Asian American Resources

• 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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)