What are the regional cultures of China? What are their characteristics?

Three levels of traditional Chinese cultural areas:

1. Eastern agricultural and cultural areas (northern cultural subarea, southern cultural subarea)

(1) Guandong cultural subarea: the main body is located in the northeast of China, which is called Guandong cultural subarea because it is located to the east of Shanhaiguan. Historically, this area was dominated by the culture of ethnic minorities, and the main type of economy before the Ming Dynasty was fishing and hunting. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the district developed at a much faster pace because of its frequent cultural exchanges with the Han Chinese in the Guannai region. Now the region's ethnic groups are mainly Han, Manchu scattered among them, in the western Daxinganling region is also distributed Daur, Oroqen, Ewenke and other ethnic groups, in the Changbaishan region there are Koreans. The traditional economic type of Han and Korean is farming, while other ethnic minorities are mostly fishing and hunting. There are different folklore, beliefs and different art forms under different economic types. A representative art form is the "two-people show" in the northeast.

(2) Yanzhao Cultural Sub-area: Hebei Province as the core, north of Yanshan Mountain as the border, west of Taihang Mountain, east of the Bohai Sea, south of the Central Plains and Jianghuai. The ethnic groups in this area are mainly Han Chinese, and the traditional economic type is mainly farming. The folk customs here are rough and bold, and martial arts are common, and there have been many heroes and warriors in history. Yanzhao region has a variety of art forms, representative of the Beijing opera, opera, Hebei opera, Wuqiao acrobatics and so on.

(3) Loess Plateau Cultural Sub-area: Relying on the Loess Plateau, west to the Hexi Corridor, east to the Taihang Mountains, the northern boundary of the Great Wall, the southern limit of the Qinling Taibai Mountains. This area is the birthplace of Chinese civilization and the center of Chinese politics, economy and culture before the Song Dynasty. It has a long history, the main ethnic group is Han Chinese, and the traditional type of economy is farming. Thousands of years of cultural development have left a large number of material and cultural landscapes here, which are now called "underground cultural relics museum" in Shaanxi Province and "aboveground cultural relics museum" in Shanxi Province. The people here are warm and simple, and their art style is high and exciting. The representative art forms are Qinqiang and Shanxi Bangzi.

(4) Central Plains Cultural Sub-region: The core area is now Henan Province, which is located in the center of the ancient nine states, so it is also known as "Zhongzhou". The Yellow River, which symbolizes the Chinese nation, crosses the Central Plains, and historically it has a close connection with the Loess Plateau culture, which was another political and cultural center in ancient China after the Loess Plateau. Since it was the imperial capital for a long time, it has gathered many learned men and women from all over the world. The main ethnic group in this region is Han Chinese, the traditional type of economy is farming, the people's culture is simple and open-minded, Shaolin martial arts, Henan Yu opera famous in China.

(5) Qilu Cultural Sub-region: With today's Shandong Province as the core, due to the Spring and Autumn period here for the seat of Qi and Lu, it is also known as Qilu land. This area is located in the lower reaches of the Yellow River, the soil is deep and fertile, and the traditional type of economy is farming, with fishing along the coast. This district is the birthplace of Confucian culture, which has spread from here to the whole of China and even the world over the course of more than 2,000 years of history, and is regarded by the world as one of the essences of Chinese culture. Under the influence of the upper culture that honors Confucius and respects Confucianism, the folk customs of the Qilu land, which are characterized by speaking of propriety and righteousness, have been formed. Shandong drums, Shandong clappers, and Shandong quick books are the representative art forms of the region.

(6) Huaihe River Basin Cultural Sub-area: As the name suggests, it is located in the Huaihe River Basin, roughly bounded by the Longhai Railway in the north, bordering the Yangtze River in the south, Henan and Hubei in the west, and reaching the northern coast of Jiangsu in the east, i.e., the northern part of the present-day Anhui and Jiangsu Provinces. Whether the political, economic and cultural center of gravity of ancient China was located in the Yellow River Basin or transferred to the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, this district was located at the edge of the center of gravity area, coupled with the fact that it was a transition zone in terms of natural geography, the culture of this district was also characterized by the transition between northern and southern cultures. One of the manifestations of this is that although the traditional economy of the region is mainly based on farming, the form of farming is characterized by the transition from dry farming to rice farming, and the second manifestation is that the language of the region is characterized by the transition from the northern dialect of the Chinese language to the Wu language. The familiar art forms in this region include Fengyang Flower Drums, Huaihai Opera, Liuqin Opera and so on.

(7) Ba Shu Cultural Sub-region: Located in the Sichuan Basin, Chongqing was the capital of Ba State more than 3,000 years ago, and Chengdu was the capital of the King of Shu more than 2,400 years ago, so people are accustomed to call this place Ba Shu Land. Although the region is located in the southwest, it is supported by the rich Chengdu Plain and has a relatively developed traditional farming economy. The situation around the basin of the region is dangerous and militarily favorable for attack and defense, coupled with poor cultural exchanges with the outside world, it has formed a unique regional culture. Sichuan opera is the main type of local opera in Sichuan, which is lively and humorous.

(8) Jing-Xiang culture sub-area (Jing-Chu culture sub-area): Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River in the Jianghan-Dongting Lake Plain, Wushan, Wuling Mountain barrier to the west, east of Mufu, Wugong mountains and Wu-Yue separated from the north of Tongbai Mountain, Dabie Mountain and the Central Plains, south of the border with the Five Ridges. The land here is fertile and the climate is warm and humid, so the traditional farming industry is relatively developed. Some scholars believe that historically this district was another center of civilization in ancient China, while others believe it was another center after the spread of the Yellow River civilization center. Regardless of the relationship between the district and the culture of the Yellow River basin, it is recognized that the district has its own characteristics at all levels of culture, and that the Chu culture of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods had an important influence on the later cultural development of the district. In terms of theater, in addition to the more mature development of Han Opera, Chu Opera, Flower Drum Opera, Caicha Opera, etc., folk song and dance art forms are also relatively rich.

(9) Poyang Cultural Sub-region: Located in the area of Poyang Lake on the south shore of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, mainly in present-day Jiangxi Province. This area is surrounded by water (Yangtze River) on one side and mountains on the other. The traditional economy is based on farming. The region is mountainous, which affects the development of the economy, but many scenic mountains have been chosen as holy places by Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism, such as Mount Lu and Mount Longhu. The representative art form of the region is the Yiyang Cavity, which is one of the four major vocal cavities in China (the remainder being the Kunshan Cavity of Jiangsu Province, the Yuyao Cavity of Zhejiang Province, and the Haiyan Cavity), and is characterized by its exuberance and exuberance.

(10) Wu-Yue Cultural Sub-region: Located in the Yangtze River Delta and Hangzhou Bay, the region is bordered by the Yangtze River moat in the north, Poyang Plain in the west, Yandang Mountains in the south, and the vast sea in the east. The area is densely populated with rivers, numerous lakes, fertile land, warm and humid climate, and well-developed traditional farming, making it a land of treasures and natural splendor. The affluent economy of the region provides a good foundation for the development of spiritual culture. Suzhou gardens, the beauty of the West Lake, Yunjin brocade, Song brocade, Suzhou embroidery, and the Four Treasures of Scholarship are all directly related to the affluent economy. Kun Opera and Yue Opera are the representative art forms of the region, fully embodying the delicate, gentle, clear and mellow characteristics of the region's opera.

(11) Lingnan Cultural Sub-district: As the name suggests, it is located in the south of Nanling. This area is located in the south of the South Ridge as the name suggests. This area is backed by the mountains and facing the sea, historically located in the edge of the core area of Chinese culture for a long time, and since modern times, this area is at the crossroads of Chinese and foreign cultures, so it has its own unique cultural characteristics. The social and economic development of the district started later than that of the aforementioned cultural sub-districts, and the traditional type of economy is farming. Among the art forms of the region, Cantonese opera, Guangdong music and Lingnan painting are the most distinctive.

(12) Taiwan Strait Cultural Sub-region: Basically, it is in line with the scope of today's Fujian and Taiwan provinces. The western part of this area is connected with the Poyang Cultural Sub-area, while the northern and southern parts are bordered by the Wuyue Cultural Sub-area and Lingnan Cultural Sub-area respectively. Although the cultures of Taiwan and Fujian have their own characteristics, from the perspective of cultural origin, the cultures of Taiwan and Fujian share the same **** ancestor, and many of the **** same cultural elements are still closely linked to people on both sides of the strait, such as the belief in Mazu. The region is mountainous, and suitable agricultural land is mainly located in the coastal plain. The relatively closed geographical environment of the mountainous region has become a reservation or "shelter" for many cultural elements in history, such as the ancient sounds of Chinese and the culture of the Gaoshan people.

2. Southwest Minority Agricultural and Cultural Region: The Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau and the Hengduan Mountains are the main areas, including today's Yunnan, Guizhou, and part of Gui. Although the traditional type of economy in this region is farming, the characteristics of its cultural complex are again very different from those of the eastern agro-cultural region. The region is a multi-ethnic area, and its cultural characteristics also show the diversified styles of many ethnic minorities. From the material culture of living, eating and dressing to the spiritual culture of customs, beliefs and art, all of them can reflect this

3. Western nomadic culture area:

(1) Mengxin Grassland-Desert Nomadic Culture Sub-region: It roughly includes the vast area of northwest China, except for Shaanxi and Qinghai. The natural environment here is dominated by semi-arid and arid areas, so nomadic herding is the main traditional economic type in this region, and there are also planting and horticulture in the plains along the rivers and scattered oasis areas. The art of this region is characterized by roughness, boldness, passion and cheerfulness, and different ethnic groups have different art forms.

① Inner Mongolia Cultural Sub-region

② Northern Frontier Cultural Sub-region

③ Southern Frontier Cultural Sub-region

(2) Tibetan Plateau Nomadic Cultural Sub-region: Located on top of the Tibetan Plateau, this is a unique geographic unit, and despite the history of this region's unique development, it is much more connected to the Central Plateau than it is to the Indian Cultural Region in the southern part of the plateau. Religion has played an important role in the development of the region at all levels of culture.