Katana VentraIP

Sinosphere

The Sinosphere,[1] also known as the Chinese cultural sphere,[2] East Asian cultural sphere,[3] or the Sinic world,[4] encompasses multiple countries in East Asia and Southeast Asia that historically were heavily influenced by Chinese culture, norms and traditions.[4][5] According to academic consensus, the Sinosphere comprises Greater China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.[6] Other definitions may include the regions of modern-day Mongolia[7][8][9] and Singapore, largely due to limited historical Chinese influences or increasing modern-day Chinese diaspora.[10] The Sinosphere is not to be confused with Sinophone, which indicates countries where a Chinese-speaking population is dominant.[11]

This article is about a group of nations historically influenced by Chinese culture. For other uses, see Sinosphere (disambiguation).

Sinosphere

  • 東亞文化圈
  • 漢字文化圈
  • 东亚文化圈
  • 汉字文化圈

  • East Asian cultural sphere
  • Chinese character cultural sphere

  • Dōngyà wénhuà quān
  • Hànzì wénhuà quān

  • Dōngyà wénhuà quān
  • Hànzì wénhuà quān

  • ㄉㄨㄥ ㄧㄚˋ ㄨㄣˊ ㄏㄨㄚˋ ㄑㄩㄢ
  • ㄏㄢˋ ㄗˋ ㄨㄣˊ ㄏㄨㄚˋ ㄑㄩㄢ

  • Tung1-ya4 wen2-hua4 chʻüan1
  • Han4-tzu4 wen2-hua4 chʻüan1

  • Dong-yà wún-huà cyuan
  • Hàn-zìh wún-huà cyuan

  • ton-ia ven-ho-chioe
  • hoe-zr ven-ho-chioe

  • Tûng-â vùn-fa-khiên
  • Hon-sṳ vùn-fa-khiên

  • Dūng'a màhnfahyūn
  • Honjih màhnfahyūn

  • Dung1aa3 man4faa3hyun1
  • Hon3zi6 man4faa3hyun1

  • Tang-a bûn-hòa-khoan
  • Hàn-jī bûn-hòa-khoan

  • Tang-a bûn-huà-khua
  • Hàn-jī bûn-huà-khuan

  • Dĕ̤ng Ā ùng-huá-kuŏng
  • Háng-cê ùng-huá-kuŏng
  • Vùng văn hóa Á Đông
  • Vùng văn hóa Đông Á
  • Vùng văn hóa chữ Hán
  • 塳文化亞東
  • 塳文化東亞
  • 塳文化𡨸漢
  • 동아문화권
  • 한자문화권
  • 東亞文化圈
  • 漢字文化圈

  • Dong-a Munhwagwon
  • Hanja Munhwagwon

  • Dong-a Munhwagwon
  • Hanja Munhwagwon

  • Tong'a Munhwakwŏn
  • Hancha Munhwakwŏn
  • 東亜文化圏
  • 漢字文化圏
  • とうあぶんかけん
  • かんじぶんかけん
  • トウアブンカケン
  • カンジブンカケン

  • tō-a bunkaken
  • kanji bunkaken

  • tō-a bunkaken
  • kanji bunkaken

  • Tou-A Bunkaken
  • Kanzi Bunkaken

Imperial China was a major regional power in Eastern Asia and had exerted influence on tributary states and neighboring states, among which were Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.[a] These interactions brought ideological and cultural influences rooted in Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism. During classical history, the four cultures shared a common imperial system under respective emperors. Chinese inventions influenced, and were in turn influenced by, innovations of the other cultures in governance, philosophy, science, and the arts.[14][15][16] Written Classical Chinese became the regional lingua franca for literary and scientific exchange,[17] and Chinese characters became locally adapted in Japan as kanji, Korea as hanja, and Vietnam as chữ Hán.[18][19]


In late classical history, the literary importance of classical Chinese diminished as Japan, Korea, and Vietnam each adopted their own literary device. Japan developed the Katakana and Hiragana scripts, Korea created Hangul, and Vietnam developed chữ Nôm (which is now rarely used; the modern Vietnamese alphabet is based on the Latin alphabet).[20][21] Classical literature written in Chinese characters nonetheless remains an important legacy of Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese cultures.[22] In the 21st century, ideological and cultural influences of Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism remain visible in high culture and social doctrines.

Chinese: quān (, 'circle, ring, corral, pen')

Japanese: ken (圏けん, 'sphere, circle, range, radius')

Korean: gwon ( from 圏)

Architecture: Countries of the East Asian cultural sphere (, Korea, Vietnam, Taiwan) share a common architectural style stemming from the architecture of ancient China.[38]

Japan

Calligraphy: is a cursive script style used in Chinese and East Asian calligraphy.[39]

Caoshu

Comic: see (Japanese comics), Manhua (Chinese comics), Manhwa (Korean comics), Truyện tranh (Vietnamese comics)

Manga

Martial arts: see (kung fu; Chinese martial arts); Taekwondo and Hapkido (Korean martial arts); Karate, Aikido, Judo, Jujutsu and Sumo (Japanese martial arts); Vovinam and Nhất Nam (Vietnamese martial arts)

Gōngfu

Music: , such as erhu, have influenced those of Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and Vietnam.

Chinese musical instruments

Clothing: , Hanbok, Việt phục, and Wafuku all use silk. Jade jewelry and ornaments are also highly valued throughout East Asia and Southeast Asia.

Hanfu

(): an obligation of altruism and humaneness for other individuals

rén

(/): the upholding of righteousness and the moral disposition to do good

(/): a system of norms and propriety that determines how a person should properly act in everyday life

Economy and trade[edit]

Business culture[edit]

The business cultures of East Asia are heavily influenced by Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism. Japan often features hierarchically organized companies, and Japanese work environments place a high value on interpersonal relationships.[86] A leader of a Japanese company is typically valued on their ability to maintain social harmony, and to unify or bring together their employees, rather than simply being the top decision maker.[87][88]


Korean businesses, adhering to Confucian values, are structured around a patriarchal family governed by filial piety (孝順) between management and a company's employees, where knowing one's place within the hierarchy, and showing respect for a person's age and status, are very important in Korean society. It is not uncommon for people in a Korean office to refer to others as their seniors (seonbae), or their juniors (hubae). And usually positions within a company is reflective of a person's age, and juniors tend to listen to their seniors without pause.[89] Koreans place value on maintaining a social harmonious environment that allows a worker's "kibun" (their mood or emotional feelings) to remain balanced.[80]


Maintaining face is usually how business and social relationships work in East Asia, whereas aggressively patronising others, or criticising them publicly in front of others, tend to be the ways to lose business relationships.[88][90] In Chinese business culture, there is a high value on nurturing relationships using the social concept of "guanxi" which refers to a state of having personal trust and a solid relationship with someone, and can involve exchanging favours and have moral obligations to one another.[91][92]


In Vietnamese culture, the culture tends to be hierarchical by age and seniority, and Vietnamese prefer to work with those who they trust, extending this to business relations that often are maintained between peers and relatives. Women have an important role in Vietnamese culture (owing to their historical status as soldiers before) and maintaining face is highly important. Interpersonal relationships are also highly valued. Anger or displaying temper will reduce trust and Vietnamese business people may take spoken word as fact. When there are disruptions in harmony, Vietnamese may use silence as a way of allowing any tension to simmer down.[93][94]


Common factors across Sinosphere tends to place great emphasis and respect towards traits of humility and conformity.[95][96][97][98]

History[edit]

During the Industrial Revolution, East Asia modernized and became an area of economic power, starting with the Meiji Restoration in the late 19th century, when Japan rapidly transformed itself into the only industrial power outside the North Atlantic area.[99]

Korea and Japan have had extensive links in terms of culture, trade, political contact and military confrontations. The extends for over 15 centuries, with many ideas from mainland Asia flowing into Japan via Korea in historical times.[111] Although geographically close, the two countries are culturally distinct from one another and may harbor contrasting military and historical viewpoints, where relations can turn fraught, especially in the context of Japanese colonization.[112][113][114]

history of Japan–Korea relations

[115]

Japan has long been influenced by China for around 2 millennia and emulated many cultural and philosophical thought, with many Japanese undertaking studies that came from China or via Korea. Culture, trade, and military confrontation has been a major focal point between the two as well and relations can become very fraught.[120]

[111]

Vietnam and Korea had semi-official encounters when both countries' envoys met in China from the 16th to 19th century.[122] Despite the geographical distance, the countries share many parallels such as colonial rule, and historical or current political division.[122] South Korea was involved in the controversial Vietnam War with South Vietnam as well.[123] Although relations appear courteous, tensions on the Korean peninsula prevent any major relations truly forming without angering the other political side,[124] with Vietnam ultimately used as neutral ground for a North Korean-US summit.[125][126]

[121]

Japan's links with Vietnam and the rest of Southeast Asia was mainly through maritime trade stemming from the 16th century. Japan's relations with Vietnam went further back into the 8th century via China.[128][129] Although some residual grievances of Japan's colonizing past in Asia may remain, as well as existing political differences, the relation has mostly been of mutualism.[130][131] However, instances of mistreatment, such as abuse towards Vietnamese laborers in Japan, has surfaced.[132][133]

[127]

[115]

Mutual relations stem from hundreds to thousands of years of history between each state, originating from the advent of the spread of Classical Chinese writing, conquest, or from trade and cultural flow. Although there were long historical connections between each side, instances of racism or xenophobia towards the other stemming from deep-rooted historical, economic, political or regional differences has also been a major concern.


Additionally, besides mutual relations, various forms of inheritance of Chinese civilisation or "Little China" ideologies have surfaced with Vietnam, Japan, Korea, (the use of 中國 in self-reference) in various situations, conferring the "Chinese" label.

. Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University.

Asia for Educators