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 Asiawith customs and traditions varying greatly between provinces, cities, and even towns. Important components of Chinese culture include literature,music, visual arts, martial arts, cuisine, religion etc. dentity[edit] Today there are 56 distinct recognized ethnic groups in China.[3] In terms of numbers however, Han Chinese is by far the largest group. 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[edit]
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 bùtóng fēng, bǎi lǐ bùtóng sú), literally "the wind varies within ten li, customs vary within a hundred li."""
Society[edit]

Gold detailing on a throne used by theQianlong Emperor. The Chinese dragon was a symbol reserved for the Emperor of Chinaor high level imperial families during the Qing Dynasty
Structure[edit]
Main article: Social structure of China
Since the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors period, some form of Chinese monarch has been the main ruler above all. Different periods of history have different names for