Foreign Festivals Popularity In Contemporary China

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Analysis
Influence
Negative impact
Declining traditional Chinese festival
Solution/Protection
Conclusion
Works Cited

Introduction

The focal point of this paper seeks to analyze the causes and effects of the popularity of foreign festivals in China and demonstrate the importance of preservation of Traditional festivals. It has been found that there is a rising phenomenon that foreign festival is becoming increasingly popular in contemporary China. Western festivals like Christmas and Valentine’s Day are taking over the traditional festivals of China like Bullfight Festival of Miao, Knife-Pole Festival of Lisu, Torch Festival of Yi, and Water-Splashing Festival of Dai. This is a serious consequence, and the hybridization of cultures due to Globalization can be identified as the chief culprit. Globalization has an assortment of characteristics, which influence the world in numerous dissimilar ways. The various forms of Globalization are as such, Industrial Globalization, pseudonym Trans-nationalization is surfacing of worldwide manufacture markets and wider access to an assortment of merchandise for consumers and companies. The lack of interest in local festivals indicates the ramification of local culture due to close contact with foreign festive cultures developed by close contacts due to Globalization. Loss of local festival means loss of identity and existence crisis for the local population. Steps must be taken to prevent this from happening. Government must take needed measures to save the local festivals of China.

Analysis

It can be well established that Globalization accelerates the spreading of foreign festivals in China. The hybridization of cultures is nothing new to the history of the world, and it has happened earlier. However, the only difference this time is that the scale is taking place at a much larger parameter today. We can well ascertain there would be a single culture in days to come if the current trend is in motion in an uninterrupted manner. There would be a loss of cultural pride, sovereignty, individuality but the gradual change would make it bearable for all, and the one-world scenario would be welcomes by the generations undergoing the change. On the other hand, the brought-in culture can effortlessly step into the shoes of the local culture, causing a diminution in assortment through hybridization or even incorporation. Fiscal Globalization is the appearance of international financial markets and improved access to foreign financing for commercial, national and local borrowers. Economic Globalization is the comprehension of a widespread universal market, based on the liberty of exchange of supplies and capital. Political Globalization is the conception of a world government, which controls the associations between countries and assures the rights arising from communal and financial Globalization. Informational Globalization is the augment in information flows between geographically inaccessible locations. China is going through all these aspects today. No wonder China would be facing a mode of amalgamation of cultures for these close contacts with the outside world. This is influencing its culture and festivals, and foreign festivals are making their way into Chinese popular culture and festivals at the cost of their own festivals.

Influence

It should be taken into consideration that there are some extremely high amount of advantages of the popularity of foreign festivals in China. Foreign festivals like Christmas and Valentine’s Day make the population of China feel aligned with the larger world, and their interest in these festivals draw the attention of the world to China. This helps tourism to improve. The basic influence of these festivals has improved the economy, stimulate the market, enrich people’s life as a whole. This developed tourism can be referred to as a new era of sunshine gradually but progressively scattering its rays all over the world, incorporating the nations, bringing people, culture, and economies close to each other. Alignment with the world through these western festivals signifies escalating global connectivity, incorporation and interdependence in the economic, cultural, technological, social, ecological, and political orbs. The interest acts as an umbrella phrase and is perchance best explained as a unitary progression comprehensive of several sub-processes, such as improved financial interdependence, augmented cultural authority, the rapid progress of information technology, and superior governance and geopolitical defies that are ever more binding people and the biosphere extra firmly into one global system.

Negative impact

However, this enrichment of this interest and Globalization, in general, has a certain negative influence. It affects the traditional Chinese tradition, culture, and festivals. In recent years with the development of the concept of the global village, hybridization is fast becoming the order of the day. In this concept, it becomes necessary for an industry to meet the needs of both local and global markets all at the same time. More often than not, the local culture barely exists in competition with the global and more hyped culture. Thus, it could narrate the aspect of the basic issue of globalization and hybridization as but a two-way approach. There the basic maxims of a capitalistic economy are taken into consideration at every step of formulating the strategies of marketing. It is obvious that the basic impetus of any business is to deal with the principles of profit and the methods of maximization of profit margin. As a result, the mass is unable to differentiate the difference between economic priority and cultural identification. However, it appeared that the result of this process would be a world with one culture, and elements like cultural pride, sovereignty, individuality would fail to exist in the end. The derivation of this conclusion was deciphered with the help of socio-political instrumentation and economic influences that directly affect/affect the rise and fall of culture. As a result, contemporary Chinese people are deeply influenced by western culture. They consider traditional culture as an inferior culture.

Declining traditional Chinese festival

It can be well established that the traditional Chinese festival is declining. Along with festivals of China like Bullfight Festival of Miao, Knife-Pole Festival of Lisu, Torch Festival of Yi, and Water-Splashing Festival of Dai, the regional culture and festivals are also on a decline. It has also been reported that once extremely popular traditional mainstream festivals like Laba Festival, Chongyang Festival, Mid-autumn Festival, Double Seventh Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Qingming Festival April, Lantern Festival, and Spring Festival are also losing interest from popular imagination. This was replaced by western festivals like Valentine’s Day and Christmas. The largely outstanding form of this is Westernization, but Sinicization of cultures has occurred over most part of Asia for several centuries. Augmented intercontinental travel and tourism, greater than before immigration despite the fact that it may also pave the way for illegitimate immigrations, dispersal of local consumer merchandise such as food products to other countries over and over again making them acquainted to their culture, wide-reaching fashion, and pop culture. The results are showing. People forget traditional festivals; other countries steal them. South Korea claimed dragon boat festival, which is a Chinese traditional festival, as its own intangible cultural heritage. The once hugely popular festival like Chongyang Festival hardly draws attention these days. Festivals like Mid-autumn Festival are no longer considered as an important day in urban Chinese life. Double Seventh Festival hardly survives in the yearly calendar of the official Chinese holiday list. If this goes on, the declined, but still surviving festivals would be erased from public life and memory.

Solution/Protection

The only solution to this problem is Government reaction. The authority should induce more emphasis on Traditional festivals and set more traditional festival as public holiday. At present, there are public holidays on Spring Festival, Women’s Day, National Day, May Day etc. Thus, once the government declares holiday on the traditional festivals so that the mass is able to get them involved. Moreover, more education on traditional festival can be provided so that the population would be able to learn traditional custom. There can be more popular elements, so that young people like traditional festivals. The authority of China may organize sporting or entertainment events at the venue of these festivals so that more and more people would become interested. The media can be used to generate interest too.

Conclusion

Globalization signifies escalating global connectivity, incorporation, and interdependence in the economic, cultural, technological, social, ecological, and political orbs. Globalization has an assortment of characteristics, which influence the world in numerous dissimilar ways. The various forms of Globalization are as such, Industrial Globalization, pseudonym Trans-nationalization is surfacing of worldwide manufacture markets and wider access to an assortment of merchandise for consumers and companies. Cultural Globalization is intensification of cross-cultural relations, initiation of fresh categories of perceptions and distinctiveness such as Globalism, which exemplify cultural conduction, the craving to get through and have the benefit of foreign commodities and ideas, take on innovative technology and practices, and play a part in a world culture. The popularity of foreign festivals is inevitable, and it has pros and cons. The most important thing is to sustain the local traditional ways. Thus, government has huge responsibility in this context, and the authority must step up to restore the local festivals of China.

Works Cited

Fletcher, R; Beliefs and Knowledge: Believing and Knowing; Howard & Price; (2006).

King, H; China Today; HBT & Brooks Ltd; (2006).

Lamb, Davis; Cult to Culture: The Development of Civilization; National Book Trust; (2004).

Roberts, O M; Outline of Global Economy; Wellington: National Book Trust; (2005).

Roy, D P; Birth of Thought: The Evolving Intelligence; Part II; Auckland: HDT Ltd; (2006).

Sen, S; Difference between Thinking and Acting in Global Economics; Bloemfontein: ABP Ltd; (2007).

Wang, G.; Yeh, E. Y; Globalization and hybridization in cultural products: The cases of Mulan and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; International Journal of Cultural Studies, vol. 8, no. 2, 2005.

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