Wenhua (文化) means to cultivate the populace through rituals, music, laws and so on. The term encapsulates the concept of teaching people essential ideals and principles of human culture while guiding them to embrace goodness so as to build a social order that is both differentiated and harmonious. In the traditional Chinese context, wenhua is the main method of governing the state advocated by Confucianism, as opposed to wugong (武功 the use of force or even violence to achieve social governance). In modern times, wenhua is used as the Chinese equivalent of the word “culture,” which usually refers to all human cultural activities and achievements; in archaeology, it refers to the complex of relics and monuments of a given historical period; in everyday language, it also refers to the ability to use language and general knowledge.

A wise ruler governs the country with culture and virtue as the first means and then force. Whenever force is used, it is because of the presence of disobedient people. Force is only used when cultural education (wenhua) fails. (Liu Xiang: Garden of Stories)

Cultural education (wenhua) and the use of force (wugong) were the two powers of the emperor. (The Old Tang History)