book" and "Agricultural Policy Complete Book" are representative works of ancient agricultural works. In the development of ancient Chinese literature, the development of poetry played a prominent role. For example, the Book of Songs, Chu Songs, Yuefu, Tang Poems, Song Ci, etc. all have many writers and works with extremely high artistic achievements. Among them, Qu Yuan (about 340 BC - 278 BC), Li Bai (701～762), Du Fu (712～770), Liu Yong (about 987～about 1053), Su Shi (1037～1101), Lu You (1125～1210), Xin Qiji (1140～1207) and others, He not only shines in the history of Chinese literature, but is also recognized as a famous figure in the history of world literature. Prose includes the famous Qin and Han ancient prose. In the middle and late Tang Dynasty, Han Yu (768-824), Liu Zongyuan (773-819) and others advocated the restoration of the Qin and Han ancient prose movement, and to Ouyang Xiu (1007-1072), Su Xun (1009-1066) During the reign of Zeng Gong (1019-1083), Wang Anshi (1021-1086), Su Shi, and Su Che (1039-1112), the ancient prose movement achieved great success and was known as the "Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties". The creation of novels achieved great development in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Full-length masterpieces such as: "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms", "Journey to the West", "Water Margin", "The Scholars"; short story collections such as: "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio" are all well-known. . There are also many ethnic minority writers who also use Chinese to create, and have produced many famous writers and masterpieces, among which "A Dream of Red Mansions" is the most outstanding masterpiece. In other fields such as painting, calligraphy, arts and crafts, music, dance, drama, folk art, etc., there are many famous artists who are famous at home and abroad, and they have achieved amazing artistic achievements.

In the development of these arts, it especially shows that the Han people are good at learning and absorbing the strengths of other ethnic groups to develop their arts and form a unique style. There is also a long history of compilation of some great books. The "Beitang Shuchao", "Yiwen Leiju", "Taiping Yulan", "Cefu Yuangui", etc. of the Tang and Song Dynasties, especially the "Yongle Dadian" and "Book Collection" of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, can be said to be world-class. The famous ancient encyclopedia not only shows the glorious achievements of ancient Chinese culture with Han culture as the main body, but also shows the spirit of cooperation and mutual learning between ancient Han scholars and minority scholars.

Han Music

The Han people are a nation with a musical tradition. Han music has a long history and unique creations. Before the Qin Dynasty, the ancestors of the Han nationality had created musical instruments and music, and invented music rhythms. During the prosperous period of the Han and Tang Dynasties, Han nationality music was famous for its singing and dancing music; after the Song and Yuan Dynasties, it was dominated by opera music. Today's world-recognized musical temperament systems, such as the law of fifths (called the law of thirds by the Han people), pure temperament, and equal temperament, were all independently invented by the Han people. Their results, like the convergence of wheels, have merged into the axis of world music theory.

Eating Habits

Staple Food

The staple food of the Han people is mainly rice and wheat, supplemented by vegetables, meat and soy products. Tea and wine are the traditional beverages of the Han people . The main way to eat rice is rice, and there are various other foods such as porridge, rice noodles, rice cakes, glutinous rice balls, rice dumplings, rice cakes, etc.; for wheat, there are steamed buns, noodles, flower rolls, steamed buns, dumplings, wontons, fried dough sticks, spring rolls, fried dough sticks, etc. How to eat cakes, pancakes, etc. The Han people pay attention to and are good at cooking. The Han people in different regions use cooking methods such as stir-frying, roasting, pan-frying, boiling, steaming, roasting and cold salad to form different local flavors. Han cuisine is generally divided into eight major cuisines: Sichuan, Cantonese, Fujian, Anhui, Shandong, Hunan, Zhejiang and Jiangsu.

Drinking tea

Wine and tea are the two main beverages of the Han people. China is Tea Reprinted from 100%.com/system_file/minority/hanzu/fengsu.htm