Psychological_Anthropology_of_Rural_and_Urban_Chinese_Societies__Identities_and_Personalities_of_Chinese_Men_and_Women_in_Relation_to_Their_Lifecycles

Psychological Anthropology of Rural and Urban Chinese Societies: Identities and Personalities of Chinese Men and Women in Relation to Their Lifecycles ANT 101: Introduction to Cultural Anthropology August 24, 2009 Psychological Anthropology of Rural and Urban Chinese Societies: Identities and Personalities of Chinese Men and Women in Relation to Their Lifecycles Introduction Birth Childhood Children aged between 6 and 12 years old were selected from rural (n = 472) and urban communities (n = 576). Children's sleep habits questionnaire was completed by the parents to assess sleep patterns and sleep problems of the children. In the 6-8 and 9-12 years groups, the average sleep time in urban children was shorter than in the children from rural areas. The rate of abnormal sleep behavior in the urban and rural cohort was 82.8 and 70.1%, respectively. The prevalence of sleep delays in the 6- to 8-year-old children from urban areas was higher than in the rural areas (60.3 vs. 40.3%). In the urban 9-12 years group, the rate of day-time sleepiness was higher than in the rural group (52.6 vs. 26.8%), whereas the night waking rate was lower (43.8 vs. 58.6%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the location of the residence, mother's age, parent's sleep habits, and education levels predict the sleeping problems in these children. So as you see from this investigation children from urban communities appear to have more sleeping problems than children from a rural setting. A parent's sleep habits, education levels and the location of children's residence have a significant impact on the children's sleep behavior and habits (Yang, Bu, Dong, Fan & Wang, L, 2009, Entire Abstract). Coming of Age Dating and Courtship Marriage Family and Parenting Work / Professional Life Old Age Death In summation, I came to two conclusions, the first of course being the main idea which I tried to clearly present being the relationship between both Chinese men and women’s lifecycles in correlation to both urban and rural Chinese societies, which as you read further into the paper should have seen the affect of the apparent divide between the frenetic more Westernized, respectively speaking, urban Chinese society which follows that of the “new rule” showing a definite turn towards globalization and a more modernized China which in turn is straying further and further away from the “old rule” if you will, of the rural Chinese society. In contrast, the Chinese of the more rural areas are trying so hard to hold onto the older, more traditional based China where the Chinese based their lives on various highly respected beliefs and practices, as well as their views on child-rearing, marriage, household responsibilities of the eldest son one day taking care of the elderly parents, and many more ancient rituals and beliefs especially shown through the profound respect of their ancestral heritage that Chinese society was based on various customs and culturally rich ancient traditions that were more apparent in the days before the Capitalist Revolution. This is shown through each and every lifecycle of the Men and Women of both rural and urban Chinese societies. Many articles I reviewed referred these now split cultures (Urban Chinese and Rural Chinese) as the period of the “Great Divide of the Chinese culture” which I viewed would never happen due to the characteristics I discussed in this analysis. Lastly, the second of the two main ideas that I hoped readers were able to capture the presence of what is almost inevitable, not only in my opinion, but in that of many articles I read through, and that is the extreme prevalence of globalization—the continual increase in transnational and worldwide economic, social, and cultural interactions that transcend the boundaries of states, aided by advances in technology—in China, and the views of the urban Chinese society versus those of their rural counterparts, respectively speaking. One article in particular caught my attention and I viewed it as an interesting note to conclude with in reference to the already mentioned divide of the rural Chinese society and the Chinese of the more urban areas in regards to their somewhat opposing views towards this highly publicized topic, regarding globalizations inevitability in this vast region of the World. I thought it more powerful to list as an excerpt so not to miss any influential information: At the end of the day, globalization may have a homogenizing effect. As cultures come to grips with extraordinary change, what we may be witnessing is the creation of a ‘global culture’—one that transcends traditionally geographic or ancestral boundaries. References