从情景喜剧看中美文化差异-以《家有儿女》和《摩登家庭》为例

（题目：AComparativeStudyofCulturalDifferencesinChineseandAmericanSitcoms--TakingHomewithKidsandModernFamilyasexamples从情景喜剧看中美文化差异—以《家有儿女》和《摩登家庭》为例AComparativeStudyofCulturalDifferencesinChineseandAmericanSitcoms--TakeHomewithKidsandModernFamilyasexamplesⅠ.IntroductionBriefintroductiontoHomewithKidsandModernFamilySituationcomedy(sitcom)specificallyreferstotelevisionsitcom,aremakeofaradiositcomwhichfirstappearedintheUnitedStates.Inthe1930s,withthepopularityoftelevision,radioasthemainresourceoffamilyentertainmentwasreplacedbyit.Whenconsideringandexploringthewaysandcontentsoftelevisionprogrammingtoengageaudience,someTVprogrammanagerstargetedbroadcastsitcomswhichwerefavoredbybothaudienceandadvertisers.Soonthefirsttelevisionsitcom,TheGoldbergswasbornandmadeagreatsuccessin1951(WuDi,1).Later,thetrendofadoptingbroadcastprogramstoTVsitcomsswepttheUnitedStates,whichcreatedanewformoftelevisionartandstartedthehistoryofTVsitcoms.Today,sitcomshavebecomeoneofthethreemajortypesofTVdramas,competingwithsoapoperasandmelodramas.WhenitcomestoChinesesitcom,ithasgrownfromemergencetoprosperitysincetheriseofsitcomsinChinaintheearly1990s.Nowadays,ithasbecomeanimportantpartofChinesemainstreamTVdramaandbeenfavoredbyanincreasingnumberofChinesepeople.Sitcomsarecreatedwithseveralfeatures.First,thesceneissettobefixed,andtheplotislimitedtoafewfixedscenes;Second,thecharactersarefixed.Althoughvariouskindsofpeoplecanbeinterwoven,themaincharactersarebasicallydetermined;Third,thecomedyformisfixed.Whetheritaimstomakepeoplethinkormakethemmovetotears,thehumorouscomedynatureremainsthebasicandthemain.(WuDi,2)Whatismore,thecontentofsitcomsusuallystemfrompeople’srealdailylife,reflectingthecurrentsocialandculturalphenomenon.ThisthesistakestwoclassicandpopularChineseandAmericansitcoms,HomewithKids(season1)andModernFamily(season1)asexamplestocontrastthedifferencesofChineseandAmericanculture.Thefollowingisthebriefintroductiontothem.HomewithKids(season1)wasfilmedin2004andpremieredonBeijingTVStationofChinain2005andbecameapopularfamilysitcomamongChineseaudiencesatthattime.ItpresentsastoryofarebuiltChinesefamilyinahumorousway.XiaDonghaioncegoestoAmericaforaccompanyinghisex-wifewhoplansonworkingthereforseveralyears.Afterdivorcing,hecomesbacktoChinawithhisseven-year-oldson,XiaYutoreunitewithhisdaughterXiaXuewholivesinChinawithhergrandfather.Later,hegetsmarriedwithLiuMei,aheadnursewhoalsohasdivorcedandliveswithherson.Allthestorieshappeninsuchaspecialfamily.BoththefatherXiaDonghaiandthemotherLiuMeiarecaringandkind.Theycareabouttheirchildren’sgrowthandhopetoraisehappyandsuccessfulchildrenwiththeirloveandwisdom.Meanwhile,althoughtheirbloodtieandagearedifferent,thethreechildrengetalongwellwitheachother.Thissitcomreflectstheconflictsandproblemsbetweenparentsandchildrenandhowtheylearntounderstandandtolerateeachothertosolvetheseproblems.Likefamiliesinreallife,itisinevitabletohaveconflictsbetweenfamilymembers,butfamilylovemakesthemrealizethatharmonyisthebiggesthappinessofthewholefamily,whichisalsoseenasoneofthecoreideologiesofChineseculture.Meanwhile,itreflectstherealsocialsituationofChinaintheearly21thcentury.Forexample,afamilywiththreechildrencanhardlyexistinChinaatthattimeduetoone-childpolicy.However,onlyafamilywithmultiplememberscanbringoutmoresparksandcontradictionsamongthecharactersandpresenttherealfamilyconflictsandcontradictionsinadramaticwaytothegreatestextent.Thus,arebuiltfamilybecomestheoriginalsetting.Moreover,manyoftheconflictsintheplayareactuallyepitomesofChinesefamily’sdailylife.Forexample,LiuMeiandXiaDonghai'seducationoftheirnaughtyson,LiuXing,isexactlythemodeoflovingfatherandstrictmotherthatmanyfamilieswouldhavethenandevennow.ModernFamily,anAmericansitcomnarratedandfilmedintheformofmockumentary,premieredonSeptember23,2009onABC,andhaswonfiveconsecutiveEmmyAwardsforoutstandingcomedyseries.ModernFamily(season1)tellsastoryaboutthreedifferentAmericanfamiliesandtheirdailylife.Thefamiliesare:anordinaryparentsandtheirthreechildren,agaycouplewiththeiradopteddaughterfromVietnamanda62-year-oldmanandhissecondwife,ahotColombianexoticbeauty,andher11-year-oldson.Andthemostamazingthingisthattheyareactuallyonebigfamily.Thesethreefamiliesallhavetheirowntroublestofaceandsolve,whichstemfromeithermisunderstandinganddistrustbetweenparentsandchildrenorthecrashofdifferentcultureandbelief.However,familymemberslearntocomprehendandtolerateeachotherandstaytogethertosolveproblemsgraduallythroughconstantcommunicationshearttoheart.ThissitcomalsopresentsthesituationofAmericanfamiliesintheearly21stcentury,withmultiplefamilymodes,culturesandconflicts.ThenhowtosolvethesecontradictionshasbecomeoneofthemostimportanttasksforAmericanpeople,whichalsostrengthenstheinclusivenessandopennessofAmericanculture.Thesetwositcomsaresimilarinmanyways.Firstofall,theyarebothfamilysitcoms,withfamilymembersasthemaincharacters,familyenvironmentasthemainscenesandfamilyconflictsasthemainplots.Besides,theybothreflecttheconflictsbetweenfamilymembersandtheprocessofconflictresolution,thusconveyingthethemeoffamilyharmony.Whiletherearemanysimilaritiesbetweenthetwoshows,theyalsoreflecthugedifferences.Thisthesiswillfocusonthesedifferencesandculturalrootsbehindthemtoanalyze.LiteraturereviewFirst,afewabroadstudiesonsitcomsaredoneinrecentyears.Manyofthestudiesfocusonthehumorinsitcoms.Forexample,MarianneEve(2018)studiestheassociationbetweenimpolitenessandtheexpressionofhumorinseveralEnglish-Irishsitcoms.Shegetstheconclusionthatimpolitenessisubiquitousinsitcomsandimpolitenessthreateningfreedomandpersonalcharacteristicsispreferredbypeople.JeanSébastien(2018)holdstheviewthatthehumorstemfromthedelicatecombinationofgenderandraceinMohawkGirls.Shethinksthissitcomshowstheissuesofgenderandrace,whichcanprovideborrowingsconducivetostopthewhitesociety'srelentlessoppressiononFirstNations.Alharthi(2016)studiesthehumorandstrategyoftheAmericansitcomSeinfeldfromtheviewofsubtitle,whichhasenrichedthestudyonsubtitleintheArabworld.ThestudyanalyzesthesubtitlestrategythatArabtranslatorsuseassolutionstothelinguisticandculturalchallengeswhentranslatingthehumorinthesitcomSeinfeld.Besidesthese,afewstudiesonsitcomsaredonefromotherperspectives.Forexample,JackSimmonsandLeighE.Rich(2013)doananalysisofgenderrelationsandfemaleimagesfromtheperspectiveoffeminism.Theythinksitcomshavenotchangedconventionalnarrativemodethatpresentingundertheviewofmalecharacters,althoughtoday’sfemalecharactersaremodifiedtokeeppacewithchangingsocialnorms.Kadiri(2017)conductsacorpus-basedidentityconstructionresearchontheBBCsitcomCitizenKhan.ThestudyfindsthatthereisarelationshipbetweenPakistaniandtheirfamilyidentity.Also,Pakistanicultureeffectsthedynamicswithinhouseholds..MagdalénaBiláandAlenaKačmárová(2014)analyzethepositionofthetonicstressandinterpretthespeaker'scommunicativeintentioninthesitcomFriends.Theyfindthegenreofthepresettextdoesnotnecessarilyinfluencethemererealizationofsoundandpragmaticreading.Meanwhile,manyscholarsathomehavemadesubstantialresearchonsitcoms.Theirstudiescanbecategorizedfromthefollowingthreeaspectsintermsofthecontent.First,studyisdoneonthehumorofsitcoms.RuYuan(2016)makesacomparisononthehumorofChineseandAmericansitcomsfromtheperspectiveofAmericanEnglishhumorandChinesedialecthumor,AmericanracialhumorandChineseregionalhumor.TakingthesitcomFriendsasanexample,HuangJiao(2014)studiesthelackofhumorcausedbyuntranslatabilityfromacognitiveview.ShediscussesthefactorsofuntranslatabilityofEnglishhumorfromaspectsoflanguageandculturerespectivelyandtriestoputforwardsomecompensationstrategiestoreducethelackofhumor.GuFeirong,LuJunwenandMeiJingxue(2017)interpretthehumorinAmericansitcomsfromacross-culturalperspective.TheyinterpretthehumorphenomenonthatisdifficultforChinesepeopletounderstandinAmericansitcoms,helpreadersunderstandtherelevantculturalknowledgebehindit,andtrytoeliminatethecross-culturalunderstandingbarriersinAmericanhumor.Second,studiesaredoneondiscourseofsitcoms.TakingHomewithKidsasanexample,CenLu(2016)conductsacomparativestudyonrequestspeechactofChineseandAmericanfamilymembers.Undertheguidingofrequestspeechacttheory,thestudyanalyzeshowrequestspeechactsofChineseandAmericanfamilymembersresembleanddifferfromeachother.Shealsoexploresthecausesfromtheviewoflanguage,socialandculture.ZhouFangyu(2018)studiestheconflictdiscourseofHomewithKidsfromtheperspectiveoflinguisticadaptationtheory.ThestudyfindsthatChinesepeopletalktoothersinamoreindirectwayandtendtoavoidconflictswhileAmericanpeoplestressindependencesothatconflictsareeasiertobetriggered.LiuLiqunandLiuLihua(2016)interpretthediscourseofthesitcomLoveApartmentfromtheperspectiveofmassculture.Thestudygetstheconclusionthatsitcomsuserelaxedandappropriatestandardsintheintegrationofvirtualandrealitytoshapethepostmodernsubjectofmassculture,showingthefast-pacedlifestyleandsuperficialaesthetictasteofpostmodernsubject.Last,studiesaredoneontheculturereflectedinsitcoms.YuBaoru(2017)makesacomparativestudyofthesitcomsFriendsandMyOwnSwordsmantofindthedifferencesofChineseandAmericansitcomsfromtheperspectiveofsocialandculturalvalues.ShethinkstherearecleardifferencesbetweenChinesecultureandAmericancultureintermsoftheattitudestowardslove,moneyandpersonalindependence.Andithasprofoundpracticalsignificanceforthecross-culturalcommunicationbetweenChinaandtheUnitedStatestoanalyzethesedifferences.TakingHomewithKidsandModernFamilyasexamples,LiangXia(2017)analyzesthedifferencesbetweenChineseandAmericanfamily’sviewsoneducationofchildren.SheholdstheviewthatsomeproblemsareexistinginChinesefamilyeducationandsomeoftheAmericanfamilyeducationcanprovidelessonsforChineseparents.HuangHongye(2016)takesseveralclassicAmericansitcomslikeFriendsasexamplestoanalyzethecommunicationframeworkofculturalvaluesofAmericansitcoms.HealsogivessuggestionforChineseyoungstersontheirattitudestowardstheseAmericanvalues.Theseformerstudieshavemadegreatprogressandachievements.Firstofall,theyhaveundergoneadevelopmentfromsingletodiverse,macroscopictomicrocosmicandtheorytoapplicationwithincreasinglyabundantresearchperspective.Scholarsbegintostudysitcomsfromtheviewsoffeminism,cross-culturalcommunication,socialandculturalvalues,sociallinguistics,masscultureandsoon.Whatismore,intermsofresearchcontents,thestudieshaveextendedfromtheanalysisofhumorinsitcomstotheexplorationofgenderrelationshipsandfemaleimages,researchesonthediscourseofsitcoms,thecontrastofChineseandAmericanculturereflectedinsitcomsandsoon.StudiesonChinesesitcomshavealsodevelopedalotinrecentyears.Thus,constantprogresshasbeenmadeinthestudiesonChineseandEnglishsitcomsbothinresearchperspectiveandcontent.However,theseformerstudiesalsohavesomeshortages.First,theresearchmethodissingle.Almostalltheresearchisbasedonsomespecificsitcomsorthewholesitcomfamily.Althoughsitcomsaretheresearchobjectsandusuallyresemblerealdailylife,theycannotcompletelypresentreallifesituations.Thus,whenscholarsstudythediscourseorbehavior,theoutputislimited.Besides,thereisunbalanceinresearchcontentofstudiesonChineseandAmericansitcoms.Itcanbefoundthatthesestudiesmainlyfocusonthehumorinsitcomsfrommanydifferentaspectswhilefewondiscourseinterpretationandculture.Asfarasforeignstudiesareconcerned,littleattentionhasbeenpaidtothecultureembodiedinsitcoms,letalonethecomparisonbetweenChineseandAmericancultures.Whatismore,althoughsomedomesticscholarshaveconcentratedoncultureinsitcomsandanalyzedthedifferencesbetweenChineseandAmericanculturesthroughcontrastingChineseandAmericansitcoms,thesestudiesarevagueandgeneral.Mostofthemhavenotexploredculturalcausesofthesedifferencessystematically.Thus,somesuggestionsandsolutionscanbeprovided.First,moreeffectivestudymethodsshouldbeusedtobreakthelimitsoftheexistingmethods.Forexample,whenscholarsstudysomespecificspeechactorpeople’sbehavioratsomespecificsituation,realintervieworquestionnairesurveycanbeusedtodeepentheresearch.Besides,moreconcreteandsystematicstudiesshouldbedoneontheaspectofcultureinsitcomssincetoday’sworldisincreasinglyameltingpotofcultures,whichasksandurgespeopletoattachhighattentiontodifferentcultures.Lastbutnotleast,moreaspectsandpointsshouldbeconcernedinfuturestudiesonculturesreflectedinsitcoms.PurposeandmethodThesetwositcomsbearsimilarityanddifferencesinmanyaspects.Theyarebothaboutfamilylifeandthegrowthofkids.However,somevaluesreflectedonthesetwositcomsareentirelydifferent,likevaluesonchildren’seducation,whichcanbewellusedasmaterialstocontrastChineseandAmericancultures.Thus,thisthesisismeanttocontrastthesetwoworkstoanalyzethedifferencesbetweenChineseandAmericanculture.Asglobalizationcontinuesdeepeningcurrently,cross-culturalcommunicationandunderstandingbearspecialsignificance.Asapopularculturalgenre,sitcomsathomeandabroadcandirectlyreflectthedifferencesbetweenChineseandAmericancultures.TheresearchontheculturaldifferencesshownbysitcomsisfirstlyconducivetothebetterunderstandingoftheAmericanculturesandcanhelppeoplehavearightattitudetowardsthenatureandcharacteristicsofdifferentcultures.Consequentlyculturaldiversityandinclusivenesswillbepromoted.Secondly,itcanleadustoabetterconfidenceinourowncultureandarationalviewofChinesecultureandAmericanculture.Finally,itcanalsopromotecross-culturalcommunicationinpeople'sdailylife,suchasinternationalcooperationinworkandsoon.EspeciallyforChineseandEnglishlanguagelearners,theunderstandingofthecultureofdifferentcountriesplaysanimportantroleinlanguagelearning.Thus,thisthesisfocusesonChineseandAmericansitcomsinaviewofcultureandismeanttoanalyzetheseculturaldifferencesinthepointofcharacters.Charactersinsitcomsareactuallyproductsoftheculturetheyrepresent,sotheycanreflecttheculturebehindthemtothegreatestextent.Whattheysay,whattheydo,whatkindofviewstheyholdorwhattheychoosearethebestreflectionoftheculture.Thus,fromthesettings,utterance,behaviors,personalitiesofthecharacters,theirwaytogetalonewithothersandsoon,twodifferentkindsofculturecanbefullyandsystematicallycontrasted.Meanwhile,theanalysisofplotsandcomedyelementswillalsobeconcludedsincetheyarepartsofcharacterization.II.AcomparativestudyofdifferencesinthesetwositcomsChinesefamilyeducationv.s.AmericanfamilyeducationInChineseandAmericanculture,peopleholddifferentviewsonfamilyeducation,whichcanbeseeninLiuMeiandClaire.AsatypicalChinesemother,LiuMeitakescareofthehouse.Besidesworking,shedoesthehouseworkeverydayandconcernsaboutthegrowthofherchildreninherway.Claireisafull-timehousewifeaftershegaveupthejobforherfamily.Althoughtheyhavemanythingsincommon,theirphilosophyforchildren’seducationandgrowtharedistinct.LiuMeiholdstheviewthatagoodchildshoulddowellinschoolanddowhattheyaretoldbyparentsandteachers.InHomewithKids,LiuMeadoresXiaXueverymuchandalwaysshowsofftoherneighborsthatXiaXueisthetoponestudentintheschool.Inherview,XiaXueisatypicalgoodgirlsinceshepaysmuchattentiontoherstudyandcanalwaysdowellinschool.WhenXiaXuegetsgoodgradesinexams,LiuMeiusuallygiveshermaterialrewardslikeMP3(episode23),whichindicatesthatgettinggoodgradesinschoolisaqualitydeservingbeingrewardedinhereyes.However,hersonLiuXingisanaughtyboywhoalmosttakesfailingexamsasamatterofroutine.SoLiuMeialwaysasksLiuXingtoconcentrateonhisstudylikesaying“gobacktoyouroomanddothehomework”(episode33,00:17:40)inacommandingtonewhenLiuXingisplayinggames.Besides,becauseofthebadacademicperformanceofLiuXing,LiuMeidoesnottrusthimsothatsheattributesLiuXing’sgoodgradesinoneofhishistoryexamtohischeatinginthetest(episode26).Whatismore,sheexpectsXiaYutobeaversatileboyandnottoloseatthestartingline.Thus,shesendsXiaYutovariousextracurricularclassestolearnviolin,paintinganddancingwhichXiaYuisextremelyunwillingtotakeduringhissummerholidays(episode60).Onthecontrary,Clairereckonsthatagoodchilddoesnotmeanhighgrades,buttobehappyandoutgoingandgetalongwellwithothers.HeryoungerdaughterAlexisanintelligentgirlwhoalwaysgetexcellentgradesinschool,butClaireworriesaboutheralotbecauseAlexdoesnotdowellinsocialization.Alexhateswearingdressandtakingpartinpartiestoplaywithherpeers.Athome,shecannotgetalongwellwithhersisterandbrother,either.WhenitcomestoAlex’sexcellentacademicperformance,ClairereckonsthatshespendstoomuchtimeandenergyonstudyandshehopesAlexcanpaymoreattentiontootheraspectsoflife,notjusttostudy.DifferentfromAlex,Claire’seldestdaughterHaleydoesreallybadinschool.ButHaleyisaconfidentandoutgoingbeautifulgirl.Shelikessocializingandcangetalongwellwithothers.Thus,evenshehaspooracademicperformance,Claireneverworriesaboutit.Meanwhile,whenitcomestoherlittlesonwhobehavesabnormallysometimes,Clairesays,“OfcourseIwantLuketobesuccessfulbutIdon’tthinkaparentcanjustforcethat.Ithinkyoujusthavetohavefaiththatthekidsgonnafindhisownway”(episode7,00:06:44).ThisdistinctionactuallyshowsthedifferentfamilyeducationphilosophiesofChineseandAmericancultures.InChineseculture,academicperformancebearsgreatsignificanceinchildren’sdevelopmentandsomeChineseparentseventakegradesastheonlystandardtovaluetheabilityanddevelopmentoftheirchildren.Andtheyhopetheirkidswillgrowupinthewaytheylikeandexpect.However,inAmericanculture,whatparentsvaluemorearetheirchildren’sinterpersonalcommunicationability,practicalabilityandfreeandcompletepersonality(LiangXia,243).Theytrusttheirkidsandrespectthechoiceoftheirkids.Insteadofcommanding,theyworshipcommunicationwithkidsinafriendlyandequalway.Traditionalpatriarchalrolev.s.freepersonalchoiceInChineseandAmericanculture,people’sattitudetowardstraditionalpatriarchalroleandfreepersonalchoicearedistinct,whichcanbeseeninthethreechildren’sgrandmotherandgrandfatherinHomewithKids,andJayandhisex-wifeinModernFamily.Theyalllovetheirfamiliesbuttheirviewsonpatriarchalrolesandpersonalchoicearedifferent.ThegrandparentsinHomewithKidsaretypicaltraditionalChineseelderswhospoiltheirgrandchildrenandobeytherulestoberespectableonesofseniority.Thegrandfatherandthegrandmotherarenotacouple,foroneisLiuMei’sfather-in-lawandtheotherisXiaDonghai’smother-in-law.Thegrandmotherspoilsthethreekidsalot.Everytimetheyarecondemnedbyparentsaftermakingtrouble,thegrandmotherwouldprotectthemandasktheirparentstoforgivetheminvirtueofherseniority.Forexample,inepisode18,thekidsbreakthecapofthevaluableporcelainwhichXiaDonghaihasboughtasabirthdaygiftforthegrandmother.Whenhefindsit,hegetssoangrythathedeterminestopunishthekids.Inordertostophim,thegrandmothersmashesthewholeporcelainintopiecesandaskshimtoforgivethekidsevensheextremelycherishesit.Whenitcomestothegrandfather,heownsthebiggestpatriarchalauthorityastheoldestmaleinthewholefamily.Helivesbyastrictmoralcodeandisalsoverystrictwithhisgrandchildren.Inepisode31,thegrandfathercomestotakecareofthekidssinceLiuMeiandXiaDonghaiarebothonabusinesstrip.Heturnsthedailylifeofthekidsintomilitarytrainingandenforcesthemtoobeyhim.InModernFamily,Jayandhisex-wifeoftendosomeunusualthingswhicharenotappropriatefortheiragebutaretheirpersonalchoices.Jayisa62-year-oldwealthybusinessmanandmarriesahotbeautifulwomanwhocanevenbehisdaughtergivingherageafterhisdivorcewithhisex-wife.DifferentfromthegrandfatherinHomewithKids,Jaylovesenjoyinglife,suchasspendingmuchtimeonvocation,sportsandentertainment.Sometimesheischildishlikeakid.Heoftenbickerswithhisson-in-law,Phil,andevenhitsPhilbythetoyplanedeliberatelywhentheyareplayingit(episode3).Andmanyofhisconductsbecomelaughingpointsinthesitcom.Forexample,heteacheshisstepsonMannyhowtowooagirlwithconfidence,buthislessondoesnotworkoutatall(episode1).Duringhisbirthdayvacation,heisoncestuckinahammockbecauseofhisoldbody(episode23).Allofthesepresentafreeandcuteoldmanof60thage.Jay’sex-wifeisnotahousewife.Shelivesherownlifeandcontinuespursuingherlove,notcaringmuchaboutherchildren.WhensheknowsJayisgoingtomarryGloria,shecomestotheirceremony,gettingdrunkandruiningitinagrossway(episode3).Later,shewantstoapologizetoGloriaandJay.ButshefightswithGloriaagainandtheytwomakepeaceimmediately,whichistotallyridiculousgivingherage.Butshechoosestolivethiswayandherchoiceisrespectedbyherchildren.Thisdistinctionofthesecharactersindicatesthedifferentviewsonpatriarchalrolesandpersonalchoice.InChineseculture,peoplethinktheirbehaviorsshouldbeappropriatefortheirage.Foroldpeople,itisthemoralcodetobehonorableandrespectable.Theycareaboutfamilyandchildren,givingprioritytothebenefitsofthewholefamilynotthemselveswhenmakingdecisions.However,inAmericanculture,people’sagedoesnotconstricttheirconducts.Theyconcernabouttheirrighttochooselivingtheirideallifewithfreedom.Evenbeingold,theydonotregardfamilyasthetopimportantthingbutstillpursuewhattheylike.Forthem,theirownfeelingsandbenefitsarethekeyswhenmakingdecisions.III.CulturalcausesforthesedifferencesChinesevaluesinfluencedbyConfucianismChinesevaluesaregreatlyinfluencedbyConfucianism.Asaculturalmainstreamideology,philosophyandreligioussystemthatoriginatedinChinaandspreadtoothersurroundingeastAsiancountriesinancienttime,itwasfoundedbyConfucius(551B.C.-479B.C.),agreatthinkerandeducationistinlateSpringandAutumnPeriod.Withbenevolence,forgiveness,sincerityandfilialpietyasthecorevalues,Confucianismemphasizesthemoralcultivationofpeople,attachesimportancetofamilyethicsandadvocateseducation(LuYouzhi,24-26).AstheessenceandcoreofChinesetraditionalculture,Confucianismhasaprofoundimpactintoday’sChinesevalues.First,filialpietyworshipedbyConfucianismhasaffectedChinesefamilyrelationships.AccordingtoConfucianism,beingfilialtoparentsistosupport,respectandlovethem(ZhangJian,76).Butthiskindofrespectalsomeansobediencetosomeextent.Chineseparentsseeobedienceofchildrenasapartoffilialdutytodayandutilizeitasamoralconstrainttoimposetheirownideasonchildren.Ontheotherhand,theThreeCardinalGuides(rulerguidessubject,fatherguidessonandhusbandguideswife)alsointensifytheinequalityofthepowerandstatusbetweenparentsandchildren.AccordingtotheThreeCardinalGuides,childrenaresupposedtoguidedbyparents,whichmeanstheyshouldobeytheirparents.Thus,intermsofeducation,parentsholdfirmlythedecision-makingpowerandplayanleadingrole.ThisiswhymanychildreninChinahavetogotoextra-curricularcoursestheydonotlikebutaskedbyparentstolikeXiaYuinepisode60ofHomewithKids.Confucianethicshavealwayspaidattentiontothedistinctionbetweenseniorityandinferiority,whichistherootcauseofthestronghierarchyinChineseculture(RaoJihong,166).Inaddiction,thisgradingoffamilystatuscanbeevidencedbythewaychildrencalltheirparentsandhonorificwordsusedwhentalkingwithparents.DifferentfromAmerica,childreninChinesefamilynevercalltheirparentsbytheirfirstnamebutalways“mother”and“father”or“mom”and“dad”.Second,thevalueofparticipationinsocietyadvocatedbyConfucianismhasaffectedChineseeducationphilosophy.AsConfucianismencouragespeopleengaginginpoliticsatthattime,theimperialexaminationsystemwasborntobeawayofselectingtalentthroughexaminationforthestateandanapproachtostandoutforindividuals.Ittakesgradesastheonlystandardtovaluetalentandifonegetsfamethroughit,hissocialstatuswouldbehighlylifted,whichmeansgettinghighgradescanleadtoasuccessfullife(ZhangHuijie,13).Althoughgaokao,today’sexam-orientededucationsysteminChin