The ringing of children's voices, high and clear, happy to be reunited with their cousins; massive tables displaying myriad foods; strong, dignified businessmen whispering deals in closed quarters, hoping not to get caught by their wives. Chinese New Year is no time for business. The family - it is the bond par excellence that has kept such an ancient tradition alive for centuries. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why violent video games should not be banned"? Get an original essay The complex traditions of Chinese New Year (CNY) have flourished and changed over time in the People's Republic of China, but the disparity between what she was and what he became has never been as different as today; not only between different regions of China but also between them and the city of Hong Kong. Today, the influence of a city like the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (HK) is considerable and serves as a beacon of diversity and influence. But what is lost when innovation and Westernization take precedence over a region that was and still is today part of the proud and traditional People's Republic of China? What macro and micro issues cause the dissipation and/or development of new traditions of an entrenched culture like that of China and how does it affect its population within the framework of national identification, not only on the continent but also in Hong Kong and around the world? As I first ventured to learn more about Chinese New Year, I thought about the different mediums through which I had already been exposed to this tradition. I found myself lacking substantial experiences. Unfortunately, my only remote encounter with this celebration has been through films. At first I thought it would be a good thing, having had no initial bias, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized I was extremely biased. What I had seen in films always highlighted the negative aspects of diversity and, frankly, overt racism. From a young age, I remember associating CNY with spindly dragons and fire poppers – certainly not a bad association, but completely out of context and filled with social misinterpretations. Being able to immerse myself in CNY with my friend's family was like nothing I could have imagined. Leon So, a classmate from UCSD, asked me to participate in the various Skype video chats his family paid for him throughout CNY week. Through the use of various technologies, from phones to tablets to laptops, I was able to participate in a traditional CNY (for Hong Kong). The celebration started with Leon's parents, Donna Siu and King So, showing me their newly cleaned house with the different red decorations they hung up. Duilians, red and cream scrolls with Chinese poetry inscribed in black, hang on the walls; Donna's red dress contrasts beautifully with her black hair; fake fireworks are hung; all this to permeate the color red in every corner of the city, the color of life present in all aspects of life. Jokingly, King mentioned the pollution problem in Hong Kong and how in rural China they used to have fireworks to scare away evil spirits, but it wasn't very effective in city ​​since the spirits could not pass through. smog anyway. Soon after, we moved to the feature cell phone andWe took a trip to a temple, where people would light candles and pray to the gods, a custom that is more religious in Hong Kong than tradition and, as such, is not unanimously accepted. The most interesting aspect of the trip however was not the temple, our trip there was much more fascinating. As the celebration approached, there were many people on the streets, many of Caucasian ethnicity, dressed in traditional Chinese clothing. Leon explained how white people, or what they are called in Hong Kong, "gwai lo" (ghost people) always dress richly and hand out red packets to foreigners. Red packets are small envelopes or boxes filled with candy, usually reserved for distribution among family members, but people of non-Chinese nationality fully embrace the tradition and distribute them to the community. Interestingly, Chinese nationals do not mind the change in their traditions, but openly welcome it. Leon even pointed out that in Hong Kong, most red packets were now filled with Skittles or MnMs, not the traditional Chinese sweets that had long been a tradition. These small changes have a big impact on the overall ritual of how a certain holiday should be celebrated. The holiday itself is made up of all the little things that individuals wish to commemorate, changing the details is changing the ritual itself. During a second Skype video conversation, I was made aware of information that families do not always meet at the zho uk (the root house where the main branch of the family grew up). Although CNY is a very family-friendly and modern-oriented holiday, it has caught up with it. Some families, out of convenience, gather at a restaurant to start their CNY family reunion over dinner. Traditional CNY dinner dishes are served, but in a more modern setting than the family's traditional root house. This practice is very distinctive in immersing non-Chinese nationals in Chinese traditions in a city that so vigorously embraces modernity. Due to the large number of foreigners in Hong Kong, the city has developed a very forward-thinking and inclusive society that celebrates diversity. and focuses on immersing foreigners in Chinese culture. This is clearly seen in the way Caucasians participate in the CNY festivities and, as Leon mentioned: “Many Chinese people approach the white people who adhere so religiously to the CNY and hug them. It's funny how people don't avoid what they don't understand and want to know more. Why would we make them outcasts when they honor us by discovering our culture? This way of thinking permeates all of Hong Kong and facilitates a diluted cultural immersion, as traditional celebrations are modified and adapted to fit the ideals of newcomers. Similarly, a parallel can be drawn between what is happening in Hong Kong and the creation of Christmas as the “date of birth” of Jesus, when in fact it was the ancient pagan festival of Saturnalia. This is of course beyond the scope of this ethnography, but it provides insight into how many cultures adapt centuries-old traditions and rituals in order to facilitate an easy transition from one culture to another - westernized candy being an example manifest. Despite all this, the change in traditions does not benefit non-Chinese nationals. Hong Kong Chinese nationals, known for their general hatred of the people of mainland China (an ideal reinforced by the So family),can celebrate a traditional and revered tradition in their own way. Thus distancing themselves from a community with which they do not wish to be affiliated. In a humorous turn of events, the celebration of CNY in Hong Kong has become the same as in the rest of the world: not so much an innate and traditional experience but a holiday of foreign origin, recreated with joy and love, but still a recreation. Although mainland Chinese nationals generally respond to the dislike shown towards them by Hong Kong residents, their own geographical conflicts are far worse. Not only in the cultural field but also in the business field, South and North China are in conflict. Culturally speaking, southern China is more like Hong Kong, although it is nowhere near the same level of diversity, while northern China remains steeped in ancient customs and traditions. In order not to be too ambiguous on the subject, I will stay on the path of discussing the Chinese New Year and the differences between these two geographical regions, even if many political and especially financial arguments can be put forward concerning the marked difference between Shanghai and Beijing. In an interview with Kimi Wang, a student from a small country town near Shanghai, he described CNY as being very similar to what he saw and experienced in the United States on New Year's Eve. Shockingly, in southern China, many families do not even return home for the holidays. “In China, we get a week off in CNY. At first this meant people could travel to family and the UK, but now people sometimes even go on holiday. It’s a relaxing time,” Kimi explained. Although he emphasized how all the rituals of wearing red, lighting fireworks, and watching the CNY TV special (filled with dancers and entertainers) are still important, the general theme was that everything was downplayed a lot. There is no special responsibility to participate in absolutely every aspect of the tradition. CNY is not the priority if there is more important work to be done. Kimi remarked: “There’s a lot of Western influence here and people don’t want to party sometimes. » On the other hand, northern China is anchored in tradition. While interviewing Yuhan Lau, he made a remark contrary to Kimi's comment. People are much more concerned about doing everything right – from fireworks to watching TV programs to praying to the gods (without religion, just for traditional purposes). Even the famous red packets contain traditional Chinese sweets, which are rarely found in Hong Kong or southern China. How come there is such a schism between these places? Hong Kong, South China, and North China all share a deep and rich history going back thousands of years, but recently a sea change has occurred in the way these people celebrate the Chinese New Year ( a small representation of larger, more detailed sociopolitical factors). ). Although the differences between Hong Kong and the two regions of China have their individual causes, the main reason seems to be due to the massive industrialization of the southern regions. Mr. So made a mocking comment: "There is a saying I heard before in Hong Kong: 'Shanghai is the place where the West seduces China.' It is in Beijing that China seduces the West. » It seems reasonable to say that the southern gateway to innovation begins with Hong Kong, opening ideas and foreigners to an otherwise closed, traditional country. The cultural center of Beijing was not affected by thesetrends, preferring to stick to more traditional customs, reflected by the traditional celebration of CNY. For centuries there was no working class in China, yet the flow of ideas in the form of a more Westernized culture seemed to be rapidly changing Chinese culture; not only through Chinese New Year celebrations, but also through the way society thinks. The new idea of ​​guanxi, “…loosely translated as ‘connections’” (Gold et al. 3), has become increasingly important in China, particularly in southern China and the famous financial city of Shanghai. Over time, under the relentless drive of modern globalization, the idea of ​​guanxi has become invaluable to the Chinese people who are interested in business, especially in the world of international trade. In Social Connections in China, the editors point out that: ...the conditions that produced guanxi were sufficiently extreme and long enough that the phenomenon became over time inextricably linked to Chinese society, but these were the conditions institutions that led to the emergence of guanxi. the phenomenon. Thus… the perception of the particular Chinese character of guanxi is an artifact of historical and institutional conditions. (Gold et al. 9) Starting from the ground up, these ideas of change are constantly evolving, transforming society and changing a centuries-old tradition by making small changes to the details of a meaningful and timeless celebration such as the Chinese New Year. Social, political, economic, family and educational ties are the driving force of any society. People from similar backgrounds come together and share stories. What happens when people from all walks of life come together and share their stories? It's easy to believe that in the mecca of multiculturalism that Hong Kong has become, the fusion of many different peoples will result in fascinating new rituals and traditions that won't stay the same for a year. Globalization and acceptance of different people, regardless of their race, ethnicity or nationality, is the forward thinking for which we find Skittles in CNY red packets. Despite this, the question I asked in the second paragraph remains unanswered: what do we lose when innovation and Westernization take precedence? The answer can be found in the traditional form of Chinese New Year celebration practiced in northern China. For centuries, China has celebrated the Spring Festival (CNY) to honor deities and family ancestors. It was once a religious holiday, honored not only as a celebration but also as a sacred holiday. The loss of the real meaning of the festival in favor of fanciful frivolities, some would say. Just as many Christians disagree about the non-religious celebration of Christmas and Easter. My family celebrates both of the aforementioned holidays, but we are agnostic and just use this as an opportunity to get the family together and spend time together. Believers have pointed out to us how inappropriate such actions are. There is no doubt that a similar way of thinking is found among Chinese people who celebrate CNY in a traditional way. John Bodley even comments on these issues in The Price of Progress: Tribal people feel a sense of deprivation not only when the economic goals they have been encouraged to pursue materialize, but also when they discover that they are powerless , second-class citizens, victims of discrimination and discrimination. exploited by the dominant society. At the same time, they are denied?