Asia is the largest continent on Planet Earth. It is estimated that it is home to around 60% of the world’s population. Therefore, its culture and influences on the world are massive. Many of the world’s most popular dishes, religions and also the numerical system that is used in most of the world originates from Asia.
In this article, we are going to explore the features of Asian culture that happen to make all of this possible.
Family Values.
Having a strong family unit is very important in Asian cultures. It is important for families that their children grow up to be good and productive members of society. The behavior of family members will greatly shape the image of your family.
In some Asian cultures, it is also important that a couple has a lot of children. The reason for this is that it will provide security of the parents and grandparents once they retire. The more kids a family has, the more spread out will be the burden of caring for the sick and elderly.
These strong family values are well illustrated by the fact that it is very normal for children to live with their parents until they happen to get married. Therefore, it is not uncommon to see children age 30 and up to still be living at their family’s home.
Saving Over Spending.
Generational wealth is the goal of pretty much every Asian family. Due to this reason, Asians are known as being big savers and investors in safe assets such as property. Overall, Asian people are less likely to spend a significant part of their disposable income on things that they do not actually need.
In addition to this, households on the continent are less likely to use forms of debt such as credit cards. Generally, credit cards will be used either for purchases that someone cannot afford or to top up. Such debt is simply not as acceptable in society there. Research carried out by the Japan Consumer Credit Association found out that only 17% of Japanese people that owned credit cards actually used them.
One of the key reasons why saving is so important in their culture is that they know that ultimately wealth is due to how much you save rather than earn. For example, you could earn one million dollars a year, but if you do not save it, you will be worse off than someone earning $50,000 a year.
Strong Work Ethic.
There is a famous Chinese proverb which says, “Nothing is impossible to a willing mind”. A successful career is very important in society here. The main reason is having a good appearance in the wider community. A large social stigma exists for individuals that do not pull their weight.
This hard work ethic also extends to education. Physical and low-skilled jobs are not highly paid on the world’s largest landmass. Therefore, every single family pushes their children to get a valuable degree in a high-skilled profession that will always be required. Such as becoming a doctor, dentist or lawyer. Graduating with such qualifications will ensure higher stability in their lives.
Community Centric.
The community is the heart of the lives of people here and one of the key features of Asian culture. Individuals will support each other in a number of ways. Such as by buying or using the services of businesses owned by locals. In addition, they may even donate each other money or carry out free labor to help residents in their neighborhood.
Many different groups of people live here, and each of them want to preserve their unique way of life. The community is one of ensuring that your way of life is going to be preserved. On the other hand, there is also the aspect of fitting into the societal norms. This can include making sure that your house is kept clean and also dressing appropriately in order not to be seen in a negative light.
Overall, this heavy community centrism is in major contrast to other parts of the world, such as the Western countries. In the West, an increasing number of people do not know their neighbor’s names and might have never even spoken to them. While on the other side of the world, it is still very important for you to integrate and make an effort.
Resourcefulness.
Efficiency and resourcefulness are also very important. One example of this is that the diet of people on the continent is very diverse. People will eat birds, wild game and even bugs. In general, there are many amazing places in Asia. Furthermore, in some countries in the Far East, people will also eat poisonous animals such as blowfish. As long as it has nutritional value, it has probably been consumed for hundreds of years.
Such resource ingenuity is why many of the earliest advanced civilizations originated in the east. They were able to expertly master agriculture, which allowed for them to sustain large populations that thus helped to propel the rate of development.
Many people do not know this, but for most of written human history, the Eastern world is more technology adept and also richer than the rest of the planet. This resourcefulness is passed down from generation to generation.
Respect Is Very Important.
Respect is one of the foundations of the local culture. It is not as simple as greeting people and saying thank you. There are many intricacies that vary from region to region that we will discuss in this section.
In some parts of the Eastern continent, it is mandatory that you bow when you meet someone. The further that you bow, the more respect you are showing. To add to this, you should bow lower for people who happen to be elderly.
In many ways, respect is a form of commodity. By showing respect, you are proving that you value the other person. Being disrespectful can have a negative impact on your own life and also on the life of your family. In many places, it is not an option to be respectful, but it is a must if you want to live there.
Religion Plays a Key Part.
The final topic that we are going to cover in this article about the features of Asian culture is the large part that religion plays. An overwhelming majority of all of the major religions in the world originate in Asia.
This list includes: Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Sikhism and Judaism. The religions that originate in the East are followed by multiple billions of people all around the world. Regardless of which religious group you belong to or even if you are not religious, your life will still be heavily influenced by them.
After the continent of Africa, the Eastern world is the second most religious continent on the planet. These religious beliefs have a strong direct influence on the structure of civilization.
An example of this is Confucianism, an Ancient Chinese theology that teaches morality and doing what is right. Such traits are still engrained in the Chinese people to this day. Due to this, when analyzing the local beliefs and ways of life, it is mandatory that you take into account the impact of spirituality.
Read the article: 10 Interesting Facts About Asia
