Eastern culture

An image of the "Eastern world" defined as the "Far East", consisting of three overlapping cultural blocks: East Asia (Green), Southeast Asia (Blue), and South Asia (Orange)

A map highlighting the three "easts" as defined by Near East/Middle East (West Asia excluding the Caucasus, with countries in "Greater Middle East" sometimes included) and Far East (East, North and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included).

Buddhist expansion in Asia: Mahayana Buddhism first entered the Chinese Empire (Han dynasty) through Silk Road during the Kushan Era. The overland and maritime "Silk Roads" were interlinked and complementary, forming what scholars have called the "great circle of Buddhism".

The East, as a geographical area, is unclear and undefined. More often, the ideology of a state's inhabitants is what will be used to categorize it as an Eastern society. There is some disagreement about what nations should or should not be included in the category and at what times. Many parts of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire are considered to be distinct from the West and therefore labelled as eastern by most scholars. The Byzantine Empire was primarily influenced by Eastern practices due to its proximity and cultural similarity to Iran and Arabia, thus lacking features seen as "Western". Both Eastern and Western European authors have often perceived Byzantium as a body of religious, political, and philosophical ideas contrary to those of the West.

It is difficult to determine which individuals fit into which category, and the East–West contrast is sometimes criticized as relativistic and arbitrary.[1][2][3] Globalism has spread Western ideas so widely that almost all modern cultures are, to some extent, influenced by aspects of Eastern culture. Stereotypical views of "the East" have been labeled Orientalism, paralleling Occidentalism—the term for the 19th-century stereotyped views of "the West".

As Europeans discovered the wider world, old concepts adapted. The area that had formerly been considered the Orient ("the East") became the Near East as the interests of the European powers interfered with Meiji Japan and Qing China for the first time in the 19th century.[4] Thus, the Sino-Japanese War in 1894–1895 occurred in the Far East while the troubles surrounding the decline of the Ottoman Empire simultaneously occurred in the Near East.[lower-alpha 1] The term Middle East in the mid-19th century included the territory east of the Ottoman Empire, but West of China—Greater India and Greater Persia—is now used synonymously with "Near East" in most languages.

The spread of Syriac Christianity to East Asia.

Distribution of Eastern religions (yellow), as opposed to Abrahamic religions (violet).

East Asia cultural region

Southeast Asia cultural region

Indian cultural sphere

Map of Central Asia

Map of the Middle East

While there is no singular Eastern culture of the Eastern world, there are subgroups within it, such as countries within East Asia, Southeast Asia, or South Asia, as well as syncretism within these regions. These include the spread of Eastern religions such as Buddhism or Hinduism, the usage of Chinese characters or Brahmic scripts, language families, the fusion of cuisines, and traditions, among others. Eastern culture has developed many themes and traditions. Some important ones are listed below:

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  Zhájiàng Miàn (noodles with bean paste) is a traditional northern Chinese dish.
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  Mooncakes with Chinese characters 金門旦黃 (jinmen danhuang).
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  Sushi from Japan has become prevalent even among Westerners.
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  A cup of Japanese matcha tea.
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  Bulgogi, Korean-style marinated sliced meat.
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  Japchae, a kind of Korean noodle dish made with marinated beef and vegetables in soy sauce and sesame oil.
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  Mongolian Buuz.
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  Kaeng kanun, a northern Thai curry made with jackfruit.
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  Tapsilog, a common breakfast meal in the Philippines.
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  Butter chicken and butter naan from India.
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  Mix vegetables curry with garlic kulcha in India.
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  Kebabs are a popular cuisine among Middle Easterners.
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  Armenian khash (or pacha), which is also commonly eaten by Assyrians, Arabs and Kurds.
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  Round challah, a special bread in Jewish cuisine
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  Minangkabau Tari Lilin (candle dance)
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  A movie theater in Qufu, Shandong
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  Ramoji Film City located in Hyderabad, holds the Guinness World Record for the World's largest film studio.[10]
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  Temple of Confucius in Liuzhou, Guangxi, China.
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  The Tian Tan Buddha statue in Hong Kong.
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  Izumo-taisha shrine in Izumo, Japan.
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  A Hindu temple in Sri Lanka.
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  Color drenched Gopis during the Holi celebrations in Krishna Temple, Mathura, India.
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  A Syro-Malabar Catholic bishop holding the Mar Thoma Christian Cross which symbolizes the heritage and identity of the Syrian Church of Saint Thomas Christians of India
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  Assyrian Christians from lake Urmia in north eastern Persia in their traditional costumes.
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  The Monastery of St. Matthew, located atop Mount Alfaf in northern Iraq, is recognized as one of the oldest Christian monasteries in existence.
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  Chaldean Catholic from the town of Alqosh, Iraq.
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  Maronite Church in Lebanon.
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  Mor Hananyo Monastery is located in the Syriac cultural region known as Tur Abdin in Turkey.
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  Great Mosque of Mecca in Saudi Arabia.
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  The Western Wall and Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem.
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  Great synagogue in Afula, Israel
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  Aerial view of Masada, Israel
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  The Druze Maqam Nabi Shu'ayb.

Families have a great importance in Eastern cultures. They teach their children about how the family is their protection and the major source of their identity. Parents expect loyalty from their children. Parents define the law and the children are expected to obey them. This is called filial piety, the respect for one's parents and elders, and it is a concept that originated in China as 孝 (xiao) from Confucian teachings.[11] Children are expected to have self-control, thus making it hard for them to express emotions. They are also expected to show respect through their motions and the way they speak. Children are expected to look after their parents when they grow older.[12] Sons are expected to stay home, while daughters eventually leave and live with their husband's family. In Chinese culture, children are occasionally expected to care for their elders (赡养), and in various diaspora communities one may find Chinese children living with their grandparents.

• Eastern religions
• Silk Road transmission of Buddhism

• Berger, Mark T. (1997). "The triumph of the East? The East-Asian Miracle and post-Cold War capitalism". In Borer, Douglas A. (ed.). The rise of East Asia: critical visions of the Pacific century. Routledge. pp. 260–261, 266. ISBN 0-415-16168-1.