Discussions about the essence and features of traditional Chinese culture.

Traditional Chinese culture, with its several millennia of history, is characterized by its autochthony and syncretism, as well as its remarkable vitality. This article addresses the question of what constitutes the essence of traditional Chinese culture and how its specificity can be defined. The object of study in this article is traditional Chinese culture as a phenomenon, its spiritual-value core, material heritage, and historical dynamics. The subject of research is the essence and specificity of traditional Chinese culture, along with the structural and historical features of its development. The author examines aspects such as the structure of traditional Chinese culture and its historical aspects in detail. Special attention is paid to the contradiction between spiritual-material heritage and the spiritual-worldview foundations of culture. The cyclical perception of traditional culture in China is discussed, including its use as a tool of "soft power" to strengthen global influence and overcome the identity crisis. To achieve the goal of the research, the following methods were employed: structural-historical analysis; retrospective analysis of the evolution of cultural representations; examination of historiographical sources (the "24 Histories of Dynasties") and a comparative approach to various historical periods (dynastic, post-revolutionary, modern). The main conclusions of the research indicate that the structural specificity of traditional Chinese culture is defined by the syncretism of the spiritual-value core of "sanjiao" (Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism) and the spiritual-material heritage, which includes calligraphy, martial arts, and decorative arts, along with key concepts such as "dao," "ren," "wu xing," "zi xiao," and Confucian virtues. The chronological boundaries of traditional culture are restricted to the Manchu dynasty era (up to the 19th century), determined by the shift in the political-cultural vector in the 19th century, after which its transformation began under the influence of westernization, Marxism, and Deng Xiaoping's reforms. The historical dynamics demonstrate cycles: stages of denial (under Mao, westernization) and revival (Deng Xiaoping's reforms, modern "soft power"). The Confucian-Daoist-Buddhist foundation of pre-dynastic and dynastic periods gave way to ideological crises of the 20th century, and in the modern era, a return to traditions is observed as a tool of "soft power" to strengthen global influence and overcome identity crises. The ideological evolution reflects the adaptation of culture to political changes while maintaining a deep connection with indigenous philosophical-religious teachings, underscoring the role of tradition as a stabilizing factor in the context of modernization.

traditional culture, traditional Chinese culture, structure of Chinese culture, history of Chinese culture, spiritual and material heritage of China, spiritual and worldview foundations of culture, soft power, historical continuity, cultural identity, syncretism