difference between chinese culture and European culture?

[Green Pea]

Liang Jieming quote

East-West Differences

Here's a little list of opposites I came up with when I was bored. Have Fun!

Here are the similarities of your opposites

1. Invite people to dinner and show respect

2. Notice how you eat your food

3. Read books

4. Have a surname

5. Wedding and funerals have color representations

6. Orient yourself to the earth's axis

7. Use a compass

8. Colors represent conditions

9. Dragons strongly represent situations

10. Write down rules and regulations and enforce them

11. Society has emphasis between group and individual

12. Situations and individuals change

13. Have beliefs about how man is born and a view on human nature

14. Emphasize breathing

15. Have feelings and emotions

16. Give presents

[Liang Jieming]

Ah Green Pea, beautifully put. We should emphasize more of what is similar than what is different. Thank you.

[bathrobe]

I hate to disagree but... (actually I love to disagree!)

The so-called 'dragon' is not the same thing in the West and in China. Because there are some superficial similarities between the Chinese 'long' and the Western 'dragon', people decided to call the Chinese 'long' a 'dragon' in English. So you are really contrasting something that was not the same in the first place.

I think the main difference is about male/female relationship.

In US, many forms you fill has a column about your "partner" instead of "spouse". In some cases, the form even asks you to specify if your partner is male or female.

This is a pretty modern thing. I wouldn't call it a fundamental difference. When I was growing up in the 20th century, the West was much more similar to China.

Western

Situations are changed to suit the individual

Chinese

The individual changes and adapts to the situation

I find this one very strange. Someone has been thinking too much. Western cultures also traditionally teach the individual to fit in.

Western

Encouraged to express and to show feelings

Chinese

Encouraged to internalise and not to show emotions

I find this one pretty strange, too. The values that you attribute to the Chinese are much better exemplified by the Japanese! In my experience, the Japanese find the Chinese very ready to express their emotions, to an extent that they find disconcerting (they also describe it as 'childish').

I tend to agree, overall, that a lot of these so-called 'differences between China and the West' are just stereotypes.

[JustJon]

Sorry to awaken this one, but I feel the need to comment.

I tend to agree with Yau here' date=' Chinese are not as group-oriented as they think. For example, if "group interest" is always primary, then why is guanxi necessary? Cultivating personal connections would be a waste of time if everyone thought of group interest first.[/quote']

Surely that's exactly WHY it's necessary ie. groups of people working together to achieve goals that are beneficial to all.

I tend to agree' date=' overall, that a lot of these so-called 'differences between China and the West' are just stereotypes.

[/quote']

Is this really the general consensus? That there are no real fundamental differences between Chinese culture and the West?

Ah Green Pea, beautifully put. We should emphasize more of what is similar than what is different. Thank you.

Why? Surely what is different is just as interesting if not more so and probably a lot more useful to know about.

I just can't believe that people think that Chinese and Western culture is same. I would of thought that it's one of the most heavily contrasting comparisons of two cultures that one could make.

The style of Government, the massive population, the unique history, the rich traditions, does none of this create a unique culture? Yeh everybody has feelings and emotions and yeh everybody read books, but the question was what's different?

The following contains some interesting information (proven not just just stereotypical) it describes China as having the highest level of collectivism and the lowest level of individualism of any Asian culture far more so than Japan. It attributes this to the government style which if you think about it makes a lot of sense. It also puts China's long term orientation at 114, which is off the scale.

http://www.geert-hofstede.com/hofstede_china.shtml

[gougou]

the lowest level of individualism of any Asian culture far more so than Japan

Throughout all of Hoofstede's, or also Trompenaars', results, Japan is standing apart from the rest of the Asian countries.

[msittig]

Americans/Europeans like to eat fresh vegetable salads, but when Chinese eat fresh vegetables they think "I Feel Like a Rabbit when I Eat Salad".

Hehe.

[carlo]

The problem with most China-West comparisons is that the assumption is that China and the West are relatively homogeneous, self-contained and isolated cultural frames of reference. This is far from being the case. A Greek and a Texan have very different traditions, but they are all 'Westerners' to the average Chinese. A huaren from Malaysia and a huimin from Gansu barely speak the same language, yet they are all 'Chinese' to the average Westerner.

Discussions about 'cultural difference' are usually a way of defining and delimiting one's own identity, so they usually say more about who is making the comparison rather than describing universal truths.

[aeon]

The other thing to remember is that it is often easier to speak to and find common ground with someone of different culture but similar social class, educational background and job or profession as yourself, than someone from your own country who is from a different background.

For instance, my wife is Malaysian Chinese, but because we grew up in families with similar backgrounds (rural, relatively poor, education seen as the way out) and ended up in similar professions we have very similar aims in life. Likewise, I'm sure I share more common values with my Chinese teachers than they do with whatever evil sod stole my bicycle last night...

[Harpoon]

The other thing to remember is that it is often easier to speak to and find common ground with someone of different culture but similar social class' date=' educational background and job or profession as yourself, than someone from your own country who is from a different background.

For instance, my wife is Malaysian Chinese, but because we grew up in families with similar backgrounds (rural, relatively poor, education seen as the way out) and ended up in similar professions we have very similar aims in life. Likewise, I'm sure I share more common values with my Chinese teachers than they do with whatever evil sod stole my bicycle last night... [/quote']

heh I guess you're making a case for global communism

sorry about your bike... i hear that happens a lot

[miss_China_so_much]

The following contains some interesting information (proven not just just stereotypical)

http://www.geert-hofstede.com/hofstede_china.shtml

I am interested in this: how did this website get these figures? How it had been proved as "not just sterotypical"? As my own experience, not much group-oriented in today's China.

[wushijiao]

I am interested in this: how did this website get these figures? How it had been proved as "not just sterotypical"? As my own experience, not much group-oriented in today's China.

From the same page,

Geert Hofstede analyzed a large data base of employee values scores collected by IBM between 1967 and 1973 covering more than 70 countries, from which he first used the 40 largest only and afterwards extended the analysis to 50 countries and 3 regions. In the editions of GH's work since 2001, scores are listed for 74 countries and regions, partly based on replications and extensions of the IBM study on different international populations.

Even though this method of analysis is useful and was groundbreaking at the time, I think numbers like these can only be taken as rough estimations. Besides, China has changed a bit since 1973. I agree. China has probably become less group oriented as time has moved on.

The problem with most China-West comparisons is that the assumption is that China and the West are relatively homogeneous, self-contained and isolated cultural frames of reference. This is far from being the case. A Greek and a Texan have very different traditions, but they are all 'Westerners' to the average Chinese. A huaren from Malaysia and a huimin from Gansu barely speak the same language, yet they are all 'Chinese' to the average Westerner.

I agree with that.

[liushuang]

Americans/Europeans like to eat fresh vegetable salads' date=' but when Chinese eat fresh vegetables they think "I Feel Like a Rabbit when I Eat Salad".

Hehe.

it's so true. But since I've lived in the U.K. for long, I got use to eat salad leaves, they are not too bad.

[underscorex5]

"Western

Fundamental belief in that man is born evil but can be saved as expounded in the Christian/Jewish view of human nature

Chinese

Fundamental belief in that man is born good but can be corrupted as expounded in the Confucian view of human nature"

I know this may be nitpicking...but I don't really like the assumption that "westerners believe that man is born evil." I am western, and I don't believe that - nor do any of my family members or close friends. Sorry, I just couldnt leave this one without commenting.

And "I feel like a rabbit when I eat salad" was so cute/interesting! "We also put fruits into salad, but not leafs." haha, interesting point. I never really stopped and thought that we eat leaves...

AnQi:)

[mr.stinky]

west:

picking nose in public: bad

picking scabs in public: bad

spitting in public: bad

urinating in public: bad

blowing snot in public: bad

east:

hide that toothpick!