China and Us Cultural Differences free essay sample

China and US Cultural Differences China and US Cultural Differences Introduction With more than six billion people in the world is not difficult to realize that there are many different cultures and belief systems around the world that differ from the one we live in here in the US. There are countries that are governed by kings; there are others that are governed by religion, and others that are governed by republics. There are many different ways in which to prove that the world is not the same, we all do things different, we think different. Part of these differences is what drives competition and misunderstandings between nations.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. When it comes to the cultural differences of people there is no right or wrong. People should be aware of other cultures and respect the differences that exist between them. Just like two of the most successful countries on earth the United States and China. These are two very large countries that have cultures that are well known throughout the world but that are also very different from each other. But, how different is the Chinese culture from the American Culture?If some of the Ideas from the Chinese culture were to be applied here in the US, what impact would it have? I have learned through my research that the US and China share nothing but their economical success in the world, and even there they have differences. Looking at the cultural differences between these two countries I must say that China and the US are very different from each other and some of their social ideas would not work here in the US and would only create problems. The differences that these two countries share are more evident in their dating and marriage ideas, non-verbal/body language communication, and religion.Dating and Marriage One of the most obvious differences between China and the US has got to be their Marriage and Dating beliefs. Dating in China is often done in groups of young women and young men. It usually starts by going out together in groups for a meal, for a drink, or to a karaoke. If they go to a nightclub, men and women dance together in groups, everything must first be done in group before taking any further steps. Then potential boyfriend and girlfriend will break off from the group and go for walk somewhere where they will finally talk about themselves to start something more than a friendship.On the other hand, here in the United States dating is a little bit different, people also like to go out in groups but most of the time two couples don’t start a real date until they go out for several dates by themselves to get to know each other better. They spent a lot of time together going out to the movies, theaters, concerts, and dining out at restaurants. As far as marriage beliefs, in China Marriages hold a more spiritual value than here in the US. According to Liu; â€Å"In Chinese legends, couples destined to marry have invisible red strings, connecting them, tied around their ankles when they are young children.As they grow older the strings gets shorter and shorter until it is time for them to wed. Nothing can severe the strings not distance, changing circumstances, or love. Marriage is their destiny. But even though they think marriage is their destiny they still arrange their marriages, you cannot choose who to marry. Here in the US men and women can choose freely who to marry more of their destiny is more of a big decision. Here in the United States we chose who to marry, usually with the idea that is the love of their life.Further once marry Chinese women hold a bigger responsibility towards their husband and sons. On the contrary men are allowed more than one wife. Also if a husband dies the woman cannot remarry because it would be disloyal to the husband’s family. Thank fully here in the US women have the option of working and thus reduce the level of responsibility with their husbands and sons, here in the United States the family responsibility is said to be more shared. In addition in the US men that have more than one wife are sent to jail, they are not allowed to have more than one woman. Looking at these differences in marriage and dating culture we can see that China and the US are very different. We can also have an idea of how devastating it would be to practice today some of the ideas practice in China, for example the Idea of arranging marriages. If marriages here in the US were to be arranged and people could not chose who to marry people would automatically start protesting because here in the United States we hold a more liberal idea, we feel entitle to liberty, and we feel free to choose our path.Having ideas of oppression like the ones in China would definitely not work here in the United States. Nonverbal Communication and Body Language According to Liu, there is much difference in nonverbal communication and their meanings among China and the United States. In Chinese culture for example, direct eye contact and staring is uncommon and is considered disrespectful to stare into another persons eyes. Even in crowded situations Chinese people avoid eye contac t to give others and them privacy. But here in the US we consider eye contact to be a form of attentiveness, listening, honesty, and directness. When it comes to body language we usually see it as a way of expressing feeling, exchanging ideas, and conveying messages. Many people feel that with body language we express our true meaning or basic attitudes towards each other. Using body language in China is interpreted more different than here in the US. In China it’s quite common for girls and even young women to walk along hand in hand, which is simply a gesture of friendship.You’re advised to bear it in mind that there is no tendency towards homosexuality whatsoever in such contact. But in the US our point of view is so different that whenever we see two girls holding hands we think that they are lesbians or bisexual, when in reality is a form of showing affection. Additionally, there are other important gestures that have different meaning. Such as, in china is very uncommon to shake hands when introduced to someone, they often nod the head or slight bow is sufficient.In contrast shaking hands is very common here in the US. As an illustration, we shake hands when we meet somebody for the first time, when doing a business, when greeting someone, and every time we see our friends. As we see is evident than when it comes to body language and nonverbal communication China and the US hold different views of how it should be done. It is also evident than if the different views of nonverbal communication and body language where to be inverted in both countries the way each society lives would be totally different.For example if here in the US if we were to not shake hands when meeting someone instead of seeing it as a form of respect we would see it as if the other person does not want to have any thing to do with them because that body language is not present between them. Religion Religious beliefs tend to be viewed as personal matters that each individual works out on their own. When talking about the differences between China and the United States religion we find that they have many differences.For example in china there are four major religions and philosophies; Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, and folk religion. These four religious beliefs can be looked upon as single tradition or components of a broad, nebulous and variable belief system. Each of China’s religious traditions is completely independent of the others and their respective beliefs, it is not common for one tradition to reject or oppose the beliefs of the others. To me this is very interesting because here in the US and in many countries every religious group heavily criticize the others; they think that there way is the only way.If we were to think this way in the US and each region would respect each other then maybe les discrimination and separation would exist. Another interesting thing about China is that Chinese people don’t only practice one belief. According to Liu in Chinese have traditionally practice Confucianism for moral and political guidance; pray to Taoist gods and animist spirits for good fortune and to harmonize with nature and the universe; finally they looked to Buddhism for help answering questions of the afterlife.But if you think China is has a diverse religion community think again, they are not even close to being as diverse as the US. The Unites States is home to the most diverse spectrum of religions in the world. There are representations of nearly every religion in the world. But if we were to think of the most influential here in the n the US we would have to choose Christianity. Christianity has been the largest religion practice by the majority of the people, followed by Catholic, Mormons and various other Christian denominations. Here is where China differs from the US, while they believe in a combination of different beliefs here in the US each religion thinks that they are right, they rarely adopt ideas from other religions. This is also why Chinese religious beliefs wouldn’t work here in the US because religions here believe that God is the all-powerful, all-knowing creator of the universe who still rules it today, and they like to be in harmony with the cosmic world rather than seek one true, divine path just like the Chinese community.Conclusion In conclusion I think that as different as we are we should not judge each other because every society has the right to live by their own rules and social standards. Besides if we were to critic the Chinese society for their conservative ideas arguing that they are wrong we would also be wrong because who says we are right. What if they are doing things the way our creator wants us to do them, we never know.That is why I think that the optimal way to live is by having every society respect each other and live by what they think is right then wait for judgment day to see who was right. But we cannot ignore that China and the US are very different, evidence in this research tells us that we are no twins of society. We were also given the opportunity to think about the fact that some of the mostly conservative ideas executed by the Chinese community would not work in our radical liberal society.