Since the beginning of their civilization, the Chinese have been very much rooted in their traditions despite Western and other influences. Ancient Chinese traditions were very much rooted in the teachings of Confucius which dictated how each Chinese must behave towards one another with regards to their positions and status in society.

The ancient Chinese lived in a feudal society with the emperor as the head of state who held absolute powers. The emperor was considered the son of heaven and was given the mandate by heaven to rule. If his dynasty was overthrown or he had been removed from his throne, it meant he had lost the mandate to rule. The ministers for the emperor were appointed based on their performance in the government civil examination which was introduced by Confucius. When the emperor spoke of himself with the first pronoun, he did not use the common word used by commoners but another word. Even commoners who spoke to him would have to use another word as the first pronoun. The ancient Chinese were also required to kowtow to the emperor. Only the emperor could use the color Yellow.

Respect for elders was an integral part of ancient Chinese customs. The father was the head of the family as it is today. He had the final say in every matter with regards to the family. The more elder the child was, the more authority the child had. The Ancient Chinese had different ways of addressing different uncles, different aunts, and different cousins depending how they were related just as with some modern Chinese family today.

Religion had been playing an integral part of the ancient Chinese society. The ancient Chinese at first, worship a supreme God known as Shang Ti.  Later, other religions and philosophies were introduced to the China and the Chinese began to worship other gods as well. The ancient Chinese like the modern Chinese who are not Christians or Muslims practised ancestry worship to honor their ancestors. This was in accordance to the the teachings of Confucius.

When greeting one another, the ancient Chinese did not shake hands as the most common method of greeting as they do today.  Instead they bowed towards one another with using a fist wrapping technique known “Gong Shou”. When greeting someone of higher authority, an ancient Chinese would have a different way to greet. The method of greeting used and the words used in the greeting also depends on the person’s hierarchy and status in society. For example, an ancient Chinese would not greet the emperor, the same way as he or she would greet a general.

Today, it is common for everyone in many parts of the world to send greeting cards. The ancient Chinese were the first to do so. They sent cards to wish each other “Happy New Year”.

The way ancient Chinese dressed up was also interesting. An ancient Chinese would wear what was called a Hanfu, an attire with long and large sleeves. The body was covered was neck to toe. Today, there is an attempt to revive this traditional clothing.

Having a full stomach is important to a Chinese. Like many Chinese of today, the ancient Chinese used chopsticks as instruments to pick up food from the bowl or plate. Like some Chinese today, the ancient Chinese practised the tea ceremony. Tea was also served to someone who was of higher authority or older as a mark of respect to him or her.  For example, a person would serve tea to his or her parents as a sign of respect to them. When apologizing, tea was also served to the offended person.

The marriage of an ancient Chinese couple was an arranged one. On the day of the wedding, the bride would dressed up in red and had her face covered with a red piece of cloth used as veil. She would be carried around in an enclosed sedan chair carried by four people. When the bride arrived at the bridegroom’s home, the bridegroom would be invited to kick the door of the sedan chair. After that, the bride would be escorted out of the sedan chair to the bridegroom’s home where the couple would serve tea to the parents of the bridegroom. It was only when the bride was together in their room for newly weds that the bridegroom was allowed to unveil her.