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Chinese Culture vs. Western and American Culture
There are many different aspects on Ancient Chinese culture that differ from Western and American culture. Many things such as education, marriage, and community type can be different from what we have in our Western civilization. Although Chinese culture has evolved through many, many years some ancient traditions still uphold.
There are a wide variety of differences between the Chinese and Western cultures forms of art and literature. One example of this is the importance of architecture in China. While the Chinese build large and extravagant buildings, the history of the architecture and the buildings themselves are relatively unimportant to them. There is hard to find any ancient buildings in China or to even know if their current forms are architecture are similar to their old ones due to the lack of records kept in anything other than paintings. “The Chinese have no respect for buildings. When they fall or were destroyed, the local inhabitants come like ants and carried off any material that could be turned to use for the needs of living” (Speiser 17). So while the Chinese lack a preserving method of buildings, or rather find it to be unimportant, the Western and US culture greatly respect the art that is architecture. When the Twin Towers in New York were destroyed in 2001 it was a great devastation. Devastation that was so huge in fact that the buildings are being remodeled and rebuilt in order to form a museum in the memory of lives lost, and the importance of the building itself. The Chinese would never think of doing such a thing; they would simply pick up the usable pieces and move on.
The differences in art between western and Chinese culture grow with the addition ...
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...d. The Chinese Cultural Revolution. San Diego: Lucent, 1997. Print.
Pinson, Ernest. "A Letter from China." Harbinger. Ed. Edmund Tsang et al. N.p., 2000. Web. 12 Nov. 2013. .
Shoebottom, Paul. "The Differences between English and Chinese." A Guide to Learning English. Frankfurt International School, n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2013. .
Shu, Sandra. "The Chinese Education System vs the American Education System." The Thunderbolt. Ed. Nathan Chau. Thunderbolt, n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2013. .
"Some General Differences between Chinese and American Culture." Pre-Departure Orientation for Chinese Students. AIEF, n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2013. .
Speiser, Werner. The Art of China. New York: Greystone, n.d. Print.
The cultures between the Swedish and the Hmong people follow a similar path of struggle, conforming, and success. The Swedish people struggled from famine and needed a place to go to where jobs were abundant. While the Hmong also struggled from war and the after effects of war. These struggles brought a group of people with different cultures to one country, America. America became a place of refuge and a place to prosper. Many of the people succeeded in getting high paying jobs and would help America evolve into a better place. Although, this succession gave people a new hope, there are still discrimination within the country because of differences of culture and looks.
Cultural differences are cultures from around the world having diverse aspects of living and practices. Businesses often deal with a numerous amount of cultures on a day to day basis, cultures that are unique and have values that are incomparable to their own culture. Canada and China have many cultural differences that would be helpful to understand when doing business with one another.
When Chinese immigrants enter the United States of America, it is evident from the start that they are in a world far different than their homeland. Face to face with a dominant culture that often times acts and thinks in ways contrary to their previous lives, immigrants are on a difficult path of attempting to become an American. Chinese immigrants find themselves often caught between two worlds: the old world of structured, traditional and didactic China and the new world of mobile, young and prosperous America. They nostalgically look back at China longing for a simpler life but look at the United States as a land of opportunity and freedom that they did not know in China. For this is why they came to America in the first place, to provide for their children and themselves what they could not in China. To do this, of course, they are faced with the challenge of assimilating. Learning the language, acquiring education, owning property, etc. are all ways to seize the American Dream. However this poses a problem for the Chinese immigrant for, in the process of assimilation, they lose some of their Chinese culture. This especially rings true for the children of Chinese immigrants: the second-generation Chinese Americans.
My mom would always say, “American born Chinese students have it easy in America.” One key difference between the American education system and Chinese education system is the way they are taught. Being raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, I went to school to understand the idea of analyzing and understanding concepts. After reading Only Hope, I realized that their education is based on more memorizations. To Chinese students, understand the concept and apply it is not the most important, you must just memorize it for the exam. Many parents in China would say that going on vacation and relaxing is a waste of time because they need to focus on learning. In Greenspan’s article, it mentions that a student in China is the top of her class and is fluent in English, yet she cannot go on vacation because her mother wants her to spend time learning, many students in China
。Li Xiaobing, Sun Yi, Li Xiaoxiao, Chinese in America: from History to Present, Sichuan People's Press, Sichuan, 2003
Although Chinese Americans face many conflicts, many also work very hard to preserve their C...
Yiran, Feng. "To Help or Not to Help, a Dilemma in China." The Epoch Times [New York City]
Chinese-Americans authors Amy Tan and Gish Jen have both grappled with the idea of mixed identity in America. For them, a generational problem develops over time, and cultural displacement occurs as family lines expand. While this is not the problem in and of itself, indeed, it is natural for current culture to gain foothold over distant culture, it serves as the backdrop for the disorientation that occurs between generations. In their novels, Tan and Jen pinpoint the cause of this unbalance in the active dismissal of Chinese mothers by their Chinese-American children.
Moore, Malcolm, “China Analysis: Cultural Revolution Continues to Cast Shadow,” The Telegraph, March 14, 2012,
Throughout the film ancient China’s profound history and glorious culture has displayed through various cultural elements. The martial arts, writing system, architecture all together gives an image of the Chinese culture. The developments and advanced techniques have shaped the country and stabilized the society. China has accomplished some of the greatest achievements of mankind. It had also made significant contribution to the development of advanced systems around the world. Chinese culture is very unique. All the elements presented in the film have truly strengthened my understanding of the Chinese
Chinese Americans have always felt different in their ways of life than the rest of society. Chinese Americans were very heavily prejudiced and discriminated against because of their culture. Immigrants from China to the United States have always faced more difficulties in accepting who they are and their own culture, and some continue to face these struggles. From various articles of research and also the short story “Fish Cheeks” by Amy Tan, it is clear that Chinese Americans struggle with accepting themselves and their culture. Chinese culture has played a very important role in the history of the United States.
Gittings, John. The Changing Face of China: From Mao to market. Oxford University Press, 2005.
Lindo Jong provides the reader with a summary of her difficulty in passing along the Chinese culture to her daughter: “I wanted my children to have the best combination: American circumstances and Chinese character. How could I know these two things do not mix? I taught her how American circumstances work. If you are born poor here, it's no lasting shame . . . You do not have to sit like a Buddha under a tree letting pigeons drop their dirty business on your head . . . In America, nobody says you have to keep the circumstances somebody else gives you. . . . but I couldn't teach her about Chinese character . . . How to know your own worth and polish it, never flashing it around like a cheap ring. Why Chinese thinking is best”(Tan 289).
Comparison of American and Chinese Cultures Cultural differences are apparent from one group of people to another. Culture is based on many things that are passed on from one generation to the next. Most of the time, people take for granted their language, beliefs, and values. When it comes to the cultural differences of people, there is no right or wrong. People should be aware of others culture and respect the differences that exist between them.
The Chinese culture is one of the most popular cultures in the world today and it has been around for a very long time. The Chinese people are known for their eloquent ceremonies and customary behaviors in the society throughout the world. They are known for their distinctive cultures, which include art and crafts, calligraphy, embroidery, and operas. Another part of Chinese culture that has been enjoying attention worldwide is the Kung Fu, and it has been an integral part of the Chinese culture for ages. The Chinese food, of course is another interesting piece of culture they exhibit as their food is sold around the world, they are very nutritious and healthy.