Chinese culture

Chinese culture is one of the world's oldest cultures.^[1][2] The area in which the culture is dominant covers a large geographical region in eastern Asia with customs and traditions varying greatly between provinces, cities, and even towns. Important components of Chinese culture include literature

Identity

There are 56 officially recognized ethnic groups in China. In terms of numbers however, Han Chinese is by far the largest group.^[3] Throughout history, many groups have merged into neighboring ethnicities or disappeared. At the same time, many within the Han identity have maintained distinct linguistic and regional cultural traditions. The term Zhonghua Minzu has been used to describe the notion of Chinese nationalism in general.^{[citation needed]} Much of the traditional identity within the community has to do with distinguishing the family name.

Regional

Main article: Three ancestral treasures

Traditional Chinese Culture covers large geographical territories, where each region is usually divided into distinct sub-cultures. Each region is often represented by three ancestral items. For example Guangdong is represented by chenpi, aged ginger and hay.^[4][5] Others include ancient cities like Lin'an (Hangzhou), which include tea leaf, bamboo shoot trunk, and hickory nut.^[6] Such distinctions give rise to the old Chinese proverb: "十里不同風,百里不同俗/十里不同风,百里不同俗" (Shí lǐ bù tóng fēng, bǎi lǐ bù tóng sú), literally "the wind varies within ten li, customs vary within a hundred li."""