中西文化差异

ThedifferencebetweenChinaandWestern

Whatisculture?L.Beamer&I.Varnerremindedus,“Cultureisamentalsetofwindowsthroughwhichalloflifeisviewed.Itvariesfromindividualtoindividualwithinasociety,butitsharesimportantcharacteristicswithmembersofsociety.”Cultureiseverythingandeverywhere.Andmoreimportant,atleastforourpurposes,culturegovernsanddefinesinwhichpositiontheconditionsandcircumstancesveer.Simultaneously,incertainconditionsandcircumstanceslotsofinformationcanornotbenoticedorunderstood.Thatistooabstracttoreallyunderstand.Differentcountrieshavedifferenttraitsandcharacteristicsduetotheirdifferentgeographicalenvironments,differenthistoricalconditionsanddifferentlogicalthinking.Nocountriesandnationsarewithouttheircultures.

Thecharacteristicsofanyculturecannotbeseparatedfromacertaingeographicalenvironment,eachkindofculturehasdifferentcharacteristicsduetothecharacteristicsoftheregion,climateandenvironment.Chinaisagreatsemi-closedcontinentalcountry,whichseaononesideandontheothertransportationthreesidesisextremelyinconvenient.Suchkindofnaturalenvironmentformastateofhalfisolationfromtheoutsideworld,andthecongenialhabitatandselfsufficientresourcehaveanessentialeffectoncharacteristicsofChinesetraditionalculture.Thehumanhabitatwastoocongenialtoproduceanoutward-looking,adventurous,sea-farmingculture.Theresultofthiscongenialityisapeacefulpeople,indulginginanuneventfullifeofthesimplerhythmicalpulseofnature.Atthesametime,self-sufficientfarmingculturecausedself-containedthatdevelopedsatisfactionandconservation.FarmingisthebasiceconomicmodefortheexistenceofChinesepeople.Theprematurityandrelativestabilityoftheagriculturalcivilizationnurturedthetraditionofharmonyandmaintainingequilibrium.TheharmoniousandstablelifemoldstheChinesepeoplecharacterofbeingcontentwithwhattheyareandwhattheyhave.Theytendtoleadasimpleandplacidlifecomparingwithaggressiveness.Theyseemtobeabalancedexistence,neitherover-delight,norover-sorrowful,buttakecontrolofthemselveswithpersistence.Theyareskillfulofdealingwithinjusticeandcalamitywithtoleranceandhumor.Onthecontrary,theterritoryofeverywesterncountryisrelativelysmallareathatissurroundedbyseaandwherehavenoenoughnaturalresources.Westernpeoplewererestrictedtomovesothattheyhaveatendencytoexploretheseathatarepeaceful,friendly,andfullofchancesandlures.ThecradleofWesterncivilizationGreekwasexotericgeographicalenvironment,peoplestrugglingwiththehostilenature,theyhencecultivatedsuchkindofsciencetraditionthatpeoplewerefondofexploreandconquernature.Thatmakeswesterncultureshowsadvocatingthespiritofcompetitionandstrugglingasawhole.

Therearesomanydimensionsonwhichculturesmaydiffer;humannaturecanbesaidasabasicdifference.InChina,peoplehaveacceptedthethoughtofConfuciuswhobelievedthehumannaturewasbasicallygood.Astheysaid,childrenarebelievedtobepureandinnocentbutmaybecomecorruptastheygrowolderandhavemorecontactwithsociety.Thedirectionofmoralchangesisfromgoodtobad.Becauseofthisdanger,itistheresponsibilityofthoseinauthorities,suchasparents,teachersandpoliticalleaders,whoprotectthemoralityundertheircare.Whensomechildrenwriteabouttheirmothers,fathers,teachersandhonoredhistoricalfigures,theytendtoidealizethem.ThetraditionalWesternbeliefabouthumannaturesisthathumansarebasicallyevil.WeseethisintheBiblestoryofAdamandEve.GodthrowthemoutoftheGardenofEdenbecausetheyatefruitfromtheTreeofKnowledge.Fromthattime,allhumanshavebeenbornwithoriginalsin.ThatmeanstheydoevilaspartoftheirnatureandcanonlybesavedbyGod.AsaresultoftheriseofhumanismintheWest,thisbasicbeliefhaschangedtoamixtureofgoodandevil.Theoriginalbeliefcontinuestoflourishalongsidethemoremodernbelief.Forinstance,WesternerswhoarecalledfundamentalistChristians,thosewhofollowtheBibleasaguidetotheirdailylife,stillbelievethathumansarebasicallyevilandmustbesaved,thatis,mustacceptthehelpofGodtobecomegood.ThetraditionalviewhasalsobeenincorporatedintoWesterninstitutionsinvariousways.InConfucianculturepeopleareencouragedtobegoodbyothersaroundthem.Becauseoftheeyesofotherpeople,whenthepersoncannotreachothers'expectations,helikelytofeelashamed.IfChinacallsthatsituationashameculture,thentheWestisdominatedbyguiltculture.Inshameculture,thestandardisanidealsetupineveryone'smind.Everyonewantstoachievethispossibility,butsometimestheycannot.Atthistime,theycouldhaveashamefeeling.Inguiltculture,thepersonisexpectedtoknowthedifferencebetweenrightandwrong.Whentheydosomethingwrongoroutofmoral,theycouldfeelguilty,especiallytheChristian.

Culturesareinextricablyboundupwithcommunicationandcontext.Fromanotheraspect,theculturecandivideintohigh-contextcultureandlow-contextculture.Chinaisrepresentativehigh-contextculture.Chinesepeopleprovideinformationthroughgestures,theuseofspaceandevensilence.Theircommunicationisonewhichmostoftheinformationiseitherinthephysicalcontextorinternalizedinperson,whileverylittleisinthecoded,explicit,transmittedpartofthemessage.High-contextculturestendtobemoreawareoftheirsurroundingsandtheirenvironmentanddonotrelyonverbalcommunicationastheirmaininformationchannel.Inhigh-contextcultures,somuchinformationisavailableintheenvironmentthatitisunnecessarytoverbalizeeverything.Forinstance,youisaguestatyourChinesefriend'home,whenyoufinishlunch,yourfriendmayaskyou“吃饱了吗”.Thissentenceisnotmerelyaskedwhetheryouarefull,thepotentialmeaningistoknowwhetheryouaresatisfiedwiththismeal.Westerncountriesarelow-contextculture.Asforwesternpeople,theverbalmessagecontainsmostoftheinformationandverylittleisembeddedinthecontextortheparticipants.WesterncommunicationisjustoppositefromtheChina.Membersoflow-contextcultureexpectmessagetobedetailed,clear-cut,anddefinite.Iftherearenotenoughdata,orifthepointbeingmadeisnotapparent,membersofthecultureswillaskveryblunt,evencurt,questions.Theyfeeluncomfortablewiththevaguenessandambiguityoftenassociatedwithlimiteddata.Low-contextpeoplerelyprimarilyonverbalmessageforinformation,andtheydon'tbelievethatsilenceoftensendsabettermessagethanwords.Unlesspeoplefromdifferentculturesareawareofthesesubtledifferences,misunderstandingsbetweenlowandhigh-contextcommunicatorscanresult.Chinesepeoplecommunicatebynotstatingthingsdirectly,whilewesternpeopleusuallydotheopposite一“speakitout”.Thelatterplacesemphasesonsendingandreceivingaccuratemessagedirectly,usuallybybeingarticulatewithwords.

AnotherelementthatcanreflectthediversitybetweenChinaandtheWesterncountriesisthesocialrelationship.TraditionalChinesevaluesattachedgreatimportancetocollectiveinterests.TheChinesevalueofcollectivismwascultivatedbytheforcefultieofpatriarchalrelationsandthecultureofideologyandinstitutionthatgiveprominencetocentralizationandunity.Theinterestofthesociety,thefamilyandthecountryisputatthemorefrontthanindividual.Individualitygavewaytouniversality.ThevaluesassertingcollectiveinterestfosteredinChinathespiritualtraditionofpatriotismandcollectivism.Inhistory,countlessnationalheroes,atthecrucialmomentofnationaldevelopment,abandonedindividualinterest,evendisregardingtheirownlivesandfamilies,togothroughfireandwaterforcardinalprincipleofnationalinterest.Thespiritembodiesbythemhasbeenadoredgenerationaftergeneration,whichhasfinallybeencondensedandcrystallizedintothespiritualtowerofChinesnation.Asforcollectivists,theythinkthateachpersonispartofgroupandeveniftheindividualbelongstofewgroups,theyfeelstronglyattachedtothegroup.Groupgreatlyinfluencesthebehaviorofmembers.Peopledependoneachotherbutshouldnotburdenin-groupmembersunnecessarily.Besides,thecollectivistsmaintainharmonyandavoidconfrontations,andtheyholdviewsthatequalityismoreimportantthanpersonalfreedom.IntheWesterncountries,theindividualismisvaluedandencouraged.Westernpeoplefromindividualistculturesaremorelikelytoactonprinciplesthatapplytoeveryone,principlesthatareuniversalandapplytoassociatesandstrangersalike.Individualistsaremorelikelytotreatpeopletheydonotknowasiftheycanbetrustedandtheywillbehaveaccordingtothesameuniversalprinciples.Individualistsaregenerallyconcernedabouttheprocessesofdecision-makingsuchastheprocessofselectinganemployeeforajoborapromotion.IndividualsinWesternculturesmakecareerchoicesonbasicofpersonalneedsandgoals.Forexample,ifajoboffersinsufficientadvancement,orthetasksbecomeboring,ortheconflictariseswithasuperior,anambitiousindividuallikelymovetoanotherjob.Whentheemployerwantsmoreovertimefromanemployeebuttheemployeeprefersajobthatdoesnotrequireovertime,theemployeemaychangeemployers.Individualisattitudesandbehaviorsaredifferentfromthecollectivists.Theythinkeachpersonisseparatefromothersandidentityisbasedintheindividualandtheindividualbelongstomanygroupsbuthisattachmenttothemisrelativelyweak.Grouphaslittlerelativelyinfluenceonthebehaviorofgroupmembers.Intheirminds,itisapleasuretodoasmuchbyyourselfaspossible.Inaddition,theycouldspeakouttheirmindsandtellthetruthdirectly.Andthatistheresultthattheythinkpersonalfreedomismoreimportantthanequality.Theindividualist-collectivistprioritiesmeanculturesinterpretwhatobligationmeansdifferently.Everyonehashadanexperienceinwhichsomeonecometotherescueandofferedhelpjustwhenitwasneeded.Butobligationhasrules,determinedbydifferentculturalpriorities,andthatcancauseproblemininterculturalencounters.Infact,inmostculturesoftheworldsignificantrelationshipinvolvewebsofobligation.Relationshipsoftwoormoreindividuals—orgroups—canlastfordecadesandevengenerations.InChina,America,BritishandotherWesterncountries,afirstactthatplacessomeone'sfamilyunderobligationleadstoareciprocalact,andtheobligationresponsibilitiesarepasseddowntosucceedinggenerations.Theobligationsaretheresponsibilityofeveryoneinthegroup,notonlytheindividualwhofirstbecameresponse.

Peoplelearntothink,feel,believeandactbecauseofthemessagesthathavebeencommunicatedbythem,andthosemessagesallbearthestampofculture.Weare