Introduction to Research Topic

Chinese beliefs and superstitions have been passed down from generations to generations, since the ancient times up till even now. What lies beyond these myths that have been present for very long time? Chinese beliefs and superstitions are practiced in every walk of life, including commercial, residential and even in offices. They are used daily as the Chinese belief that such superstitions can ward of evil and bring about good luck. Even though Chinese beliefs and superstitions may be fading away in the younger generation, we can still find it present in our daily lives, surprisingly; it has also been used in advertisements.

“Will wearing jade keep you safe?” is definitely a statement that implements Chinese beliefs and superstitions to attract the attention of people. As it is part of the Chinese culture to inculcate in the next generation such beliefs and superstitions, most Chinese are familiar with them. As such, these advertisements are able to connect with people. Other uses and their frequency at being used at also help us to understand more about this integral part of the Chinese culture.

We too are teenagers, and we do realize that people in our age group may be slowly losing connections to their traditional beliefs; for even we ourselves no longer fully abide with the traditional customs anymore. However, is it really fading away, and if so, could it be due to westernization affecting the culture, altering it to suit the modern society?

Eager to satisfy our curiosity, we have decided to do a detailed research on it, and also to find out the truth on the declining trend of teenagers who do not believe in Chinese beliefs nowadays. We did intensive research on the internet, as well as from books, newspapers and many other sources to gather more substantial info on our research topic for we know that to tackle the question, we have to first familiarise ourselves with what the topic is all about. Following that, we went on to conduct surveys and interviews with people of 3 different age groups, namely the teenagers, adults and elderly citizens, to gather their views and opinions on Chinese beliefs and superstitions. Not to forget, we also had an exclusive interview with Senior Marcom Executive of Marketing and Media, Ms Jyna Goh of WayOnet, which is a recognized geomancy company, to gather expert opinion on this issue.

We want to find out the reasons leading to this effect, along with factors causing this trend to take place? Is it because of globalization, or because there is a breakdown in the passing down of these traditions? Or is it due to some melting pot societies that have amalgamated these traditions into a culture of multiculturalism? Or perhaps, could we have been mistaken all along?

We understand that very often, traditional customs are sacrificed for a nation's development, but what will happen if Chinese themselves lose track of their tradition customs? What sort of impact will this have on a local, regional, and even global scale? Will this sacrifice be worth it? What impacts do migration, government policies, and modernization have on traditional customs? Does this have links to the diminishing interest in their mother tongue by Chinese students? If so, is there an urgent problem with the Chinese society? Will this trend ever reverse itself one day? Is it even happening at all and could it be all simply a fiction of our imagination?

To find out the answers to these critical questions, follow the trail of our exciting journey that we have embarked on by proceeding to read the rest of our research topic! We hope that you will enjoy the things you can get to know through our site as much as we find fun in the course of research!