Major cultural differences 中西文化差异

Major cultural differences 中西文化差异
Jul 16, 2008 20:34
VIVIANWANG Points: Join Date: Aug 3, 2007 Status: offline	What are major differences between Chinese and western culture? Western culture: 1. Western culture is based on individualism rather than on mass (collectivism). For instance, in the US, you always talk about individual rights, instead of placing the whole society above your own self. This is clearly different in China where a country, society or family are placed above your own self. 2. Western culture is adventurous and exploration based. Westerners like to discover new things, invention and expand outwards. For instance, bungee jumping is considered adventurous and common in western culture, but you will probably find no-one doing such a thing in China. 3. Western culture is based on science, which attempts to resolve people and nature’s relationship. 4. West uses law to resolve people and people’s relationship. You can never find ‘law’ well-established in China. For 2000 years, China is a land that’s based on human relationship rather than law. 5. West uses ‘god’ and religion to resolve human and spiritualism relationship. In case of problems with your own self, you just pray to god. 6. A culture that expands and develop outwards. Chinese Culture: 1. A culture based on masses (collectivism). People placed country and family above your own self. 2. A culture that is based on humanism and people 3. To resolve the relationship betwen man and nature, the chinese attempts to fuse the human and ‘heaven’ as one. 4. To resolve people and people’s relationship, chinese uses ethics and tolerance 5. To resolve human and spiritualism, chinese emphasizes internal cultivation 6. A focus on balance and mean. By ‘mean’, it means ‘middle way’. You don’t go into extremism. Peace is always honoured. Table manners: The main difference between Chinese and western eating habits is that unlike the West, where everyone has their own plate of food, in China the dishes are placed on the table and everybody shares. If you are being treated by a Chinese host, be prepared for a ton of food. Chinese are very proud of their culture of cuisine and will do their best to show their hospitality. And sometimes the Chinese host use their chopsticks to put food in your bowl or plate. This is a sign of politeness. The appropriate thing to do would be to eat the whatever-it-is and say how yummy it is. If you feel uncomfortable with this, you can just say a polite thank you and leave the food there. Don’t stick your chopsticks upright in the rice bowl. Instead, lay them on your dish. The reason for this is that when somebody dies, the shrine to them contains a bowl of sand or rice with two sticks of incense stuck upright in it. So if you stick your chopsticks in the rice bowl, it looks like this shrine and is equivalent to wishing death upon a person at the table!

Jul 16, 2008 20:34

VIVIANWANG
Points:
Join Date: Aug 3, 2007
Status: offline

What are major differences between Chinese and western culture?

Western culture:

1. Western culture is based on individualism rather than on mass (collectivism). For instance, in the US, you always talk about individual rights, instead of placing the whole society above your own self. This is clearly different in China where a country, society or family are placed above your own self.

2. Western culture is adventurous and exploration based. Westerners like to discover new things, invention and expand outwards. For instance, bungee jumping is considered adventurous and common in western culture, but you will probably find no-one doing such a thing in China.

3. Western culture is based on science, which attempts to resolve people and nature’s relationship.

4. West uses law to resolve people and people’s relationship. You can never find ‘law’ well-established in China. For 2000 years, China is a land that’s based on human relationship rather than law.

5. West uses ‘god’ and religion to resolve human and spiritualism relationship. In case of problems with your own self, you just pray to god.

6. A culture that expands and develop outwards.

Chinese Culture:

1. A culture based on masses (collectivism). People placed country and family above your own self.

2. A culture that is based on humanism and people

3. To resolve the relationship betwen man and nature, the chinese attempts to fuse the human and ‘heaven’ as one.

4. To resolve people and people’s relationship, chinese uses ethics and tolerance

5. To resolve human and spiritualism, chinese emphasizes internal cultivation

6. A focus on balance and mean. By ‘mean’, it means ‘middle way’. You don’t go into extremism. Peace is always honoured.

Table manners:

The main difference between Chinese and western eating habits is that unlike the West, where everyone has their own plate of food, in China the dishes are placed on the table and everybody shares. If you are being treated by a Chinese host, be prepared for a ton of food. Chinese are very proud of their culture of cuisine and will do their best to show their hospitality.

And sometimes the Chinese host use their chopsticks to put food in your bowl or plate. This is a sign of politeness. The appropriate thing to do would be to eat the whatever-it-is and say how yummy it is. If you feel uncomfortable with this, you can just say a polite thank you and leave the food there.

Don’t stick your chopsticks upright in the rice bowl. Instead, lay them on your dish. The reason for this is that when somebody dies, the shrine to them contains a bowl of sand or rice with two sticks of incense stuck upright in it. So if you stick your chopsticks in the rice bowl, it looks like this shrine and is equivalent to wishing death upon a person at the table!

Jul 19, 2008 06:16	#1
DISCOVERY Points: Join Date: Jan 2, 2008 Status: Offline	Western and Chinese culture are upside down! I am a Chinese,But I think that Western culture rather than Chinese culture! Chinese do not like to talking about science! I aways do not like it and they very like collectivism.especially a man old than above 30. Chinese culture is useless,I do not know Chinese culture what can it do.

Aug 4, 2008 18:41	#2
GUEST59242	my god "discovery"'s comment was so poorly expressed that i could hardly understand. lol.

Aug 20, 2008 18:19

REMAG1234
Points:
Join Date: Aug 17, 2008
Status: Offline

Hi VivianWang,
There is one thing you did not mention. In the Chinese Culture is COMMUNIST DOMINATION which is why there is little to no individualism. As for food, you have never been a guest of a real Italian family dinner, not a ton of food but TONS & TONS of food. BTW, one of the things served will be noodles [spaghetti or macaroni] thanks to Marco Polo who brought it back from China. Who has better table manners than the English, NO ONE. It's good to be proud as you but don't put down other cultures. Another thing GOD is written GOD or God. I have one God and not hundreds of Buddha's who by the way are NOT Chinese. Yes I do take offense to your comparison post. It's the likes you that create animosity amongst different peoples.

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