Burmese Culture

Art has been closely intertwined with religion and royalty in Burman history. Temples, pagodas and palaces displayed the artistic skills of painters, wood carvers and sculptures. Temples and pagodas were traditionally built of brick and many are still standing. The great palaces, however, were made of wood, and only one badly-deteriorating example of these beautiful carved structures remains today. Art and architecture, which relied on royal support, faded when the last royal kingdom collapsed.
Although court culture has been extinguished, popular street-level culture is vibrant and thriving. Drama is the mainstay of this culture, and just about any celebration is a good excuse for a pwe (show). Performances may recount Buddhist legends, or be more light-hearted entertainments involving slapstick comedy, dance, ensemble singing or giant puppets. Burman music is an integral part of a pwe; it originates from Siam and emphasises rhythm and melody. Instruments are predominantly percussive and include drums, boat-shaped harps, gongs and bamboo flutes.
Off the record: Mind your manners Over 85% of Burman are Theravada Buddhist, although it is not the official state religion and since the Ne Win government takeover, it has actually officially occupied a less central role in Burman life. In the Rakhine region, towards Bangladesh, there are many Muslims. Christian missionaries have had some success among hill tribes but many remain staunch animists.
Burmese is the predominant language and has its own alphabet and script. Though you're hardly going to have time to master the alphabet, it may be worth learning the numerals, if only so you can read the bus numbers. English is spoken by a few Burmans, particularly by the older generation.
It's easier to buy authentic Burman dishes from food stalls rather than restaurants. Chinese and Indian eateries predominate, and hotel restaurants tend to remove much of the chilli and shrimp paste from their Burman dishes. Rice is the core of any Burman meal. To this is added a number of curry options and a spicy raw vegetable salad, and almost everything is flavoured with ngapi - a dried and fermented shrimp paste. Chinese tea is generally preferable to the over-strong, over-sweet and over-milky Burman tea. Sugar-cane juice is a very popular streetside drink, and stronger tipples include orange brandy, lychee wine and the alarming-sounding white liquor and jungle liquor.

Events

Festivals are drawn-out, enjoyable affairs and generally take place or culminate on full-moon days. There's often a country fair atmosphere about these celebrations, and they may feature stalls, pwes, music and boxing bouts. Independence Day on 4 January is marked by a seven-day fair in Yangon. Around the middle of April, the three-day Thingyan (water festival) starts the Burman new year. This is the height of the hot season, and it is sensibly celebrated by throwing buckets of cold water at anyone who dares venture into the streets. Girls chase boys through the streets, covering their bound victims in soot and parading them about; later, cows and fish are dressed up, adorned and set free by processions of dancing drummers. In October, the sober three-month Buddhist `Lent' ends and the Festival of Light celebrates Buddha's return from heaven. For three days Myanmar is lit up by fire balloons and paper lanterns and families make offerings at the local pagoda.

Thingyan, The Water Festival

Among the many festivals in Myanmar, Thingyan is the merriest and one of the few observed all over the country. Thingyan welcomes the Myanmar New Year by washing away the dirt of the body and bad memories of the old year. Everyone who ventures out of the house risks getting doused from head to toe by enthusiastic revellers. As it so very hot no one minds this a bit. Young people enjoy it most of all. Although they act scared of being soaked, it is a fine way of showing off to the opposite sex.
Thagyamin, King of the Celestials, visits earth every year at this time in human form. The festival starts on the day of his descent, and ends with his ascent back to his celestial kingdom four or five days later. It is believed that during his stay on earth Thagyamin examines every human being and inscribes the names of all the good on a golden tablet, while the bad are recorded on a dog-skin. Parents warn their children to behave and not kill or steal or tell lies because 'Thagyamin is watching'. Thagyamin is also custodian of the Buddha's teachings. He is a good-hearted god who helps all those in need.
The word Thingyan comes from a Sanskrit word meaning 'the passing of the sun from Pisces into Aries'. The day of Thagyamin's ascent marks the beginning of the Myanmar New Year, and usually falls at the end of the second week of April.
Thingyan is the most exciting event of the Myanmar year. From early morning, young people prepare their equipment at every street corner including water tanks, buckets, pumps and hoses. Nobody, except the very old or sick, and monks, escapes a soaking, regardless of their religion or nationality. Many organisations, government offices, private companies and individuals build decorated pandals (platforms) from which to drench passing motorists and pedestrians. In big cities like Yangon, Mandalay and Mawlamyine, boys and girls drive from one pandal to another to splash and be splashed. There is a lot of singing and dancing, traditional as well as modern. In Mandalay, huge decorated floats carry singers, dancers and musicians around the town performing at the various pandals.
In former days, young girls caught the young men and painted their faces with oily soot until they looked like circus clowns, a custom that has more or less died out in the towns but continues in the countryside.
But Thingyan is not all fun and play. It is also a time for performing meritorious deeds. Some of the men become monks and women nuns during the festival or simply go to a monastery to observe eight or nine Buddhist precepts, or sometimes as many as ten. Many people make traditional delicacies, especially the popular 'Mon't-lone-yay-baw', which are offered to the monks and distributed in the neighbourhood to passers-by.
Other meritorious deeds include setting free birds from their cages or captive fish in nearby lakes and ponds. Some people believe that spending too much on New Year's Day means they will go on overspending for the rest of the year and so curb themselves. Most devout Buddhists will also take special care of old people of their acquaintance, bathing them and shampooing them with special soap made from acacia fruit and bark from the linden tree.
But, sad to say, the festival is becoming too boisterous, with car accidents and fights among the youngsters using high-pressure hoses. It would be nice if everyone would refrain from becoming aggressive and keep to the traditional custom of just sprinkling each other with water.

Burma's 'tourist life line'

Burma is rapidly emerging from its cocoon of self-imposed isolation. And, as AMAR GROVER discovered, a visit to this land of golden pagodas is like a trip back in time.
Long isolated, even from immediate neighbours Burma, or Myanamar as it prefers to be called now, is rapidly emerging, from a wasting socialist cocoon. Visit Myanmar Year has ended and as the accompanying controversy over visiting the country recedes, it is certain visitors will come once more. And, this seems to be what its people want.
Old hands may miss downtown Yangon’s complete absence of traffic, its “town from the lost end of time” feel. But for me, the city retains an intriguing mix. Ancient wooden Chevrolet buses still pack in the commuters and rumble up and down the Colonial British grid-like streets. The air of neglect is being gradually offset by development. Burma’s famous Strand Hotel has been thoroughly revamped (despite the air-conditioning ceiling fans still turn, giving that film set feel) and in the evening impromptu markets spring up on virtually every street corner.
Though a large Indian community stayed behind after independence in 1948, Burma is overwhelmingly Buddhist. Yangon’s Shwedagon Pagoda, rising nearly 100 metres from its base, is a pivotal point. One of the largest and most famous in the country, it is reputed to contain hairs of the Buddha and has survived earthquakes, fires and pillage.
I visited Shwedagon Pagoda on several evenings when the soaring golden stupa was aflame with the sun’s last rays.
Worshippers stood or sat before their planetary posts, determined by one’s day of birth, while monks reclined in quiet alcoves surrounded by clay Buddha statues. A dazzling array of pavilions, shrines and prayerhalls make up the complex and it’s quite likely a local will approach and talk you through a tour of the temple. Rather than attempt Yangon’s other less interesting pagodas, it might be better to save your stamina for Pagan in the north.
In the meantime we made for Mandalay, Burma’s second city and the capital before the arrival of the British. There’s enough here to keep you busy for days, and its regular street life — trishaws, bustling markets and the goings on along the banks of the Irrawaddy River — offers more variety than any other town. Only from the summit of Mandalay Hill can the vastness of the old Palace be appreciated. In one of the country’s great cultural tragedies, this immense wooden structure caught fire in 1945 as the Japanese tried to hold off Allied forces. Only the wide moat and high walls remain, outlining a square of 2km-long sides.
Instead, I ventured to a collection of pagodas and monasteries south of Mandalay Hill. At the Shwenandaw Kyaung you can see traditional Burmese woodwork, large panels beautifully mottled and aged by the elements. The Kuthodaw Pagoda is known for its 730 inscribed marble slabs. Each is housed in a pavilion and together they make up one complete Buddhist text.
These have spawned a host of bizarre statistics — 450 days to read the whole lot, and 2400 monks once read it in a continuous six-month relay.
Some of the best day-trips from Mandalay are to the sites of old capitals strung along the banks of the Irrawaddy River. Being built of wood, the palaces are long gone. However, the real appeal of these outings are not the palaces, but in discovering a more rustic Burma. Amarapura proved not so much a “city of immortality” but a quiet enclave of watery fields, buffalo and the charming U Bien’s Bridge. A ruined palace provided the teak for this one kilometre construction and I happily watched locals fishing off its stumpy pillars.
Mingun, on the other side of Mandalay, is another popular outing. Access is by boat, an 11km journey upriver past low, sandy banks, tent-like huts and a handful of villages. The Mingun Pagoda was never completed, in fact it never became more than the base of what may have become the world’s largest pagoda. It’s an extraordinary ruin, split by an 1838 earthquake, yet still accessible to those willing to go barefoot. A massive 90-tonne bell hangs in a nearby pavilion and local children delight in scampering about its curves.
Some of the country’s most picturesque pagodas can be found at Sagaing on hills looming over the Irrawaddy River. We came by way of the Ava Bridge, a pre-war, wrought iron monster built across brick pillars. Surprisingly, it is the river’s only bridge, and totally at odds with the majestic and spiritual surroundings.
Of all the journeys one can make in Burma, the 10 to 12 hour cruise down this great river is probably the most popular. It’s not a trip for its own sake. The destination is the city of Pagan — one of Asia’s great archaeological sites — situated on a vast plain broken only by hundreds of pagodas in all shapes and sizes.
We awoke before dawn, hailed a trishaw to the dock and mingled with bleary-eyed passengers and crew. On our boat there was strict segregation — locals squeezed together below and foreigners (plus a few seemingly privileged monks) on deck chairs above. We could, and did, go down freely but they never came up. Perhaps the only justification for this was in the ticket price.
It is a tranquil cruise with just a few stops. Low, distant banks were offset by occasional hamlets set back even further and other boats passed infrequently. We called at unmarked, jettyless stops packed with villagers, traders, passengers and onlookers. It all suggested a vibrant life beyond.
Pagan may be an archaeological site, but its appeal is immediate and rarely disappointing. Pagodas, nothing but pagodas, in all shapes, sizes, and states of preservation. From around 1057AD to 1278AD, the kingdom’s kings launched a furious building programme, but the city was abandoned when Kublai Khan’s hordes appeared on the scene. All traces of other buildings — palaces, monasteries, houses — has long since vanished. Only pagodas, religious structures built of brick and masonry, have survived.
They are spread out over 40 square kilometres so, unless one can afford a car, the best way to get around is by bike or horse and cart. The setting is completely rural and the immediate towns are more like overgrown villages.
It’s wise to get hold of a site map and decide which pagodas and temples merit a visit — most guidebooks note around 40 to 50 monuments, more than enough for all but the most devoted. People spend days out here, never returning to the same place and you often see farmers in their fields or bullock carts lumbering along dusty tracks.
We made one final excursion from Pagan, hiring a car for the 50km run to Mt Popa. Perched on a distinctive outcrop amidst a sharp range of hills, the temple here is known for the worship of nats —guardian spirits — who are either good or evil.
Steep covered stairs lead up to this peculiar spot and there are excellent views across the countryside. In some ways, Mt Popa looks better from a distance since most of its shrines are a bit kitsch. But if you’re ever there, keep this to yourself, you don’t want to be tripped up by a mischievous nat.

Languages in the Philippines
Filipino (formerly Pilipino) is based on Tagalog and is the official language of the Philippines.  In spite of being the national language, only about 55 percent of Filipinos speak the language. In addition to Filipino are about 111 distinct indigenous languages and dialects, of which only about 10 are important regionally.
English is generally used for educational, governmental and commercial purposes and is widely understood since it is the medium of instruction in schools.  The Philippines are the third largest group of English speaking people in the world, after the United States and the United Kingdom.
Since English is widely spoken in the Philippines, it is common to hear Filipinos use a mixture English and Filipino words or phrases, known as "Taglish" (a mixture of English and Tagalog), in their everyday conversations. A steadily dwindling minority still speak Spanish, which had at one time been an official language.  


Filipino Society & Culture
Filipino Family Values
. The family is the centre of the social structure and includes the nuclear family, aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins and honorary relations such as godparents, sponsors, and close family friends.
. People get strength and stability from their family. As such, many children have several godparents.
. Concern for the extended family is seen in the patronage provided to family members when they seek employment.
. It is common for members of the same family to work for the same company.
. In fact, many collective bargaining agreements state that preferential hiring will be given to family members.

Filipino Concept of Shame
. Hiya is shame and is a motivating factor behind behaviour.
. It is a sense of social propriety and conforming to societal norms of behaviour.
. Filipinos believe they must live up to the accepted standards of behaviour and if they fail to do so they bring shame not only upon themselves, but also upon their family.
. One indication of this might be a willingness to spend more than they can afford on a party rather than be shamed by their economic circumstances.
. If someone is publicly embarrassed, criticized, or does not live up to expectations, they feel shame and lose self-esteem.
Meeting Etiquette
. Initial greetings are formal and follow a set protocol of greeting the eldest or most important person first.
. A handshake, with a welcoming smile, is the standard greeting.
. Close female friends may hug and kiss when they meet.
. Use academic, professional, or honorific titles and the person's surname until you are invited to use their first name, or even more frequently, their nickname.
Gift Giving Etiquette
. If you are invited to a Filipino home for dinner bring sweets or flowers to the hosts.
. If you give flowers, avoid chrysanthemums and white lilies.
. You may send a fruit basket after the event as a thank you but not before or at the event, as it could be interpreted as meaning you do not think that the host will provide sufficient hospitality.
. Wrap gifts elegantly as presentation is important. There are no colour restrictions as to wrapping paper.
. Gifts are not opened when received.


Dining Etiquette
If you are invited to a Filipino's house:
. It is best to arrive 15 to 30 minutes later than invited for a large party.
. Never refer to your host's wife as the hostess. This has a different meaning in the Philippines.
. Dress well. Appearances matter and you will be judged on how you dress.
. Compliment the hostess on the house.
. Send a handwritten thank you note to the hosts in the week following the dinner or party. It shows you have class.
Table manners
. Wait to be asked several times before moving into the dining room or helping yourself to food.
. Wait to be told where to sit. There may be a seating plan.
. Do not start eating until the host invites you to do so.
. Meals are often served family- style or are buffets where you serve yourself.
. A fork and spoon are the typical eating utensils.
. Hold the fork in the left hand and use it to guide food to the spoon in your right hand.
. Whether you should leave some food on your plate or finish everything is a matter of personal preference rather than culture-driven.

The People

Visual Arts

Laotian Literature

Traditional Festivals

Lao New year - Pii Mai or Song Kran

Hmong New Year

Spirit Gates

Food

Chinese culture food can be roughly divided into the Northern and Southern styles of cooking. In general, Northern Chinese cooking dishes are oily without being cloying, and the flavors of vinegar and garlic tend to be more pronounced. Pasta plays an important role in Northern Chinese cooking; noodles, ravioli-like dumplings, steamed stuffed buns, fried meat dumplings, and steamed bread are favored flour-based treats. the cooking of Peking, Tientsin, and Shantung are perhaps the best known area styles of Northern Chinese cuisine.
Representing Southern Chinese cooking styles are Szechwan and Hunan cuisine, famous for their liberal use of chili peppers; the Kiangsu and Chekiang styles, which emphasize freshness and tenderness; and Cantonese food, which tends to be somewhat sweet, and full of variety. Rice and rice products such as rice noodles, rice cakes, and rice congee, are the usual accompaniments to Southern style cooking. In Chinese cooking, color aroma, and flavor share equal importance in the preparation of each dish. Normally, any one entree will combine three to five colors, selected from ingredients that are light green, dark green, red, yellow, white, black, or caramel-colored. Usually, a meat and vegetable dish is prepared from one main ingredient and two to three secondary ingredients of contrasting colors. It is then cooked with the appropriate method, seasonings and sauce to result in an aesthetically attractive dish.
A dish with a fragrant aroma will whet the appetite. Ingredients that contribute to a mouthwatering aroma are scallions, fresh ginger root, garlic, chili peppers, wine, star anise, stick cinnamon, pepper, sesame oil, dried Chinese black mushrooms, and so forth. Of foremost importance in cooking any dish is preserving the fresh, natural flavor of the ingredients, and removing any undesirable fishy or gamey odors. In Western cooking, lemon is often used to remove fishy flavors; in Chinese cooking, scallions and ginger serve a similar function. Soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, and other seasonings add richness to a dish without covering up the natural flavor of the ingredients. A well-prepared dish will be rich to those who like strong flavors, not over spiced to those who like a blander taste, sweet to those who like a sweet flavor, and hot to those who like a piquant flavor. A dish that is all of these things to all of these people is a truly successful dish.
Color, aroma, and flavor are not the only principles to be followed in Chinese cooking; nutrition of course the first concern. A theory of the harmonization of foods can be traced back to the Shang dynasty (Chinese culture 16th to 11th century B.C.) scholar Yi Yin. He related the five flavors of sweet, sour, bitter, piquant, and salty to the nutritional needs of the five major organ Systems of the body (the heart, liver, spleen/pancreas, lungs, and kidneys), and stresses their role in maintaining good physical health. In fact, many of the plants used in Chinese cooking, such as scallions, fresh ginger root, garlic, dried lily buds, tree fungus, and so forth have properties of preventing and alleviating various illnesses. The Chinese culture have a traditional belief in the medicinal value of food, and that food and medicine share the same origin. This view could be considered a forerunner of nutritional science of China. Notable in this theory is the concept that a correct proportion of meat to vegetable ingredients should be maintained; one third of meat-based food should be vegetable ingredients, and one-third of vegetable-based dishes should be meat. In preparing soups, the quantity of water used should total seven-tenths the volume of the serving bowl. In short, the correct ingredient proportions must be adhered to be in the preparation of each dish or soup in order to ensure full nutritional value.
The Chinese culture have a number of rules and customs associated with eating. For example, meals must be taken while seated; there is a set order of who may be seated first among men, women, old and young; and the main courses must be eaten arranged on a per table basis, with each table usually seating ten to twelve persons. A typical banquet consists of four appetizer dishes, such as cold cut platters or hot hors d'oeuvres; six to eight main courses; then one savory snack-type fish and a dessert. The methods of preparation include stir-frying, stewing, steaming, deep-frying, flash-frying, pan-frying, and so forth. A dish may be savory, sweet, tart, or piquant. The main colors of a dish may include red, yellow, green, white and caramel color. Food garnishes, such as cut or sculptured tomatoes, Chinese white radishes, cucumbers, and so forth, may be used to add to the visual appeal of a dish. All of these elements contribute to making Chinese food a true feast for the eyes and nostrils as well as the taste buds.
In the cosmopolitan world, Chinese culture food is available in practically most cities around the world. However, experts tend to agree that Taipei is the on place in the world where you can find the "genuine" version of just about any kind of Chinese food imaginable. In fact, in any large city or little village in Taiwan, you do not have to walk very far to find a small restaurant; a few more steps will take you to a large and elaborate one. Even in home cooking, whether for everyday family meals or entertaining guests, food is prepared with sophistication and variety. Northern style dishes may included peking duck, smoked chicken, chafing dishes with sliced lamb, fish slices in sauce, beef with green pepper, and dried scallops with Chinese white radish balls. Representative of the Southern style of cooking are duck smoked with camphor and tea, chicken baked in salt, honey glazed ham, flash-fried shrimp, eggplant in soy sauce, Szechwan style bean curd... the variety is endless


Clothing
A clatter and crash of drums and gongs sound at a theater of Chinese Opera in Taipei as a young warrior appears on stage in traditional Chinese costume. From his head ascend two tall plumes, tracing in the air each movement and gesture he makes. Some might think these plumes are simply ornamental, but in fact they originate in the battle wear of the Warring States period (475-221 B.C.). Two feathers of a ho bird (a kind of pheasant good at fighting) were inserted into the headwear of warriors of this period to symbolize a bold and warlike spirit, that that of the ho. An outstanding characteristic of traditional Chinese clothing is not only an external expression of elegance, but also an inter symbolism. Each and every piece of traditional clothing communicates a vitality of its own. This combination of external form with internal symbolism is clearly exemplified in the pair of fighting pheasant feathers used in headwear.
Objects found in archaeological remains of China's Shantingtung culture, which flourished over 18,000 years ago, such as bone sewing needles, and stone beads and shells with holes bored in them, attest to the existence of the concept of ornamentation and the craft of sewing already in that age. Variety and system in clothing were roughly established by the era of the Yellow Emperor and the Emperors Yao and Shaun (about 4,500 years ago). Remains of woven silk and help articles and ancient ceramic figures further demonstrate the sophistication and refinement of clothing in the Shang dynasty (16th to 11th century B.C.).
The three main types of traditional Chinese clothing are the pien-fu, the ch'ang-p'ao , or long robe, and the shen-i. The pien-fu is an ancient two-piece ceremonial costume, including a tunic-like top extending to the knees, and a skirt reaching to the ankles; one had to wear a skirt on certain occasions in order to be properly dressed. A pien is a cylindrical ceremonial cap. Typical of these three types of clothing, besides their wide cut and voluminous sleeves, were a design utilizing mainly straight lines, and a loose fit forming natural folds, regardless of whether the garment was allowed to hang straight or was bound with a sash at the waist. All types of traditional Chinese garments, whether tunic and trousers or tunic and skirt, unitized a minimum number of stitches for the amount of cloth used. And because of their relatively plain design and structure, embroidered edgings, decorated bands, draped cloth or silks, embellishment on the shoulders, and sashes were often added as ornamentation. These decorative bands, appliquéd borders, and richly varied embroidered designs came to be one of the unique features of traditional Chinese dress.
Darker colors were favored over lighter ones in traditional Chinese clothing, so the main color of ceremonial clothing tended to be dark, accented with elaborate embroidered or woven tapestry designs rendered in bright colors. Lighter colors were more frequently used by the common people in clothes for everyday and around the house. The Chinese associate certain colors with specific seasons, for example, green represents spring, red is for summer, white for autumn, and black for winter. The Chinese can be said to have a fully developed system of matching, coordinating, and contrasting colors and shades of light and dark in apparel.
Fashion designers today in the Taiwan are finding new ways to freely combine modern fashion aesthetics and trends with traditional Chinese symbols of good fortune. The great wealth of source material has resulted in a plethora of eye-catching designs for children's and young people's clothing, including guardian  deities, lions, the eight trigrams, and masks of Chinese opera characters. Another more ancient source of printed, woven, embroidered, and appliquéd design for clothes is Chinese bronzes. Some of these distinctive and unusual designs include dragons, phoenixes, clouds, and lightning. Motifs from traditional Chinese painting, whether bold or refined, often find their way into woven or printed fashion designs, creating a beautiful and striking look.
Traditional Chinese macramé has broad applications in fashion; it may be used to ornament borders, shoulders, bodices, pockets, seams, and openings, as well as in belts, hair ornaments, and necklaces. Some successful examples of combinations of modern and traditional fashion elements are the modern bridal tiara, based on a Sung Dynasty design originally worn over a coiled coiffure; the Hunan Province style embroidered sash made in the traditional Chinese colors of pure red, blue, and green; and traditional sachets and pendants.
The ch'i-p'ao is a traditional Manchu design still popular today.
In modern Taiwan society, men are frequently seen at social occasions wearing the dignified and refined traditional Chinese long gown, Women often wear the ch'i-p'ao, a modified form of a traditional Ch'ing Dynasty fashion, on formal occasions. There are endless variations of height, length, width, and ornamentation in the collar, sleeves, skirt length, and basic cut of this elegant and very feminine Oriental fashion. From these examples, it can be seen how traditional Chinese dress is the spring of modern fashion.
In the wax museum of the Chinese Culture and Movie Center in Taipei, and at the Museum of Costume and Adornment of Shih Chien Home Economics College, you can see comprehensive and carefully researched collections of traditional Chinese men's and women's fashions from over the ages. A visit to one of these collections is both enjoyable and educational.
The people of Taiwan not only incorporate traditional Chinese dress into modern life; they have taken the silk making, spinning, and weaving techniques developed by the ancient Chinese a step further, and created modern textile industries around them. Through these industries, Taiwan residents can enjoy beautiful fashions with traditional features and modern chic.
























Housing
The basic feature of Chinese architecture is rectangular-shaped units of space joined together into a whole. Temples in ancient Greece also employed rectangular spaces, but the overall effect tended to austerity. The Chinese style, by contrast, combines rectangular shapes varying in size and position according to importance into an organic whole, with each level and component clearly distinguished. As a result, traditional Chinese style buildings have an imposing yet dynamic and intriguing exterior.
The combination of units of space in traditional Chinese architecture abides by the principles of balance and symmetry. The main structure is the axis, and the secondary structures are positioned as two wings on either side to form the main rooms and yard. Residences, official buildings, temples, and palaces all follow these same basic principles. The distribution of interior space reflects Chinese social and ethical values. In traditional residential buildings, for example, members of a family are assigned living quarters based on the family hierarchy. The master of the house occupies the main room, the elder members of the master's family live in the compound in back, and the younger members of the family live in the wings to the left and right; those with seniority on the left, and the others on the right.
Another characteristic of Chinese architecture is its use of a wooden structural frame with pillars and beams, and earthen walls surrounding the building on three sides. The main door and windows are in front. Chinese have used wood as a main construction material for thousands of years; wood to the Chinese represents life, and "life" is the main thing Chinese culture in its various forms endeavors to communicate. This feature has been preserved up to the present.
Traditional rectangular Chinese buildings are divided into several rooms, based on the structure of the wooden beams and pillars. In order to top the structure with a deep and over hanging roof, the Chinese invented their own particular type of support brackets, called tou-kung, which rise up level by level from each pillar. These brackets both support the structure and are also a distinctive and attractive ornamentation. This architectural style was later adopted by such countries as Korea and Japan.
Some special architectural features resulted from the use of wood. The first is that the depth and breadth of interior space is determined by the wooden structural frame. The second is the development of the technique of applying color lacquers to the structure to preserve the wood. These lacquers were made in brilliant, bold colors, and became one of the key identifying features of traditional Chinese architecture. Third is the technique of building a structure on a platform, to prevent damage from moisture. The height of the platform corresponds to the importance of the building. A high platform adds strength, sophistication, and stateliness to large buildings.
The highly varied color murals found on a traditional Chinese building have both symbolic and aesthetic significance, and may range from outlines of dragons and phoenixes and depictions of myths to paintings of landscapes, flowers, and birds. One notable architectural development in southern China, particularly in Taiwan, is fine wood sculpture. Such sculptures, together with the murals, give the structure an elegant and pleasing ornamental effect.
Most traditional architecture in Taiwan today traces its origins to southern Fukien and eastern Kwangtung provinces. There are many different types of traditional style residences in Taiwan, but most are variations and expansions on the central theme of the san-ho-yuan ("three-section com-pound," a central building with two wings attached perpendicular to either side) and the szu-ho-yuan ("four-section compound," a san-ho-yuan with a wall added in front to connect the two wings). Two examples of relatively large and well-known residences of these types are the Lin Family Compound in Panchiao, a suburb of Taipei, and the Lin Family Compound in Wufeng, near Taichung. In the past, relatively wealthy Chinese people would often set up a garden in the back or to the sides of the compound. Such gardens are to be found in the two Lin residences in Panchiao and Wufeng. They are larger in scale even than the Soochow Gardens in the Yangtze River Valley area.
A broad variety of architectural styles are employed in Chinese temples. The religions of the temples vary from Buddhist to Taoist to ancestral and folk religion, but all share the same basic temple structure. With Taiwan's rich folk religious tradition, temples are to be seen everywhere; they are one of the island's unique cultural features. A conservative estimate numbers Taiwan's temples at over 5,000, many of which have particular architectural significance. Some of the more famous and important examples of traditional Chinese temple architecture in Taiwan include the Lungshan Temple and Tienhou Temple in Lukang, the Lungshan Temple in Taipei, and the Chaotien Temple in Peikang. The Lungshan Temple in Lukang is particularly noted for its long history and sophisticated artistry.
The ornamentation on traditional buildings in Taiwan is especially exquisite; it is like a comprehensive Chinese folk art exhibit. Its main elements include color painting; calligraphy; wood, stone, and clay sculpture; ceramics; and cut-and-paste art. Thus an acquaintance with Chinese traditional architecture in Taiwan can at the same time be a gateway to understanding China's rich folk culture










Transportation
It is stated by leading authorities that no form of wheeled vehicle existed in China prior to the introduction from Central Asia of the chariot around 1200 b.c. For example, Stuart Piggott states in his most recent book that "Shang chariotry appears to mark the first appearance of any wheeled transport in the area which was to become the nucleus of Imperial China." And Edward Shaughnessy declares, "There is no evidence of any type in China to suggest a vehicular development leading up to the mature chariot." Furthermore, Western scholars maintain that early Bronze Age China only possessed the borrowed technology of the chariot and never possessed or invented any other forms of conveyance or hauling such as carts or wheelbarrows. For instance, in his recent survey on the origins of the Chinese chariot, Edward Shaughnessy declares that in the Shang period, "there is absolutely no artifactual evidence for other types of wheeled or tractive conveyance."



Rickshaws became a popular hit during the 19th and early 20th century. Rickshaw is a mode of human-powered transport: a runner draws a two-wheeled cart which seats one or two persons. They were later replaced by cycle rickshaws and auto rickshaws.

Rail Lines is a popular and effective method of transportation in China. In 1996 there was over 56,700 kilometers of rail line. Trains are a major means of transportation between cities in China, and connect virtually every part of the country. Trains are a key method of transportation between cities.

Other Arts – Jamaican dance, drama and speech in culture. Primarily Jamaican culture is depicted in dance by folk music, dancing kumina, the quadrille and other Jamaican dances which tell stories of the history of Jamaican sending the message to the young through dance. This technique has kept even to this day with dancehall reggae and the many dances and dancers such as Gerald ‘Bogle’ Levy a popular Jamaican dancer of the new era that passed in 2006. Jamaican speech is defined as patois. Though this is actually incorrect as patois is really broken English and French, Jamaica really speaks broken English. The distinct accent of a Jamaican almost embodies the Jamaican culture. There is another great aspect to the arts and culture as the speech or language carries in both, music and art. Jamaica culture is unique not just to the Caribbean, but to the world and the Jamaican Diaspora has carried the Jamaican culture worldwide. It is reported that there is at least one Jamaican living in every country in the world, a most admirable feat and a huge benefit for Jamaican traditions.