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Zhengzhou University

Culture of China: From Classical to Contemporary

Zhengzhou University via XuetangX

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Overview

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    Culture of China: From Classical to Contemporary systematically expounds the core elements of Chinese culture in such fields as history, philosophy, science and technology, and art, while in-depth interpreting the context of its innovation and development in the contemporary era. Based on classical Chinese culture, the course content guides learners to gain insight into the origin, development and future trend of the Chinese cultural context and profoundly understand the core essence of the Chinese national spirit by exploring vivid contemporary Chinese stories. The course content not only covers important themes of Chinese culture, but also incorporates the regional characteristics of Henan. It includes aspects such as myths and legends, beautiful China, food culture, science and technology, artistic aesthetics, language and characters, philosophical wisdom, Henan stories and cultural communication.

    The course is taught in English with simultaneous Chinese and English bilingual subtitles, realizing the organic integration of language learning and cultural literacy improvement. It aims to cultivate learners' cross-cultural thinking ability and second language communication skills to meet their practical needs in cross-cultural communication scenarios. For foreign learners who are keen on Chinese culture, this course is even more a cultural bridge connecting China and foreign countries, helping learners to deeply perceive a real, three-dimensional and comprehensive China, promoting the wide spread of the Chinese voice on the international stage, and enhancing the two-way understanding and in-depth integration of Chinese and foreign cultures.



Syllabus

  • Unit 1 Origin of China: Myths and Legends（中华起源：神话与传说）
    • 1.1 The Origin of Chinese Mythology（中国神话的起源）
    • 1.2 Features of Chinese Mythology（中国神话的特点）
    • 1.3 Myth is “Imaginary Science”（神话是“幻想的科学”）
    • 1.4 Contemporary Chinese Myth of Yugong Moving the Mountain: The Red Flag Canal（当代中国神话愚公移山：红旗渠）
    • 1.5 Contemporary Chinese Myth of Chang’e Flying to the Moon: China’s Lunar Exploration Project（当代中国神话嫦娥奔月：中国探月工程）
  • Unit 2 Land of Miracles: Beautiful China（奇迹之地：美丽中国）
    • 2.1 China’s World Cultural Heritage（中国世界文化遗产）
    • 2.2 Protection of China’s Cultural Heritage（中国文化遗产保护）
    • 2.3 Building a Beautiful and Harmonious Country（建设美丽和谐中国）
    • 2.4 Eco-Environmental Protection（生态环境保护）
  • Unit 3 Chinese Food Culture（中国饮食文化）
    • 3.1 Chinese Cuisine（中国烹饪）
    • 3.2 Chinese Tea Culture（中国茶文化）
    • 3.3 The Culture of Tea: From China to the World（茶文化：从中国到世界）
    • 3.4 Science and Technology Empower Food Security（科技赋能粮食安全）
  • Unit 4 Chinese Science & Technology（中国科学与技术）
    • 4.1 China’s Four Great Inventions（中国四大发明）
    • 4.2 Chinese Astronomy and Calendar（中国天文历法）
    • 4.3 Traditional Chinese Medicine（中医药）
    • 4.4 China’s Aerospace Industry（中国航天）
  • Unit 5 Chinese Art & Aesthetics（中国艺术与审美）
    • 5.1 Chinese Calligraphy（中国书法）
    • 5.2 Chinese Painting（中国绘画）
    • 5.3 Chinese Classical Garden（中国古典园林）
    • 5.4 Traditional Chinese Aesthetics（中国传统美学）
  • Unit 6 Chinese Language & Characters（中国语言文字）
    • 6.1 The Origin and Development of Chinese Characters（汉字的起源与发展）
    • 6.2 Construction Principles of Chinese Characters（汉字的构造原理）
    • 6.3 Traditional and Simplified Chinese Characters（繁体字与简体字）
    • 6.4 Contemporary New Wave: Mandarin Fever（当代新浪潮“汉语热”）
  • Unit 7 Chinese Wisdom & Philosophy （中国智慧与哲学）
    • 7.1 Confucian Thought on Heaven and Humanity（儒家的天人思想）
    • 7.2 Laozi’s Philosophy of Non-action（自然无为的老子哲学）
    • 7.3 How Confucianism Shaped China（儒家思想如何塑造中国）
    • 7.4 Daoism and Chinese Ecological Philosophy（道家思想与中国生态智慧）
  • Unit 8 The Source of China: The Story of Henan（中华源：河南故事）
    • 8.1 The Yellow River Culture and the Central Plains Culture（黄河文化与中原文化）
    • 8.2 Cultural Symbols of the Central Plains（中原文化符号）
    • 8.3 Protection and Inheritance of the Central Plains Culture（中原文化保护与传承）
    • 8.4 Revival of the Central Plains Culture（中原文化复兴）
  • Unit 9 Cultural Exchange & Communication of China（中国文化交流与传播）
    • 9.1 Cultural Exchanges in Ancient China: Silk Road（中国古代文化交流：丝绸之路）
    • 9.2 Famous Cultural Messengers in Ancient China（中国古代著名文化使者）
    • 9.3 The New Silk Road: The Belt and Road Initiative（新丝路：一带一路）
    • 9.4 Chinese Culture Going Global（中国文化出海）
  • Final Exam

    Taught by

    Li Heng, Wang Yanling, Zhang Rui, and Shang Yabo

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