So I have an essay due tomorrow for Chinese class and I decided to write about a book I look and I chose Cultivation Chat Group because why not. The only other choices I had for my topic was my favorite movie (which I don't really watch movies nowadays besides anime and that's definitely not going to be my topic), and the other option was my favorite historical figure (which I have none). But now I found out I need to present this same topic to the class that I wrote about, my essay didn't talk much about what cultivation is since my teacher is from China so it should be understood that she gets the general idea of what cultivation is. But my peers are all ABCs (America Born Chinese) and I'm pretty sure there are little chances of them ever hearing about Cultivation novels. So how would you describe cultivation to a friend of yours who has never ever heard of it before. They have heard of Chinese martial arts and stuff before but have no idea what cultivation is. TLDR; I need to present about a book I like (Cultivation Chat Group) so how do I explain WTF cultivation is to a bunch of ABCs who know not a single thing about cultivation but have at least some understanding of Chinese KungFu movies. Edit: If you know a little Chinese, please give me recommendations on terms I should use for my peers to understand since I need to present in Chinese.
Man cultivation chat group is a tricky one to explain to beginners simply because it's basically cultivation satire.
Don't explain it in terms of martial arts, that's Wuxia. Explain it simply as "characters trying to become immortal similar to Greek Gods, etc. through various means". If they have watched enough western fantasy that will be understandable.
Imagine doing lots of drugs and getting high. But instead of turning into superman being a delusion, it is actually real.
>Be 30 yr old salary man >gets hit by truck >Become useless young master >kill arrogant young masters >get ice stone faced fairy that look like they are from another world >profit
If they have even the slightest clue of basic Chinese mythology such as Journey to the West, the Eight Immortals, etc., they should know have an idea of what cultivation is. Or it's like how a snake, such as Legend of the White Snake, cultivates to have human form but has mystical powers. Except xianxia/xuanhuan just means having levels or ranks which you can power up from.
I guess the act of practicing Buddhist/ Taoist scriptures in order to reach immortality? That's how I would explain to my friends if they were ever curious (They either already know or don't care so I have no need to explain~)
Most westerners associate immortality only with mythological gods, it is easier to explain that way as a reference.
So I should talk about the stronger/higher leveled they get, the more like saints "shen xian" they become?
Cultivation is like meditation though people become stronger at the end of it. So a kid is introduced to a chat group of a bunch of powerful rich martial arts experts(saying gods won't sound as good and invite more questions).
practicing your inner spiritual strength so much that it manifests in reality. just tell them it's magic that requires you to be struck by lightning every now and again to level up your powers.
Just say cultivation is the chinese belief of mentally masturbating to smacking peoples faces and somehow getting more powerful in the process.
Well, yeah. How I got into xianxia was based on my knowledge of Journey to the West. The Monkey King started off as a rock that absorbed spiritual power from his environment and then cultivated his way to becoming a monkey. Then he ate a pill from some god and got more power, etc. Then on his journey, he goes through monster fighting and Buddhist cultivation (more spiritual than actually breaking through levels) and eventually becomes a buddha himself. Xianxia cultivation doesn't just include shen xian. It can include ghosts, buddhists, demons, etc.
You'll have to dumb it down a lot but assume most western readers have a general understanding of concepts like magic, immortality, and martial arts. So just say cultivators are martial artists with magical powers that can become immortal if they train enough.