Cantonese culture

In 200 BCE, Guangdong and Guangxi, alongside the land now known as Northern Vietnam, was controlled by the kingdom of Nanyue (南越國; Naam4 jyut6 gwok3), inhabited primarily by the non-Chinese Yue people.

Later, between the 10th and 13th century, there was a large influx of Han Chinese migrants from the north, which was at that time invaded by the Mongols and a few other non-Han ethnic groups.

Famous Chinese writer Han Yu described the local population as "小吏十餘家,皆鳥言夷面", which literally means "[speaking] a bird language and [having] barbarian faces".

Traditionally, the Lingnan region's sole dominant language is Cantonese, the standard form and prestige dialect of the Yue Chinese.

However, with the large influx of Han Chinese migrants throughout history, especially during the Tang–Song era between the 10th to 13th centuries, the language slowly sinicized and evolved into modern standard Cantonese.

It differs significantly from those found in other Han Chinese regions because of factors such as climates and availability of materials, both of which were affected by the geographical features of Lingnan.

Tong lau (Chinese: 唐樓) is a style of architecture prevalent in the Lingnan region (as well as in some other areas by the South China Sea) starting from the 19th century.

Nowadays, Cantonese are accomplished craftspeople, known for creating and exporting many fine craft products, including various types of sculptures, embroidery, porcelain, paper cutting, kites, and furniture, among many others.

In some, visual art styles invented primarily by the Cantonese include the following: Canton ivory woodcarving (廣州牙雕; gwong2 zau1 ngaa4 diu1) is another well-known product from Lingnan.

With a history of 2000 years, it traditionally uses ivory as a raw material to make sculptures, with the Canton-style renowned for being particularly delicate and detailed without being brittle.

The Cantonese language has a very rich collection of folk songs,[24][25] many of which can be traced back to the ancient Nanyue people before sinicization of the region.

It is almost invariably sung in Cantonese, boasting an international fanbase across Guangzhou, Guangxi, Southeast Asia, and (to a lesser extent) Korea and Japan.

Being produced by Hong Kong, these movies have been primarily expressed using Cantonese, although films from certain periods were in Mandarin due to geopolitical reasons.

Cantonese cooking tends not to use fresh herbs, contrary to Sichuan, European, Thai, and Vietnamese cuisines, with garlic chives and coriander leaves being the notable exceptions.

This caused them to avoid using a large fire (which cooking techniques such as stir-frying require) and instead used low heat to simmer their foods – resulting in lou fo tong.

Dim sum (Jyutping: Dim2 sam1; Traditional Chinese: 點心, literally "to touch the heart") is a characteristic of Cantonese cuisine usually, but not only, eaten during yum cha.

In major cities in Lingnan, such as Guangzhou and Hong Kong, culinary schools usually offer courses specifically to train the preparation of dim sum.

People living in subtropical environments are more likely to suffer from ailments such as skin diseases and gastroenteritis, which herbal teas such as leung cha are thought to treat.

[38] Due to the efforts of the governments of Guangdong Province, Hong Kong, and Macau, methods to make leung cha have been considered an intangible cultural heritage practice in China since 2006.

It is also common for Cantonese people to leave home to get some tong sui with a group of friends or family late in the evening, an activity called "siu yeh".

Choices of types of tong sui vary depending on the season: hot black sesame soup, for instance, tends to be favored in winter.

Nowadays, rice wines produced in Lingnan are sold across China and other Asian countries, with Yuk Bing Siu (玉冰燒, lit.

Overall, Cantonese martial arts are known for its emphasis on striking in various different ways using punches, while maintaining a steady lower body posture.

They often shout battle cries (for the purpose of unnerving the opponents), rarely jump, kick, or do any elaborate large movements – a very pragmatic style focused on striking.

They are also strongly inclined to worship sea deities such as Hung Shing and Mazu – reflecting the Cantonese tradition of doing trades overseas.

"culture of distance from Confucius"),[49] which may be related to Lingnan historically being a fringe region of the Chinese Empire, and influence from the Tang dynasty (who placed greater emphasis on Taoism and Buddhism than Confucianism): While Confucian philosophy still has its deep influence on Cantonese culture, Confucius Temples are harder to find in Lingnan than Buddhist or Taoist ones.

Cantonese people have a long tradition of doing commerce with the outside world, including Western Europeans, starting from the 15th century, which resulted in Christianity (mostly the Roman Catholic and Protestant variants) gaining a foothold in the region.

Hong Kong, for instance, scored 748 in 2016's Global Financial Centres Index, ranking fourth in the world and just below London and New York City.

The sampan is a type of flat-bottom boat frequently seen in the shores of the South China Sea, used by Cantonese, Hoklo, and many other Southeast Asian ethnic groups.

In the major Cantonese cities of Guangzhou, Hong Kong, and Macau, it is a common sight to see crowds of sampans docked at their harbours.