Chinese Culture Fact Sheet Traditional Health Beliefs and Practices

● Practice Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)

○ Balance between body, mind, and spirit.

○ Yin: qualities that are dark, passive, feminine, receptive, and associated with the night (ie. heart).

○ Yang: qualities that are light, bright, active, masculine and associated with the day (ie. stomach).

● Harmony leads to health, good weather, and good fortune while disharmony leads to disease, disaster, and bad luck.

● Chinese herbal medicines as well as acupuncture are part of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

○ Used to regulate the natural balance of the body and restore health.

○ Used to treat and/or prevent health conditions.

○ May use herbal medicines and specific foods to treat illness before seeking Western medical care.

● Believe that a lack of emotional harmony → mental illness and a lack of balance of yin and yang → physical illnessCommunication Practices

● General:○ Arriving on time shows respect and it is customary to greet one another with a polite nod or by shaking hands.○ An individual’s surname followed by their title should be said when addressing someone to recognize that individual’s

social class and rank. The chinese culture puts a big emphasis on respecting seniority and older adults.○ “Face” or “Mian Zi” represents a person’s reputation and feelings of prestige within their workplace, society, family, and

friends. If someone does something disrespectful, they will lose face but if they are admired, they will gain face.○ Guanxi is a practice of maintaining social and business relationships in a hierarchical manner, in order to have social and

economic order. There is a major emphasis on mutual obligations, reciprocity, and trust which is why rapport building and personal/face-to-face interaction is highly valued.

● Verbal Communication○ Small talk is very important.○ To avoid social embarrassment, the Chinese speak in an impassive and modest way. They will keep silent if they are

against something in order to maintain harmony. They value patience when discussing future goals, progress, and deadlines due to the indirect and implicit way the chinese culture communicates.

● Nonverbal Communication○ There is not a strong emphasis on emotions which is why facial expressions and gestures should remain neutral. Frowning

signifies disagreement and excessive direct eye contact is seen as an invasion of privacy and disrespect.○ The counselor should refrain from touching the client and there should be an appropriate amount of space between them. ○ It is normal for the client to be accompanied by a friend or family member because they value relationships and collective

group affiliation.

Traditional Food Habits and Common Foods● Chinese Dishes are made up of "Eight Culinary Cuisines" which are Anhui, Cantonese, Fujian, Hunan, Jiangsu, Shandong, Sichuan,

and Zhejiang cuisines. Different areas have different food habits. ● Chinese food habits are divided into 2 parts: North and South part of China.

○ North: Wheat flour is the staple food due to the dry, cold weather and the soil condition is easier to grow this.■ Noodles, steamed bread, and dumplings are the most common foods amongst the North. Dumplings are made of

flour, minced meat, and vegetables. It is easy to cook and store, and the South enjoys them too.○ South: Rice is the staple food due to the wet, fertile ground in Southern China.

■ Rice is steamed with water. It is the main source of carbohydrate for the Chinese.● Main food sources

○ Frying and steaming are the most common cooking methods.○ Beef, pork, chicken, and lamb are the most common protein sources. They are usually fried with vegetables. ○ Vegetables include Chinese cabbage, mater convolvulus, lettuce, and bok choy- usually cooked in garlic and oil.○ Soybean is the main legume source, it is cooked as soybean-milk and tofu.

■ Soybean milk: blend and steam soybean with water, filter the blender, separate the liquid with bean dregs. ■ Tofu: Add coagulant (Epsom Salt) into soybean milk, and wait.

Daily Food Patterns

● Customs vary according to region, but it is most common to have 3 meals a day.

● Prepared dishes are meant to be shared rather than having your own plate.

● Meals are prepared in order to balance Yin and Yang with proper amounts of Fan and Cai.

○ Fan-> Grains such as rice or noodles

○ Cai-> Cooked meats or vegetables

● Hot water, tea, or soup is the preferred beverage as it is believed to be good for digestion.

● Chopsticks are the most common utensils used.Special Occasions

● Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) is the most important Chinese celebration of the year. ○ Foods eaten are usually symbolic of how the coming year is going to be for an individual.

■ Fish- In cantonese, the word for fish sounds like surplus and represents wealth. ■ Dumplings- The dumplings made on New Years are made to look like ancient pieces of silver and gold and

therefore also symbolize wealth. ■ Longevity Noodles- The length of the noodles represents a long life ahead for the person eating them.

● Lantern Festival ○ First significant festival after the new year, celebrating the first full moon and family reunion.○ Activities include watching thousands of lanterns fill the night sky, fireworks, and appreciating the full moon. ○ All New Year decorations are taken down due to bad taboo. ○ Yuanxiao is a sticky rice dumpling filled with various things such as seaweed or bean paste and is round and white to

symbolize the new moon. This also symbolizes reunion, harmony, and happiness.

Counselor Recommendations

● When counseling a patient, it is important to establish rapport. Understanding a person’s culture and lifestyle is a big part.

● First impressions are very important. A good first introduction plays a role in establishing a close interpersonal relationship. It is considered polite to give your name, job positions, and the place you work when meeting people on formal occasions.

● A handshake is the most common form of greeting and the oldest person is always greeted first as a sign of respect.

● Certain things that are considered normal in western culture are considered rude to the Chinese, such as pointing an index finger. It is also considered polite to use both hands when handing someone something.

● It is important to take into account the different staple foods in a chinese person’s dishes. They typically eat family style meals off of small plates, and a lot of rice and vegetables are consumed.

● Chinese people tend to over order food and it is seen as embarrassing if there is not any food left. Similarly, if your plate or bowl is empty, the person who is serving your food will take this as a sign that you are still hungry and will refill your plate.

● Eating meals as a family is typical, and chinese families typically gather for three meals a day.

● It is important to know not only the different foods chinese people eat, but the social aspect that surrounds them as well.Referenceshttp://business.uni.edu/buscomm/internationalbuscomm/world/asia/china/china.html

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