Regional Stereotypes in China

Bibliographic Data

ID23201584
AuthorsLung-Chang Young (corresponding author)
Year1988
Volume21
Issue4
Pages32-57
Publication date1988-07-01
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueChinese Studies in History (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0009-4633 • E-ISSN: 1558-0407
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.2753/csh0009-4633210432
OpenAlexW1994564926
LanguageEN
Citations received8

The term stereotypes refers to preconceived ideas or beliefs about attributes of classes of individuals, groups or objects. According to Walter Lippman, stereotypes denote "simplified pictures in our head which serve the purpose of thought economy"; they are highly charged with feelings and serve as the defenses of our position in society.1 As products of the ongoing mental process in our everyday life, stereotypes are as varied as the ways by which people make a distinction between "we" and "they," for it is universally true that "in-group (we-group) members tend to stereotype those who are in the out-group (they-group)."2 While students of modern society are generally concerned with the widely shared and sociologically significant stereotypes such as those regarding racial, ethnic, religious, sexual, occupational, and social status groups, this paper attempts a preliminary analysis of a particular type of stereotypes circulated in a particular type of society—the regional stereotypes in China. By regional stereotypes is meant the "simplified pictures in our head" about people from different geographical areas of China and their assumed physical, mental, and temperamental characteristics. The Chinese emphasis on regional categorization may be explained by the fact that they are aware of the existence of regional subcultures, especially the great variation in local dialects and accents which serve as the most easily recognized stigma of the people. In this paper, I will illustrate the various levels or scales of regional stereotypes, review some of the theoretical explanations of the regional differences, and examine the social and historical processes in the construction of stereotypes in Chinese society.

Categorization · China · Cognition · Epistemology · Ethnic group · Feeling · Mental process · Social group · Sociology · Stereotype (UML) · Stigma (botany) · Chinese history and philosophy · Gender Studies · History · Psychology · Social Psychology

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