Asian American Resources
Common Practices China Hong Kong Japan Macau Mongolia North Korea South Korea Taiwan Tibet
Common practices, customs and traditions:
-
Confucian values emphasize respect for elders, filial piety and maintaining harmonious relationships within society. These values shape social interactions, family dynamics and the overall culture.
-
Martial arts, such as Tai Chi, Kung Fu, Karate, Judo, Taekwondo and Aikido, are deeply rooted in East Asian cultures and are considered both a physical discipline and a form of spiritual practice.
-
Calligraphy, ink painting, tea ceremonies and flower arranging hold great cultural significance in Eastern Asia. Tea ceremonies, such as the Chinese tea ceremony (gong fu cha), Japanese tea ceremony (chanoyu) and Korean tea ceremony (darye), involve the preparation, serving and enjoyment of tea with a focus on mindfulness, aesthetics, and social etiquette.
-
The Lunar New Year is a cultural holiday filled with traditions, family gatherings, feasts, fireworks and lion or dragon dances. Customs and rituals vary among countries, but they generally involve wishes for good fortune, prosperity and the warding off of evil spirits.
-
Nomadic lifestyles have historically been prevalent in the northern part of East Asia, particularly among the Mongolian and Kazakh people. Traditional lifestyles based on horseback riding, herding livestock (such as horses, yaks, and reindeer), and living in portable dwellings like yurts (ger in Mongolia) are still practiced in some places.
-
Folk tales, legends and oral traditions are passed down through generations, often depicting encounters with mythical creatures, heroes, nature and spirits.
-
Traditional craft-making is practiced by various communities, such as intricate woodwork, bone carving, embroidery and felt-making.
China:
Official Title: People’s Republic of China
Official Language(s): Yue Chinese (Cantonese), English, Kazakh, Korean, Standard Mandarin, Mongolian, Portuguese, Tibetan, Uyghur, Yi, Standard Zhuang
Regional and Indigenous Languages: 56 ethnic groups are officially recognized within the territory, and there are about 281 languages, including many dialects spoken in China. These languages also have several traditional writing styles that do not look like Hanzi (modern Chinese characters). Commonly spoken languages include Regional Mandarin, Jin Chinese, Wu Chinese, Huizhou Chinese, Yue Chinese (Cantonese), Ping Chinese, Gan Chinese, Xiang Chinese, Hakka Language, Min Chinese, Dali dialect, Xiangyun dialect, Ytdut dialect, Heqing dialect, Bijiang dialect, Lanping dialect, Songlin, Caijia, Qiang, Gyalrongic, Prinimi, Muya, Zhaba, Choyo, Tibetan, Burmish, Loloish, Nakhi, Jingpho, Nungish, Mijuish, Digarish, Tani and more. Plus Chinese, Hong Kong and Tibetan sign language.
Written languages: Tai Lü alphabet, Manchu alphabet, Hmong, Kazakh alphabet, Korean alphabet, Kyrgyz alphabet, Lisu script, Mongolian alphabet, Dongba characters, Rma script, Arabic script, Sui script, Tibetan alphabet, Uyghur Arabic Script, Yi syllabary, Hakka, Hokkien, Teochew, etc.
Languages that historically used Chinese characters: Bai, Bouyei, Dong, Korean, Vietnamese, Zhuang
Foreign Languages Spoken: English, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese
Religions and Belief Systems: Buddhism, Chinese Folk Religion, Confucianism, Christianity, Islam, Secular, Taoism
Hong Kong:
Official Title: Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China (since 1997, was a former British colony)
Official Language(s): Chinese and English
Regional and Indigenous Languages: Yue Chinese (Cantonese), Hakka, Southern Min Mandarin, Taishanese, Shanghainese, Hong Kong Sign Language
Foreign Languages Spoken: Filipino, Thai, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Hindi, Punjabi, French, German
Religions and Belief Systems: Buddhism, Chinese Folk Religion, Confucianism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, Secular, Sikhism, Taoism
Japan:
Official Title: Nippon-koku (State of Japan)
Official Language(s): Japanese
Regional and Indigenous Languages: Regional and Indigenous Languages Spoken: Ainu, Amami Ōshima, Kunigami, Miyako, Okinawan, Yaeyama, Yonaguni, Bonin English, Matagi, Nivkh, Orok, Sanka, Zainichi Korean
Foreign Languages Spoken: Chinese, Korean, Mongolian, Portuguese, Spanish, Arabic, Bengali, Burmese, Dutch, English, Filipino, French, German, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Khmer, Kurdish, Lao, Malay, Nepali, Persian, Russian, Tamil, Thai, Turkish, Vietnamese
Religions and Belief Systems: Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Islam, Secular, Shinto
Macau:
Official Title: Macau Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China (since 1999, was a former Portuguese colony)
Official Language(s): Traditional Chinese and Portuguese
Regional and Indigenous Languages: English and Patuá (Macanese patois)
Foreign Languages Spoken: English, Portuguese, Tagalog (Filipino)
Religions and Belief Systems: Buddhism, Christianity, Chinese Folk Religion, Islam, Secular
Mongolia:
Official Title: Mongolian People’s Republic
Official Language(s): Khalkha Mongolian
Regional and Indigenous Languages: Oirat, Buryat, Mongolic Khamnigan
Foreign Languages Spoken: Chinese, English, Kazakh, Korean, Russian, Tuvan
Religions and Belief Systems: Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Secular, Shamanism, Taoism
North Korea:
Official Title: The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
Official Language(s): Korean
Regional and Indigenous Languages: Pyongan dialect, Gyeonggi dialect, Munhwaŏ dialect, North Korean Sign Language
Written Language: Hangul, Hanja
Foreign Languages Spoken: Chinese, English, Russian
Religions and Belief Systems: Atheism, Buddhism, Cheondoism, Christianity, Shamanism
South Korea:
Official Title: Republic of Korea
Official Language(s): Korean
Regional and Indigenous Languages: Seoul dialect, Gyeongsang dialect, Jeju dialect, Chungcheong dialect, Jeolla dialect, Korean Sign Language
Written Language: Hangul
Foreign Languages Spoken: English, Chinese (Mandarin), Japanese
Religions and Belief Systems: Atheism, Buddhism, Cheondoism, Christianity, Confucianism, Korean Shamanism, Islam, Taoism
Taiwan:
Official Title: The Republic of China
Official Language(s): Traditional Chinese
Regional and Indigenous Languages: Amis, Atayal, Bunun, Kanakanavu, Kavalan, Paiwan, Puyuma, Rukai, Saaroa, Saisiyat, Sakizaya, Seediq, Thao, Truku, Tsou, Tao, Taiwanese Sign Language
Written Language: Traditional Chinese
Foreign Languages Spoken: English, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Tagalog (Filipino), Thai, Vietnamese
Religions and Belief Systems: Atheism, Bahá'í Faith, Buddhism, Chinese Salvationism, Christianity, Confucianism, Islam, Judaism, Shinto, Miledadao, Tiandiism, Taoism, Xuanyuanism, Yiguandao, Zailiism
Tibet:
Official Title: The Tibetan Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China and Greater Tibet (since 1965)
Official Language(s): Standard and Central Tibetan
Regional and Indigenous Languages: There are about 50 Languages and 200+ dialects known as the Tibetic languages, including Tibetan Sign Language
Foreign Languages Spoken: Mandarin
Religions and Belief Systems: Tibetan Buddhism, Bon (indigenous religion)