1500字大学英语论文

Differences between Chinese Cultures

and Western Cultures

As the technology of communication and transportation developed rapidly, more and more contact with the West is unavoidable. Finding out the differences may help us come to a better understanding of Western and Chinese culture.

Here are ten typical and generalized differences between Chinese cultures and Western cultures.

Firstly, Western culture emphasizes self-reliance and Chinese culture trends towards helping each other. Westerns believe that people should rely on themselves. They also expect others to do the same. On the contrary, Chinese are taught to help others from their childhoods (Though there are some moral troubles in the society recently). The essential difference is that Westerners view help as voluntary and Chinese may take it for responsibility. Thus Westerners may only help people in emergency case and in which they really need help.

Secondly, Western culture and Chinese culture have different opinion on rights of individuals. Westerners generally feel that the rights of individuals should not sacrifice for the collective and they should have the right to decide for themselves whether sacrifice. On the contrary, Chinese might despise the rights of individuals, especially in the ancient time. In the ancient China, people have no right of individual. Their rights are controlled by the “group leaders”, such as

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officials and emperors. Sometimes, they even did not know how “leaders” did about their rights.

Thirdly, there is difference in rank and power between Western culture and Chinese culture. You may find that Westerners generally less respect the elder than Chinese. Because Westerners insist that people are equal. However, respecting elder and high-rank persons is the tradition in China. Therefore, Western societies may try to limit the power of government officials. In China, officials and the elders are much respected; at least we are expected to respect them.

Fourthly, in Westerners minds, there is a clear distinction between public and private. In other words, Westerners have little “human feeling” which Chinese have a lot. In China, the high-ranking persons will prefer the persons who have better relationship with. The private feeling will affect the public affair. Nevertheless, public affair have little business with private friendship or relationship in the West. It means that “you are the best friend of the manager” help little about “the manager is going to fire you for some reasons of company”.

Fifthly, Chinese and Westerners have different communication styles. Westerners seldom beat around the bush as they express their ideas very directly. This kind of communication style is called “low context” because people are easy to get what is the whole idea of the speaker. On the contrary, Chinese tend to communicate in an indirect and subtle way. This kind communication style is called

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“high context” because people need to gain information from many aspect, such as body language, where the speaker is talking and so on.

Sixthly, Western culture is “loose” culture and Chinese culture is “tight” culture. “Loose”? “Tight”? What do they mean? The loose and the tight describe the conformity. Westerners may tend to tolerate what people do in improper way. This accounts for the high crime rate in the West in a respect. In contrast, there are more restriction on people in China. There is a clear consensus as for what is and is not acceptable act.

Seventhly, the family ties which Chinese attach importance to are looser in Western countries. For example, in China people are expected to take care of their old parents. In most families, people keep a good contact with their old parents and in some families, people and their old parents live together. However you may be disabled to find an English word means “the love between family members”. In the West, the elders do not live together with their sons and daughters. They are mostly self-reliant in almost all respects.

Eighthly, there is difference between Western culture and Chinese culture about the distinctions of in/out-group. Chinese treat outsides and members of their in-group differently and the difference is greater than Westerners. If you are in the in-group of Westerners, you may find the group members are not very “warm-hearted”. In contrast, the members in the Chinese in-group will stick together much more. This is also a difference caused by “human feeling”.

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Ninthly, Westerners and Chinese deal with conflict in different way. As we all know that since the ancient times, China's prevailing philosophy has been one that preaches \"peace is most precious\express their idea in a acceptable way. We may speak indirectly and even lie for the peace. On the contrary, Westerners still express indirectly in spite of whether their way is acceptable. Because they believe disagreement, competition and even conflict are good things.

Lastly, Westerners and Chinese have different friendship patterns.In general, Western friendship is wide and short as Chinese friendship is narrow and long. Westerners making friends depend much on the same hobby, work and interest (benefit) and so on. It may be limited to few respects. When the relationships in the respects disappear, the friendship may follow. In contrast, Chinese friendships develop slowly. It depends on many respects. When it come to steady, it will last very long.

After these ten differences between two cultures, I want to say a word about one of them. It is the third one.

Firstly, I think the elder should be respected. “I am not old” or “I am still young” are good attitude towards life. But I think ageing is a fact which the elder should accept it. The elder being old means that they are really not able to do something any more. They came to this world earlier than us having more experience and wisdom. They worked whole life but are weak now. As the later, we

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should show our respect to them and more or less take care of them. In the West, showing little respects to the elder do make the society cold and unpleasant. I think there is no need to use refusing respect to prove “I am not old”. The Western society requiring the elders to do these have no difference with the ancient Chinese requiring women to keep their “special rules”.

Secondly, showing respect to the elders does not contradict with being equal. Young people and old people still have the same right. Someone may ask, “How about offering seat to the elders?”

We offer seat for their disable not their age. If a young man is ill, he deserves to be offered, too. In this way people may be more equal.

Thirdly, equal is not absolute. I think it should be considered with public case and private case. The president and a vagrant should be equal in private life. They should be treated same. However, in public life, a little difference of rank should be clear. It is the base of teamwork, especially large group. In this case, people should not be equal.

Lastly, there is no best culture. Every society has its own system which the corresponding culture is suitable for. Finding the most suitable culture and trying to make it more suitable should be the task of human being.

Now, will the meeting of two different culture cause misunderstanding, disagreement or conflict?

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Of course it will. What we should do is to avoid and handle them.

At the beginning we should find out what trouble will be there.

Firstly, you can imagine that a Chinese is in a Western country. He shows his respect and care to the elders on a bus. But it seems make them uncomfortable and even angry.

This trouble is avoidable. If you want to go abroad, you should make yourself know something about intercultural communication before setting off. Then you can decide how to be friendly in a proper way.

If the misunderstanding has taken place, there are still something you can do. When you feel the Westerners being uncomfortable, stop your behavior. If they are really annoyed, you can try to make explanation like, “You know, Chinese are very warm-hearted” or “I will be sorry if that made you feel uncomfortable”.

Secondly, you can imagine that a Westerner student is in Chinese university. He disagreed with an old teacher, and debated with the old teacher. However, he spoke too directly so that it made the old teacher felt very unaccepted and a little annoyed.

I feel this trouble is less avoidable. We can not make sure that all the Westerners know a lot about Chinese culture. And we also have no need to show too much tolerance. What we can do is being tolerant if the Westerners mean no

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harm.

If the conflict has taken place, as a Chinese that know a little about the difference between two cultures, we can explain the difference to them. And we can politely ask the Westerner to show more respect to the elder in China. We also can tell the elder that this foreigner mean no harm and just seek for truth.

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