The composition of the socially transmitted patterns of beliefs, behaviours, institutions and all other products of human work and thoughts is called culture. It refers to the attitudes and behaviours that characterize the functioning of a group or organization. Different states bear different cultures. It is characterized on the basis of region, religion and the customs, followed by the ancestors.
The culture of china is very complicated. Chinese civilization is one of the oldest civilizations of the world. It is a country of huge population. Its culture covers a vast wealth of information; their language, arts, beliefs and other cultural aspects. It is a place where the customs are practiced and admired from the core of the heart, even in this modern world.
There are many colours in the Chinese culture that are considered auspicious or inauspicious. These colours include red, black, green, white silver or gold. These colours symbolise various feelings and environments; thus, carry a significant place in the Chinese culture. The red colour is the colour of good luck. It is mostly used on the festive occasions and is strictly prohibited at the funerals as it relates to the happiness. Black is a neutral colour, used in daily life, but it is associated with the funerals to symbolise mourning. Green colour is associated with health and prosperity. Whereas white colour, in spite of its purity, chastity, holiness and cleanliness, is worn on deaths.
Last but not the least, gold itself and its colour has a lot of significance in the culture of China. It is a symbol of good luck. It is the colour of the attires of the emperors. Attires were the costume worn by the ancient Chinese emperors. This dress was the symbol of Chinese ancient empire.
Gold colour is also used as mourning colour for Chinese Buddhist, especially the deceased monks. Monks are of great importance in the Chinese religion. These are the people who live alone and practice the religious asceticism.
Moreover, gold is also used in the dragons. These dragons are the mythological symbol in the Chinese culture. They stand for happiness, immortality and procreation. Chinese worship the dragons; these dragons are the most popular of the Chinese art decoration. These are sculptured on the stone pillars of the temples. They are also embroidered on the beautiful gold and silk wall-hangings.
Chinese also wear dragon masks at various incidents like parades. They are complex and have gold or red colour in it. In such festivals, the person wearing the golden dragon mask dances ahead, and the tail is made by the other people dancing behind it.
Apart from the religion and art, gold has been a part of the Chinese currency. A company in 1987, namely Mint, was established. This company deals with the Chinese commemorative coins. It has utilized 2 million ounces of gold bars since its development. The contribution of this company to the culture of China is to develop the coins, sculptured with the designs that depict a particular event. It may have contained the design of a dragon on it. Thus, gold carries a significant importance in the Chinese culture.
Source by Jack Wogan
