People of Chinese culture have many different beliefs and practices regarding medicine and health care. It is extremely important that nurses are culturally competent and are able to understand the different practices and beliefs of different cultures to ensure that they provide the best care and make their patients as comfortable as possible. According to Shih-Yu Lee, ritual is defined as "an essential social collective activity within a culture", it is also well recognized that culture and ritual play a fundamental role in "the definition, perception of health and illness and seeking help for problems.” » (Shih-Yu, Shu-Ling and Yu-O, 2013). There are many traditional Chinese medicine rituals and beliefs that are essential to understand, the most important being the concept of "yin and yang." Yin and yang are the foundation of most Chinese beliefs, including traditional Chinese medicine. The Chinese view Yin and Yang as “dynamic, interacting and interdependent energies” (Lewis et.al, 2011). Yin and Yang cannot exist without each other, and each contains within itself a piece of the other (Lewis et.al, 2011). Yin and Yang are part of everything in nature, and the Chinese believe that they must be kept in balance to maintain good health and well-being (Lewis et.al, 2011). It is also believed that any imbalance between Yin and Yang will result in illness, so traditional Chinese medicine strives to restore balance between the two energies (Lewis et.al, 2011). In Chinese culture, it is common for elders and men to make all decisions regarding the family, including health care decisions for the wife. It is therefore not uncommon for the husband to make decisions and answer questions for his wife. Traditional Chinese medicine has many...... middle of paper ...... these different variations to avoid any misunderstanding or misunderstanding. Works Cited Brown, L. (2008). Childbirth traditions around the world: China. Beyond Babyzone. Chen, Y. (2001). Chinese values, health and nursing. Journal Of Advanced Nursing, 36(2), 270-273.Leung, S.K., Arthur, D., and Martinson, I.M. (2005). Perceived stress and support from the Chinese postpartum ritual “Making the month”. Health Care For Women International, 26(3), 212-224. Raitisoja, G. (November 12, 2008). Traditional Chinese beliefs about pregnancy and childbirth. GBTimes. Shih-Yu, L., Shu-Ling, Y., and Yu-O, Y. (2013). Ritual of making-in-month between Chinese and Chinese-Americans. Journal of Cultural Diversity, 20(2), 94-99.Sullivan, (2012). Culturally sensitive insight into the childbearing traditions of Chinese immigrants. International Journal of Childbirth Education, 27(1), 23-26.