By : ZHUYING SHI
Source : http://www.sundayszaman.com
Category : Film School Online
As the 2012 Year of Chinese Culture in Turkey kicked off with a series of cultural exchange events between the two countries, it paved the way for taking a closer look at their respective cultures.
Turkic peoples in Central and East Asia share a common history of diplomatic, cultural and economic relations with China dating back to the third century B. C.
Although many think Turkey and China are as different as the architecture of Blue Mosque and the Forbidden City, they share many more similarities than expected. There are strong cultural links between the two countries in various aspects, from the pages of history to the modern era. As old as the legends of the Silk Road, interactions between Chinese and Turkic people could date back to the middle of the third century B.C. According to historian John Foster, Turkic people emerged from Central Asia -- in China’s neighborhood -- and later moved westward. Relations between early Chinese empires and Turkic nomadic peoples concerned wars, trade and marriage treaties. The Great Wall of China, built in 220-206 B.C. by the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, was to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire from the intrusions of Turkic nomads. In 33 B.C., the Western Han Dynasty sent Chinese Princess Wang Zhaojun to marry Turkic nomadic leader Huhanye to establish peace.
Culture: Discovering similarities between countries
Because of the historical interactions of their ancestors, the Turkish and Chinese cultures are not strangers. In the area of traditional art, the shadow play, a folk entertainment, is popular both in Turkey and China. Legend has it that the shadow play was first created in ancient China during the Han dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D. 8). In the 13th century Mongolian troops ruled China and took the shadow play as a major form of entertainment. They further spread it to Persia, Arabia and Turkey, where the shadow play generally features characters Karagöz and Hacivat, who became popular during the Ottoman period.
Another example of cultural communication between Turkey and China is in the art of Turkish pottery that İznik produced between the late 15th and 17th centuries. İznik received many aesthetic influences from Chinese blue-and-white porcelain, which was highly valued by the Ottoman sultans of that time.
Moreover, there are interesting connections between Chinese and Turkish traditional instruments. The ney is quite similar to Chinese flutes in both sound and playing method: The only difference is that the former is made from reed and the latter from bamboo. Also, the Turkish kanun and Chinese guzheng are similar instruments in the zither family.
In the field of traditional literature, Ömer Şener, a researcher in the Chinese Ethnic Literature Department at Leeds Metropolitan University, told Sunday’s Zaman about the Nasreddin Hoca stories Turkey and China share. The name of Nasreddin Hoca -- said to have lived in 13th century Akşehir, Turkey -- has spread widely throughout the Middle East and Central Asia. In China, Nasreddin Hoca’s stories are well known. The Chinese people address Nasreddin Hoca as “Afanti” -- a similar sound to “Efendi.” “The stories probably spread from the Uighurs to the majority [Han] Chinese,” Şener said. He added: “The Chinese people love Afanti [Nasreddin Hoca] as much as the Turks do; as far as I know, Shanghai Animation Film Studio made a very popular cartoon film -- ‘The Story of Afanti’ -- in 1979, which became one of the most famous animations in China’s history.” Şener also noted that both Chinese and Turkish people love to use proverbs [atasözü] in their daily expressions, and many Chinese and Turkish proverbs share similar wisdom. “For example, in Turkish proverbs, we have ‘The tree that yields fruit gets stoned’ [Meyve veren ağaç taşlanır]; in a Chinese proverb, its counterpart is ‘Tall trees catch much wind’ [shu da zhao fenɡ]. Another example is ‘Do not delay today’s job to tomorrow’ [Bugünün işini yarına bırakma] in Turkish and ‘Today’s task should be finished today’ [jin ri shi jin ri bi] in Chinese.”
Besides historical cultural links, people observe contemporary cultural ties between Turkey and China. Dr. Çağdaş Üngör, China specialist and lecturer at Marmara University who conducted research in China for two years, pointed out that both the Chinese and Turks had preserved their traditional values well. “When I was in China, I was impressed by how the Chinese give importance to their family. People respect the elders and look after the young,” Dr. Üngör told Sunday’s Zaman. “Moreover, both Turks and Chinese enjoy a marvelous food culture -- we have great cuisines, we love spending time cooking. Like the Turks, Chinese people never eat alone, they have food together with family or friends and share food with each other,” she said. Being asked about her overall life experience in China, Dr. Üngör said she felt it was easy to live in China as a Turk. “Although in Turkey we call China a Far Eastern country, which sounds very distant, only when you are in China can you realize how close the Turkish and Chinese cultures are.”
Dr. Jingyuan Qiu, a teacher in the Chinese language and literature department at Fatih University, told Sunday’s Zaman there was a growing number of Turkish students enrolled in the Chinese program. “Nowadays, trade between China and Turkey is booming. Most of my students want to be Chinese translators after graduation. In Turkey it is a very good job choice with excellent pay,” Dr. Qiu said. Turkey now has Chinese departments established at Fatih University, Okan University, Ankara University and Erciyes University. Moreover, there is a Confucius Institute at Boğaziçi University and a Confucius Institute at Middle East Technical University to provide Chinese language education and introduce Chinese culture to Turkish students.
Hui Muslims observe same practices as Turkish Muslims
Safia Liping Ma, a Chinese Hui Muslim who is now living in İstanbul, told Sunday’s Zaman that Chinese and Turkish Muslims have a lot in common in their religious practices. More than 10 million Chinese Hui Muslims follow the same Hanafi school as Turkish Muslims do. “We pray in the same manner. We share some of the mystical Sufi ideas,” Safia said. She added: “Also, when I was in China, I found Turkish religious scholars’ books in bookshops near mosques, such as Fethullah Gülen and Bediüzzaman Said Nursi’s works. They are well translated into Chinese. Many of my friends read these books and like them very much.”
Furthermore, the Uighurs, a Turkic Muslim community living primarily in China’s Xinjiang region, has established the most important cultural bridge between Turkey and China. The Uighurs are similar to the Turkish people in cultural features, cuisine and folk music, and many members of the Uighur diaspora community live in Turkey.
Source: http://www.sundayszaman.com/sunday/newsDetail_getNewsById.action?newsId=272502
Source : http://www.sundayszaman.com
Category : Film School Online
As the 2012 Year of Chinese Culture in Turkey kicked off with a series of cultural exchange events between the two countries, it paved the way for taking a closer look at their respective cultures.
Turkic peoples in Central and East Asia share a common history of diplomatic, cultural and economic relations with China dating back to the third century B. C.
Although many think Turkey and China are as different as the architecture of Blue Mosque and the Forbidden City, they share many more similarities than expected. There are strong cultural links between the two countries in various aspects, from the pages of history to the modern era. As old as the legends of the Silk Road, interactions between Chinese and Turkic people could date back to the middle of the third century B.C. According to historian John Foster, Turkic people emerged from Central Asia -- in China’s neighborhood -- and later moved westward. Relations between early Chinese empires and Turkic nomadic peoples concerned wars, trade and marriage treaties. The Great Wall of China, built in 220-206 B.C. by the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, was to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire from the intrusions of Turkic nomads. In 33 B.C., the Western Han Dynasty sent Chinese Princess Wang Zhaojun to marry Turkic nomadic leader Huhanye to establish peace.
Culture: Discovering similarities between countries
Because of the historical interactions of their ancestors, the Turkish and Chinese cultures are not strangers. In the area of traditional art, the shadow play, a folk entertainment, is popular both in Turkey and China. Legend has it that the shadow play was first created in ancient China during the Han dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D. 8). In the 13th century Mongolian troops ruled China and took the shadow play as a major form of entertainment. They further spread it to Persia, Arabia and Turkey, where the shadow play generally features characters Karagöz and Hacivat, who became popular during the Ottoman period.
Another example of cultural communication between Turkey and China is in the art of Turkish pottery that İznik produced between the late 15th and 17th centuries. İznik received many aesthetic influences from Chinese blue-and-white porcelain, which was highly valued by the Ottoman sultans of that time.
Moreover, there are interesting connections between Chinese and Turkish traditional instruments. The ney is quite similar to Chinese flutes in both sound and playing method: The only difference is that the former is made from reed and the latter from bamboo. Also, the Turkish kanun and Chinese guzheng are similar instruments in the zither family.
In the field of traditional literature, Ömer Şener, a researcher in the Chinese Ethnic Literature Department at Leeds Metropolitan University, told Sunday’s Zaman about the Nasreddin Hoca stories Turkey and China share. The name of Nasreddin Hoca -- said to have lived in 13th century Akşehir, Turkey -- has spread widely throughout the Middle East and Central Asia. In China, Nasreddin Hoca’s stories are well known. The Chinese people address Nasreddin Hoca as “Afanti” -- a similar sound to “Efendi.” “The stories probably spread from the Uighurs to the majority [Han] Chinese,” Şener said. He added: “The Chinese people love Afanti [Nasreddin Hoca] as much as the Turks do; as far as I know, Shanghai Animation Film Studio made a very popular cartoon film -- ‘The Story of Afanti’ -- in 1979, which became one of the most famous animations in China’s history.” Şener also noted that both Chinese and Turkish people love to use proverbs [atasözü] in their daily expressions, and many Chinese and Turkish proverbs share similar wisdom. “For example, in Turkish proverbs, we have ‘The tree that yields fruit gets stoned’ [Meyve veren ağaç taşlanır]; in a Chinese proverb, its counterpart is ‘Tall trees catch much wind’ [shu da zhao fenɡ]. Another example is ‘Do not delay today’s job to tomorrow’ [Bugünün işini yarına bırakma] in Turkish and ‘Today’s task should be finished today’ [jin ri shi jin ri bi] in Chinese.”
Besides historical cultural links, people observe contemporary cultural ties between Turkey and China. Dr. Çağdaş Üngör, China specialist and lecturer at Marmara University who conducted research in China for two years, pointed out that both the Chinese and Turks had preserved their traditional values well. “When I was in China, I was impressed by how the Chinese give importance to their family. People respect the elders and look after the young,” Dr. Üngör told Sunday’s Zaman. “Moreover, both Turks and Chinese enjoy a marvelous food culture -- we have great cuisines, we love spending time cooking. Like the Turks, Chinese people never eat alone, they have food together with family or friends and share food with each other,” she said. Being asked about her overall life experience in China, Dr. Üngör said she felt it was easy to live in China as a Turk. “Although in Turkey we call China a Far Eastern country, which sounds very distant, only when you are in China can you realize how close the Turkish and Chinese cultures are.”
Dr. Jingyuan Qiu, a teacher in the Chinese language and literature department at Fatih University, told Sunday’s Zaman there was a growing number of Turkish students enrolled in the Chinese program. “Nowadays, trade between China and Turkey is booming. Most of my students want to be Chinese translators after graduation. In Turkey it is a very good job choice with excellent pay,” Dr. Qiu said. Turkey now has Chinese departments established at Fatih University, Okan University, Ankara University and Erciyes University. Moreover, there is a Confucius Institute at Boğaziçi University and a Confucius Institute at Middle East Technical University to provide Chinese language education and introduce Chinese culture to Turkish students.
Hui Muslims observe same practices as Turkish Muslims
Safia Liping Ma, a Chinese Hui Muslim who is now living in İstanbul, told Sunday’s Zaman that Chinese and Turkish Muslims have a lot in common in their religious practices. More than 10 million Chinese Hui Muslims follow the same Hanafi school as Turkish Muslims do. “We pray in the same manner. We share some of the mystical Sufi ideas,” Safia said. She added: “Also, when I was in China, I found Turkish religious scholars’ books in bookshops near mosques, such as Fethullah Gülen and Bediüzzaman Said Nursi’s works. They are well translated into Chinese. Many of my friends read these books and like them very much.”
Furthermore, the Uighurs, a Turkic Muslim community living primarily in China’s Xinjiang region, has established the most important cultural bridge between Turkey and China. The Uighurs are similar to the Turkish people in cultural features, cuisine and folk music, and many members of the Uighur diaspora community live in Turkey.
Source: http://www.sundayszaman.com/sunday/newsDetail_getNewsById.action?newsId=272502
