The Egyptian and Chinese Culture

The Egyptian and Chinese Culture
The cultures of China and Egypt are similar in a way that both have old traditional cultures and now the modern culture. China is an ancient country, with thousands of years of history which leaves a rich foundation for their culture. Any attempt to describe the Chinese people can be very difficult and a challenging task. The Chinese culture has come a long way from gender preference to overcoming a feudal society. It seems the Egyptian people are still in a mode of deciding which culture to side with. The Chinese along with the Egyptians are very diverse in their country of origins; there is still much to be said about how diverse and changing both cultures are.
Gender preference in China is deeply rooted as China was, and is still today, a feudal society (male orientated and male centered). So much that daughter discrimination is a reason for alarm. Croll (2000) states “daughter discrimination is actually on the increase despite rising economic development, declining fertility and generally improved status of women” (p. 2). The customary preference for sons is again deeply rooted in the structure of society. Sons enjoy large amounts of social prestige and are needed to carry out farm work, offer financial support to aging parents and continue the family name. Due to the national policy of limiting families to one child, couples started opting for sex selective abortions. Families feel that if they are allowed only one child then they should be allowed to at least have a boy.
In feudal society, a marriage would be decided not by a young couple’s love but by their parents’ desires. “Marriage was for continuing the ancestral line and creating alliances between families; too important a duty to be left in the rash hands of the young (http://www.chcp.org/wedding.html”). Only after parental consideration of the two families and their conditions would marriage procedures go forward. Of course, the conditions most taken into consider was wealth and social status of the boys’ family. However, a wealthy boy’s family would never permit him to marry a girl from a poor family. In commemoration of the marriage and to show wealth, the groom’s family will throw an extensive meal as large as they can afford.
According to the widespread observation of the local population there exist two different cultures in Egypt. Ibrahim (2003) explains this as “one is what they call baladi (local), which can be described as traditional and is considered by many to be backward; the other represents what is called afrangi (foreign) and is the progressive Western one (p. 12). The Egyptians consider these two cultures incompatible, and many are not able to accept their own original cultural identity. Egyptians today are confronted daily by a world full of imported technology of CDs, video recorders, TVs, cell phones and computers. The inner-city youth that have been brought up by the Western-type schools make up a continually growing social class that has developed a strong taste for the consumption of Western material culture. In turn, they abandon their own culture and turn their backs.
Egyptian weddings are not only special historical ceremonies, but also the most important ceremony for Egyptian women. Of the first people in the world, the ancient Egyptians were the first that stated marriage laws. Marriage was regarded as a civil and legal relationship. The wife held the highest prestige and was respected greatly. In the Egyptian culture, the adult daughter would welcome guests that came to visit and it can still be found today where the eldest daughter is to marry before the youngest. Before the groom could marry the bride, he must meet with her parents and come to an agreement to pay an offering in order to buy the bride an elaborate gift. Henna parties are held the night before the wedding with friends and relatives. The day of the wedding, the marriage contract is signed and wedding parties begin after sunset. Weddings also reflect the social status of families. It is a way to show off their wealth to wedding guests, and therefore is concluded that Egyptian weddings are not just an announcement of marriage but also a statement of financial position.
In modern China, it appears that they have overcome gender preference. It can still be seen in the rural areas, but not as distinct as it was in ancient China. While some still consider China a feudal society, most consider it a great improvement from what it was; therefore, not recognizing what feudalism there still is. As the young Egyptians seem to be greatly influenced by the Western culture and the elderly seem to have little influence over the change, young Egyptians will continue to allow themselves westernized. One thing that Egyptians are sticking to their roots with is that of the wedding tradition. Egyptians are very proud of the wedding ceremony, and see it as the most important ceremony of their lives. References
Chinese Historical and Cultural Projects. Chinese Wedding Traditions. Retrieved May 14, 2008, from http://www.chcp.org/wedding.html.
Croll, E. (2000). Endangered Daughters: discrimination and development in Asia. New York: Routledge.
Ibrahim, I. (2003). Egypt: An Economic Geography. New York: Tauris & Company