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How is eastern and western culture similar
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Throughout China's encased history it has developed much differently than western parts of the world. Chinese culture varies greatly compared to ours. These great differences between eastern culture and western culture make China a very interesting place. Some of the vast differences include literature, social structure, and government. The greatest difference is
Chinese philosophy and way of thinking. China has developed a strict system of tradition that has given China great advantages and disadvantages. This is shown in
Chinese literature. Tradition in China is a set of unwritten laws. This is why China turned its eyes from the outside world and looked in. China found everything it needed in
Tradition (4). The strong traditions and customs play probably the greatest factor in the life of a Chinese person.
This strict philosophy influences marriage, children, family, and duty in life. Marriage is much different and has different levels of companionship. One man may have many wives and or concubines. The status of these wives and concubines are very important. The lower you are on the husband's list the lower you were treated (1). When in a marriage if you were having children a son would be most desirable for you to have. You would be thought better of if you produced a son. This shows the male dominance in Chinese culture.
Once a son was born the expectations for him were great.
He was supposed to learn all great literature and be very scholarly (2). A girl, also was supp...
This means that family descent could only be counted through the men. Woman were not able to pass on lineage or surnames except under very rare circumstances. Ancestor worship was very important in this culture, and only the children from the male line could worship the ancestors. In this culture, it was disrespectful, even blasphemous to die without having a son. Family connections were everything to this society.
The caste system played a great part in religion and philosophies as well. As shown in the graphic organizer, Father>son, older brother>younger brother. This supports the evidence of a caste system in china, not as strict as the caste system in Ancient India. The caste systems were separated by power, a father being more powerful than his son, and wife. His older son will have more power over the younger son, but the father has the power to control all of his sons. This was similar to the Indian caste system. Brahmins had more power over
Firstly, the relationship expectations in Chinese customs and traditions were strongly held onto. The daughters of the Chinese family were considered as a shame for the family. The sons of the family were given more honour than the daughters. In addition, some daughters were even discriminated. “If you want a place in this world ... do not be born as a girl child” (Choy 27). The girls from the Chinese family were considered useless. They were always looked down upon in a family; they felt as if the girls cannot provide a family with wealth. Chinese society is throwing away its little girls at an astounding rate. For every 100 girls registered at birth, there are 118 little boys in other words, nearly one seventh of Chinese girl babies are going missing (Baldwin 40). The parents from Chinese family had a preference for boys as they thought; boys could work and provide the family income. Due to Chinese culture preference to having boys, girls often did not have the right to live. In the Chinese ethnicity, the family always obeyed the elder’s decision. When the family was trying to adapt to the new country and they were tryin...
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.
Gender equality has been an issue in the world for the past century. The contrast between men and women in China begins at home and translates into workplace expectations. In China, the expectation in the home is that men are superior to women and that she should be obliged to serve her husband. According to the Passport to China, “Confucianism is still a major factor in Chinese culture. A direct quote from the Passport to China represents this well. “The Confucian husband rules over his wife as a lord rules his people.” This essentially means that the husband is superior to the woman entirely in households that still maintain the Confucian attitudes of the past.
A traditional family in China is one, in which the marriage between couples are arranged or forced by their parents regardless of whether or not the partners love each other. The wife is brought to the husband’s house and lives with her in-laws, and role of her would be to take care of her husband, household and bear a child, preferably a son. No matter how hard or unhappy the marriage is, the wife has no choice, but to tolerate with her “fate” which is formed by “tradition”. The main reason for this would be the fact that the traditional value of men is much higher than that of women.
Much like to their parents and elders, Chinese girls were supposed to be quiet and obedient to their husbands and mothers-in-law. Girls were supposed to respect, and not openly question the decisions that were made in the household. These women were taught to always ask what the husband wants and to ignore their own wants and needs. Chinese wives were there mainly to provide the mother-in-law with grandsons.
For a country which has thousands of years of history, China, like majority society in the world, still remains some kind of patriarchy and it is continuously affecting the gender roles in China and all around the world. As a person who born and raise in China, I evidenced how gender roles alter with the development of China.
Today marriage is defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary as the relationship between a husband and a wife or a similar relationship between people of the same sex. For the purposes of this paper, it will focus on marriage between a man and a woman and how marriage is differently defined between the American and Chinese cultures. This paper will discuss the cultural differences found between the American and Chinese culture with emphasis on age and mate-selection. The cultural differences between American and Chinese culture related to marriage practices shows that Americans value individualism and Chinese historically value collectivism.
Is it because he was a woman that he cried out at the sight of a child being harmed? Did he not cry out at the death of his wife because she was a woman? The role of the female in this story reveals a sense of inferiority towards women. These questions that the story raises show how women were viewed as inferior and weak in the eyes of the Chinese culture.
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.
On the other hand, China and America are two societies with different history, different ways of thinking, different lifestyles, and different education systems. Here are some of my observations:
But one begins to detect a new theme emerging in society, especially amongst the Chinese reformers: the theme of individualism opposed to familialism. Today, would the Confucian family be more and more aware of abuse of women and children? Rituals and traditions can be seen as both positive and negative. The ways in which women suffered affirm that some rituals were abusive. There are multiple signs indeed that something has gone badly wrong with the Chinese family traditions that led to family instability.
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
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, beginning as a campaign targeted at removing Chairman Mao Zedong's political opponents, was a time when practically every aspect of Chinese society was in pandemonium. From 1966 through 1969, Mao encouraged revolutionary committees, including the red guards, to take power from the Chinese Communist party authorities of the state. The Red Guards, the majority being young adults, rose up against their teachers, parents, and neighbors. Following Mao and his ideas, The Red Guard's main goal was to eliminate all remnants of the old culture in China. They were the 'frontline implementers' who produced havoc, used bloody force, punished supposed 'counter revolutionists', and overthrew government officials, all in order to support their 'beloved leader'.