Many Faces: Understanding the Complexities of Chinese Culture (FutureLearn)

Offered by University of Exeter,
Many Faces: Understanding the Complexities of Chinese Culture (FutureLearn)

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

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see FutureLearn's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

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.

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

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.
Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Chinese Politics Part 2 - China and the World (Coursera) Coursera
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology - HKUST

Chinese Politics Part 2 - China and the World (Coursera)

One of the most significant changes in the world in the past 30 years is the opening of China to the outside world and its engagement with that world. In the initial years of the opening, external forces influenced China’s economy, regional balances, bureaucracy, as well as the political authority of local leaders in the coastal areas.

Oct 12th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Cosmopolitan Tang: Aristocratic Culture in China (edX) EdX
HarvardX,Harvard University

Cosmopolitan Tang: Aristocratic Culture in China (edX)

Explore the reunification of China under the Tang with a focus on aristocratic culture — from poetry to calligraphy to literature. By the Tang period, China was divided into northern and southern dynasties with different rulers and political systems. The north was conquered by relatively unsophisticated barbarians, but in the south, the aristocratic families established a refined appreciation of writing and literature.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
The History and Culture of Chinese Silk (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University for the Creative Arts

The History and Culture of Chinese Silk (FutureLearn)

Delve into the origins and development of Chinese silk to understand its history, cultural heritage, and place in modern China. Unpack sericulture and silk craftsmanship in China. As one of the origins of textile culture, China is characterised by silk. The unique sericulture and silk craftsmanship from China is firmly embedded in its cultural heritage. In modern China, silk is not only a fibre material, but also permeates art, culture, economy, and even politics. On this three-week course, you’ll gain a solid understanding of the silk culture and art that characterises China from a material culture perspective.

Feb 27th 2023
3 Weeks
中國人文經典導讀 (Coursera) Coursera
The Chinese University of Hong Kong

中國人文經典導讀 (Coursera)

本課程對象為對中國文化有興趣的同學。 課程目的為通過四個不同特色的主題,討論中國文化的四個主要面向。每個主題選取兩篇經典文本作為核心閱讀,並與延伸閱讀做互文探討,以新角度解讀經典文本的意義,展現中國文化的複雜性、多元性。文本難度與大學一年級國文程度相當。

Sep 21st 2026
5-12 Weeks
English for Doing Business in Asia - Speaking (edX) EdX
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology - HKUST,HKUSTx

English for Doing Business in Asia - Speaking (edX)

Introducing strategies for developing your spoken English communication skills in the context of doing business in Asia. The use of English for doing business in multinational settings is a fact of life for many business people. As Asian economies expand and become more involved in the global economy, a lingua franca – a language used to communicate among groups of people who do not share a mother tongue – is needed to exchange information.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
Virtual Hong Kong: New World, Old Traditions (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
City University of Hong Kong

Virtual Hong Kong: New World, Old Traditions (FutureLearn)

Discover Hong Kong, its people, culture and customs with this free online course using 360° video and virtual reality. As a melting pot of Eastern and Western characteristics, Hong Kong has experienced a unique history from Chinese immigration to colonization by the British to the subsequent transformation into a Special Administration Region of China. We’ll go on a journey around Hong Kong, using 3D virtual reality, exploring its history, culture and some of its distinguished traditions.

No sessions available
3 Weeks
Structuring Values in Modern China (Coursera) Coursera
The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Structuring Values in Modern China (Coursera)

This sequence of four courses will propose a multi-disciplinary approach to the study of Chinese cultural history conceived of as a succession of modes of rationality (philosophical, bureaucratic, and economic). The focus will be on the moments of paradigm shift from one mode of rationality to another. For each of these moments, cultural facts and artifacts—thought, literature, ritual—will be examined in relationship to changing social, political, and economic systems.

Oct 12th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Contemporary China: The People's Republic, Taiwan, and Hong Kong (edX) EdX
HarvardX,Harvard University

Contemporary China: The People's Republic, Taiwan, and Hong Kong (edX)

Use the case study method to study China from the rise of Deng Xiaoping to the present. Using case studies from the Harvard Business School, this course will cover the contemporary Chinese scene by focusing on five main themes in China’s development: agriculture, entrepreneurship, education, environment, and literature.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
Selling to Chinese Consumers (Coursera) Coursera
The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Selling to Chinese Consumers (Coursera)

This course is designed to help learners sell their products, goods and services to Chinese consumers. To achieve this goal, the course will use evidence-based research in psychology, economics, legal studies and marketing to help learners understand the historical, economic and legal contexts of doing business in China and the behavioral characteristics of Chinese consumers. The course will cover topics in Chinese and global marketing, Chinese consumers, institutional and cultural influence on consumer motivation and behaviors in Chinese markets, and brand management in China.

Sep 28th 2026
4 Weeks
Chinese History From Warring States to the Tang Dynasty | 资治通鉴 (edX) EdX
Tsinghua University,TsinghuaX

Chinese History From Warring States to the Tang Dynasty | 资治通鉴 (edX)

Guides you through the Chinese masterpiece _Zizhi Tongjian, _an unprecedented work of governance and philosophical thinking spanning from the Warring States Period to the Tang Dynasty. Through the teacher's guided reading, students can go deep into the interior of this classic text, gain an overview of thousands of years of history, and improve their literacy in Chinese studies.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
Understanding China, 1700-2000: A Data Analytic Approach, Part 1 (Coursera) Coursera
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology - HKUST

Understanding China, 1700-2000: A Data Analytic Approach, Part 1 (Coursera)

The purpose of this course is to summarize new directions in Chinese history and social science produced by the creation and analysis of big historical datasets based on newly opened Chinese archival holdings, and to organize this knowledge in a framework that encourages learning about China in comparative perspective. Our course demonstrates how a new scholarship of discovery is redefining what is singular about modern China and modern Chinese history.

Sep 28th 2026
5-12 Weeks