• University of Exeter

Many Faces: Understanding the Complexities of Chinese Culture

Develop a clearer understanding of modern China by exploring the role of art, literature and the 'noble hero' in Chinese culture.

12,903 enrolled on this course

  • Duration

    4 weeks
  • Weekly study

    3 hours

Look beyond the clichés and stereotypes of art and literature in Chinese culture

Chinese culture has not been explored in as much depth as Chinese history and politics. By uncovering the richness and diversity of Chinese culture, you can gain a broader understanding of modern China as a whole.

This course by the University of Exeter covers three important aspects of Chinese culture. Learn how the concept of the ‘noble hero’ is portrayed on cultural and political platforms. Examine the tension created by traditional and modern values in Chinese landscape art, and analyse literature created by marginalised groups like immigrants.

Download video: standard or HD

Skip to 0 minutes and 11 seconds Hi everyone, thank you for your interest in our course. Admittedly there are so many things we can talk about with Chinese culture and information on contemporary China is becoming more accessible given the advance of technology and transportation. This four week course will however defamiliarise your experience of Chinese culture and help you uncover the tension conflicts and also convergence within Chinese cultural landscape and how they intersect with nature s urbanisation globalisation and political movements you don’t need to know the language or culture but you need to be curious and reflective. Join us to find out more.

What topics will you cover?

  • Cliché and stereotypes: how to understand contemporary Chinese culture?
  • The continuation and gap: the image of the ‘noble hero’ in both artistic and political fields
  • The collision and fusion: literature by the marginalised
  • The tension and convergence: contemporary Chinese landscape art

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Explore new cultural phenomena and trends emerging in Chinese society
  • Develop a more contextualized understanding of Chinese culture
  • Discuss the act of stereotyping in Chinese culture
  • Reflect on how social and cultural landscapes in China have been changed as China experiences an economy boom
  • Assess how digitalization has transformed the expression and representation of Chinese culture.

Who is the course for?

This course is for anyone interested in building their knowledge of Chinese culture and society. You don’t need any prior experience or qualifications.

Who will you learn with?

Dr. Ting Guo is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Modern Languages, University of Exeter, UK.

senior lecturer in Chinese at the University of Exeter

Dr Zhiguang Yin is a Senior Lecturer in Chinese and Programme Director of MA Global Literatures and Cultures at the University of Exeter

Who developed the course?

University of Exeter

The University of Exeter is a Russell Group university. It combines world-class research with very high levels of student satisfaction.

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
  • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
  • Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

Want to know more about learning on FutureLearn? Using FutureLearn

Learner reviews

Learner reviews cannot be loaded due to your cookie settings. Please and refresh the page to view this content.

Do you know someone who'd love this course? Tell them about it...

You can use the hashtag #FLManyFaces to talk about this course on social media.