On the Differences between Chinese and Western Cultures

On the Cultural Differences between China and the West

The word "culture" seems simple, but it is actually a big topic. One explanation in the dictionary is "the sum of wealth created by human beings, especially spiritual wealth, such as literature, art, education, science, etc." Culture is a noun, but its content is extremely rich, including people's thinking, social customs, architecture, diet and so on. Regarding the differences between Chinese and western cultures, we should pay attention to different aspects from different angles and have different views. Although I have lived abroad for many years and have friends from different countries, different nationalities and different skin colors, I dare not say that I have a very accurate view of the differences between Chinese and Western cultures, dare not easily criticize whether Western cultures are ugly, or dare not underestimate whether China culture has many dross.

With the development of globalization, not only the world has begun to understand China, but also China is striving to go global and have more and more exchanges. I believe that more and more people have stepped out of the small world where they once lived and have the opportunity to understand the cultural background of different nationalities and countries. Here, I might as well discuss the advantages and disadvantages of Chinese and western cultures with interested friends from my own small angle, just to learn from each other's strengths and hope that China will be at the forefront of the world.

Because of the wide meaning of culture, it is difficult to summarize the differences between Chinese and western cultures in simple language. But on the whole, it is the difference between abstraction and image in thinking mode. It seems that westerners are more practical in life attitude, while China people pay more attention to some spiritual feelings. Westerners are easygoing and casual, while China people are relatively reserved.

literature and art

I believe most people will agree that Chinese and western literature and art have their own strengths. There is a saying that China literature is implicit and good at realism, while foreign countries are good at writing about the psychological activities of characters. There is another saying that western literature pays attention to the growth of individual mind, while China literature pays attention to groups. If literature has a long history, only ancient Greek literature and ancient Indian literature can be compared with China literature; If the literary tradition continues, the literature of any other country or nation will be inferior to that of China.

In terms of poetry, China's poems of Tang and Song Dynasties are unique in the world, with beautiful rhythm and unique antithesis, which also reflects the unique reserved character of China people. In addition, generally speaking, China's poems are mainly based on comfort, while the West is mainly based on narration.

In painting, the characteristics of western oil painting are that coloring can be modified repeatedly and colors can cover each other. Therefore, the order of using colors in painting is more random; Chinese painting uses different colors, paying attention to going from shallow to deep and leaving blank in advance, meticulous brushwork is rigorous and delicate, paying attention to delicate techniques, and splashing ink and freehand brushwork is relatively flexible.

Wen Zi

Chinese characters are hieroglyphics, and English is said to have originated from hieroglyphics. Twenty-six letters originated from Egyptian hieroglyphics, and later the Phoenicians improved and invented the Phoenician letters. The Greeks reformed the Phoenician alphabet and created the Greek alphabet. The ancient Romans reformed the Greek alphabet and invented the Latin alphabet, and the English alphabet belongs to the Latin alphabet.

In writing, English does have the advantage of convenient and fluent writing, while Chinese is much more complicated and profound. In terms of expression, there are many Chinese meanings that cannot be expressed in English. Of course, some English humor is also difficult to translate into Chinese, probably because cultural differences are a comprehensive way of thinking.

To some extent, China people are used to using hieroglyphics, and they have better memory and thinking ability of images.

education

The western pragmatic education system is superior to China's exam-oriented education system. Western culture emphasizes analysis and independent thinking, while eastern culture emphasizes induction and memory.

In thinking, the characteristic of the west is to complicate simple things, for example, a question will make students put forward their own views from a completely different angle; In terms of management, western culture will simplify some complicated things, such as obeying traffic rules, such as implementing a rule and system. As long as there are rules to follow, it doesn't matter who handles it. Everything is routine, business is business.

In management, China people's thinking complicates simple things, such as a procedure, rules and laws, but often adds the subjective attitude of those in power and executors; In terms of thinking, China culture will also simplify some complicated things, for example, a question is that there is only one standard answer to a question.

In terms of basic intelligence, children in China are often far superior to those in the West, but they are bound by the stereotype of exam-oriented education. After graduating from university or graduate school, their creativity has not been fully exerted, so there is often a problem that what they have learned, memorized and tested in school is useless in practical work. Many people think that the relative backwardness of science in China is related to the educational system determined by the political system.

food culture

Europeans agree that there are three major cuisines in the world, and each version includes China and France, but there are different opinions about the third one, some say it is Italian, others say it is Turkish, Tunisia or Moroccan. Although we are at loggerheads, we all have a common understanding that diet can often reflect the differences in living habits and cultural thinking of different ethnic groups.

Chinese catering is famous for its diversity and emphasis on the production process and methods, while western catering is characterized by simplicity and convenience.

Food culture shows that people in China sometimes pay more attention to form. Therefore, the ostentation and extravagance and time-consuming of China's dinner party have left westerners tongue-tied. In China's cooking, the styles of dishes are ever-changing, and every dish pays great attention to the collocation of color, fragrance and taste. For example, Sichuan cuisine, Cantonese cuisine and Northeast cuisine can all be listed as signature food series, such as Quandeju, Taoyuanju, Yipin Xuan and Imperial Restaurant. Cooking methods include frying, frying, swelling, frying, stewing and steaming, and all kinds of colors, fragrances and sauces are exquisite. Therefore, China's food is world-famous, and no foreigner doesn't like it. Western food, in fact, is similar, simple. Most of them are baked and baked. Besides steak and lamb chops, it's hamburger slices. Although hamburgers are criticized as unhealthy food, they still account for a considerable proportion abroad. Therefore, the collocation of meat, vegetables and bread is really convenient and easy to use, saving time, but the taste is unaccustomed to many people in China, but the simplicity of surface shape is actually of great significance.

In addition, the dining system in western-style catering is also very different from the dining habits of Chinese food. Personally, I think the dining system has more important health significance.

Architectural culture

If the father of architecture is technology and the mother of architecture is aesthetics, then the soul of architecture is ideology and culture.

China's large palace buildings are characterized by the central axis, with ancillary buildings symmetrically placed on both sides. It embodies the order of monarch and ministers and the concept of respecting the elderly in China's political and cultural system, and has the inherent characteristics of stability, moderation, introversion, conservatism and harmony. China's thought of power regime can be found in palace buildings, and China's thought of harmony between man and nature and artistic aesthetic taste can be found in garden buildings.

Western architecture has experienced different historical periods and different styles, which is in sharp contrast with China's architectural style which has been unified by Confucianism for more than two thousand years. The characteristics of western architecture in each development stage are very different (so there are specific nouns to name buildings), and people with a little common sense can distinguish Gothic architecture from Baroque architecture at a glance; However, there are few traces of delayed changes in China's architecture in different historical periods, unless professionals can correctly date an ancient building in China from the details such as the number of arches (aside from other technical means, only from the architectural style).

Generally speaking, another feature of western architecture is its openness, magnificence and unobstructed view. This is in sharp contrast with China's closed, restrained and hidden wall culture.

Spiritual culture

China is a country with a long history, and its spiritual and cultural richness is universally recognized. I ching, a hundred schools of thought contend, etc. They are profound and profound, and have a far-reaching impact on the world. For example, Leibniz, a western scientist, saw the clue of binary from the gossip deduction of Yijing, which inspired him to apply binary to electronic computers and laid a solid foundation for today's computer science and information science. Many western military strategists are devoted to the study of Sun Tzu's art of war.

China culture is characterized by the trinity of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. Confucianism advocates "joining the WTO" and Taoism and Buddhism advocate "being born", which complement each other and shape the unique cultural connotation of China.

The main contributions of Confucianism are the spirit of actively joining the WTO and the spirit of "staying away from ghosts and gods". However, its "hierarchical concept" and its "ethical code" that maintained the unity and stability of the whole feudal society should be eliminated. The idea of "the mean" (impartiality) is not conducive to the competition in modern society, nor to the cultivation of innovative spirit, so we should also take advantage of it and avoid its disadvantages.

The thoughts of Taoism and Buddhism are mainly embodied in "being born". The thoughts of "doing nothing" and "Tao is natural" look at the world from a surreal perspective, not limited to "food, clothing, housing and transportation" in the world, but pursue a super spiritual realm (the natural environment at that time allowed him to think freely). This spirit is embodied in art, that is, the interpretation of the so-called "artistic conception", which has far-reaching significance in both China and the West.

Buddhists (referring to Chinese Zen Buddhism) pay attention to "samsara" and emphasize that "good is rewarded with good, and evil with evil". They believe that there are buddhas everywhere in the world. As long as there are buddhas in their hearts, they can become buddhas without having to live in seclusion. The introduction of this thought has greatly shaped China's cultural psychology, especially the folk cultural psychology. Among intellectuals, it also has a great influence.

Due to the influence and edification of western Hebrew culture, religion plays an indispensable role in historical development. In the middle ages, it once monopolized the whole west, and the power of the church reached the point where it dominated the operation of the country. At the same time, the influence of Greek and Roman culture on the west is also quite far-reaching. After the Renaissance, their functions have been fully exerted, which can be said to have a decisive impact on the development of modern western countries. Among them, "scientific spirit" and "democratic spirit" are their treasures. The research of natural science and social science has developed vigorously, and the country's legal system and human rights awareness have been thoroughly implemented.

Any religious belief based on goodness and righteousness in any country should be respected.

Scientific development

China's other inventions, such as gunpowder, compass, seismograph, papermaking, printing, magnetic pole principle, seismograph, typesetting and printing methods of movable type printing, etc. Some of them were also shown to the world at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.

If China culture shows inward vitality, then the west shows outward expansion vitality. If the object of China's cultural spirit is more "people", then the reason why the West pays more attention to "things" is precisely because it pays attention to things and separates them. "Things" is the research object of "people", unlike China, who is unified with "things" and pays attention to "harmony between man and nature".

Because of the opposition between "people" and "things" in the west, it is based on this spirit that people try to understand objective things and the scientific spirit is gradually born. And China pays attention to the harmony between man and nature, just like brothers, so he will not study with his heart, so there will be no birth of scientific spirit. China's early scientific inventions were only based on practical purposes, and he did not refine what he found into knowledge and do systematic research. This also caused China's original invention to become a tool for others to use and develop.

Western culture has experienced a certain development process of conquering nature, and has realized that it is necessary to protect nature, the environment for human survival. Based on the original intention of looking for objective natural laws, there are various methods to measure and summarize them scientifically. Under the guidance of this method, the unequal political system and the relationship between monarch and minister will lead to doubt and overthrow. As a result, people's self-awareness has been enhanced, and the corresponding social system has also been changed and established.

In contrast, the characteristics of China culture, such as moderation, harmony and ease, tend to form an attitude of "settling for second best" or being content with the status quo. This attitude of China people certainly has its philosophy of life, but it does not question the injustice of the world, insists on theoretical discussion, and connives at the accumulation of social problems to some extent.

Democracy and the rule of law

The "democratic spirit" of western culture emphasizes individual rights and equality, that is, recognizing others, equality among people, reasoning, relying on the majority, and respecting individual basic rights and freedoms.

In fact, China is not without democracy. For example, Mencius put forward that "the people are the most important, the monarch is the least, and the country is the second", "Don't do to others what you don't want them to do to you", "Those who lose people's hearts will win the world", "Those who gain the Tao will help more, and those who lose it will help less" and so on.

Under the influence of "ethical standard", it seems that China's exploration of the rule of law is not enough, but he has made great efforts on the relationship between personnel and human feelings. From this perspective, the person in power is the head of the family, but the scope of this family is relatively large. If we want to make the family and the country exist in an orderly way through the ethical birthright thought, and rely on the warm moral order to ensure a fair social order, it will inevitably produce many disadvantages. With the development of today's society, when everyone can't get paid as needed, a reasonable and perfect legal framework supervision mechanism is still needed to restrain those illegal acts driven by economic interests to protect the basic interests of individuals, otherwise the Sanlu incident will not happen again.

Collective and individual

China culture pays attention to the collective, while western culture pays attention to the basic life rights and freedoms of individuals. So China has a powerful figure, such as Qin Shihuang and Zhu Yuanzhang, such a powerful dictator, who can completely change the face of China.

Although we also advocate seeking common ground while reserving differences, most people are basically used to seeking common ground in differences, which is why once there are one or two discordant voices, they will be attacked by groups. China people emphasize that individuals should obey the collective, integrate into the collective, do not flaunt themselves, and embody the collective will and style everywhere. Focus on the overall situation, and for the benefit of the overall situation, you can sacrifice personal interests and even personal dignity.

Because of its strong sense of community, Eye of the World has a strong influence in China. Some people say that foreigners pay more attention to what they are doing, while China always pays attention to what others are doing.

Westerners advocate keeping their own way of life because they care about themselves.

Attachment to family

Westerners pay more attention to the relationship between marriage and spouse than the relationship between parents and children. China attaches importance to the concept of family, especially the relationship between parents and children.

The report about Gates' retirement reflects the differences between China and the West. European and American media are concerned about the future of Microsoft after Gates leaves office, and donations to Gates are often ignored. Public opinion in China, on the other hand, focused on marveling at the amount of donations raised by Gates, leaving no property for their children, stressing that Gates' behavior highlighted the moral height of entrepreneurs, and some media also did not forget to ridicule the "meanness" of the rich in China.

In the eyes of westerners, they put themselves first and are responsible for their own lives. Children are independent individuals, equal to their parents, and equally responsible for their own lives. Therefore, parents and children are also very polite. "Please" and "Thank you" should be said every time. Adults have their own independent living space.

In the eyes of China people, children are the whole life and sustenance of their parents. Subconsciously, they are regarded as part of their parents' industry. Although family ties are closer than those in the west, contradictions have become complicated accordingly.

Relationship between rich and poor

There is an explanation in economics: the pursuit of wealth by individuals or enterprises is a contribution to society (of course, this refers to wealth legally obtained through the market). Adam Smith said that the process of people's pursuit of maximizing their own welfare is the process of moral establishment. In fact, human beings bid farewell to the jungle society and develop into a welfare society, taking charity as their unshirkable responsibility is not unrelated to moral drive. In the market environment, people pursue wealth and their moral level is gradually improved.

Therefore, in western society, there is a concept that creating wealth by individuals or enterprises is the main guarantee of society. Therefore, it is not surprising that the western media only reported in one sentence that Gates donated all his wealth to the society. They are more concerned about the future prospects of Microsoft, because as long as companies like Microsoft make money, society can be in a virtuous circle of protection and progress. In the media's view, Gates's donation is just the icing on the cake of a virtuous circle system.

In China, because the social welfare construction has not yet taken shape, folk charity is subject to many restrictions. People don't care how much money enterprises or rich people earn, but prefer to see the real thing, so people all exclaim with their own eyes the donation amount of Gates.

At the same time, due to the lack of transparency in tax fiscal expenditure, the poor do not care about the usefulness of tax payment by the rich, and have no respect for the rich who really contribute to society. Even because the society is too flattering to wealth, it will cause more serious grade injustice and produce a plot of hating the rich. This is not conducive to the rich to give back their wealth to society more actively, which becomes a vicious circle.

The concept of life

In the war, westerners always regard life as the first priority and do not make unnecessary resistance and sacrifice. However, if China surrendered and ran away, it would be intolerable.

Chinese and western medicine

Traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine are two incomparable and complementary medical systems, each with its own material basis and epistemological premise. There is no difference between the two, only the difference in indications. Western medicine pays attention to treating symptoms, with the main purpose of quickly relieving symptoms, which has anti-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory, and has fever reduction; Traditional Chinese medicine pays attention to the root cause and self-conditioning, but the speed of relieving exogenous diseases is slow, and it is easy to cause loss to body organs because of its slow effect. Therefore, the combination of Chinese and western medicine has been widely accepted at present, which is the progressive significance of the integration of Chinese and western cultures. It proves that Chinese and western cultures are not irreconcilable contradictions.

Humanistic character

China people are reserved, while westerners are easygoing. Because the west attaches importance to individuals, people are more easygoing, such as calling each other by name, while downplaying status and age. China people emphasize the collective environment, so there are more rules in addressing than in the west.

China people pay attention to subtlety and tact, which further affects China's aesthetic and cultural psychology. For example, in aesthetics, women pay attention to the implicit beauty of "smiling without showing their teeth", while in literature and art, women pay attention to the implicit beauty and emphasize expression rather than reproduction.

Relatively speaking, the west emphasizes the publicity of individuality and the full display of its own charm, including the charm of the body (such as the beauty of the human body shown in Greek mythology and the sculpture art developed later).

Perhaps, we have to admit that China lags behind the West in literature and art, film and television media, economic development, philosophy and history, but this is for political reasons. We should look for the root from the social system and political strategy-whether some people in power have reached an admirable level of responsibility for the future of mankind from their own personality, spiritual realm and cultural level; Whether the quality of the ruling class's understanding of the modern country is good enough, and the political restrictions, repression and imprisonment determined by the closed, conservative and narrow will all affect the development of modern culture.

Discussing the cultural differences between China and the West is not a narrow concern for the high and low. Different nationalities in the world and different cultures of the East and the West are absorbing and developing each other in the process of mutual absorption and infiltration. Western culture absorbs the essence of many eastern cultures, and the same eastern culture also absorbs the essence of many western cultures and extends itself. They have all contributed to the development of world culture, and everyone has different characteristics, so we should not arbitrarily criticize either side.

In the future world, it is difficult to distinguish between eastern culture and western culture. With the development of world globalization, various cultures have merged with each other, and it is difficult to draw a clear line. Just like people in China eat hamburgers and play the Internet, westerners are preaching the spirit of Lei Feng, eating Chinese food and using chopsticks.

We should realize our respective cultural advantages and disadvantages, so as to foster strengths and avoid weaknesses. Instead of blindly worshipping foreign things and obsessing foreign things, you are not arrogant or impetuous. Today's world is open, competitive and cooperative. Since we agree with "people-oriented", as long as it is beneficial to the people, society and country, good management experience and scientific and cultural development are worth learning and learning from.

Perhaps there is a certain distance between our current development and that of developed countries, which does not mean that our cultural foundation and humanistic foundation are insufficient. We need rational new thinking to curb the damage caused by vested interests to society. Accurately speaking, this kind of damage is the result of a considerable number of leaders putting personal interests and face above the interests of the country and the nation, failing to keep up with the progress of human modernization and civilization, failing to have a broad mind of "being kind and caring for others" and refusing to accept the concept of progress. China has profound cultural heritage and needs better management and development. Not some people can achieve their goals by getting rich. In fact, it is more necessary for rational elites to enhance their values of life through self-cultivation, jump out of the comfortable living environment, stand at a higher height and consciously assume more social responsibilities. On the internet, we can already see countless people actively exploring, working silently and making unremitting efforts. More and more people begin to pay attention to the social focus related to their own reality. Then, the imperfect side will be changed one day.

Due to the limitation of personal knowledge, there must be many shortcomings or deficiencies, so we might as well learn from each other and discuss them together.

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Attached below is a short article on the Internet, combining some conversations on the way of Apollo spacecraft flying to the moon in the United States more than 30 years ago and the scene of Shenzhou VII's just successful visit, to make a comparison between Chinese and Western cultures for friends who are more interested in Chinese and Western cultures:

First of all, the dialogue between China astronauts and administrative and military leaders-short and very China-is like a part of a political document (a little boring), and you can immediately feel a kind of "up" and "down" relationship-which completes a traditional etiquette in China.

Cao Gangchuan: You have worked hard! How do you feel now?

Yang Weili: I feel good. Thank you for your concern.

Cao Gangchuan: Now, I'm talking to you from the Beijing Aerospace Command Center. At present, all systems are working normally, the landing site is ready, and the spacecraft will return as planned. Here, on behalf of the CPC Central Committee, the State Council and the Central Military Commission, and on behalf of President Jiang, I would like to extend my sincere greetings to you! I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to you for your great contribution to China's space industry! I hope you will make persistent efforts, operate carefully and complete the scheduled work. The motherland and people are looking forward to your victory.

Yang Weili: Thank you for your concern and encouragement. Please rest assured that I will work hard, do a good job in follow-up and give the motherland and people a satisfactory answer.

The following is a conversation between Apollo and 1969. On one side were three American astronauts, and on the other side was then American President Nixon. The general feeling is that the president and astronauts talk too casually, too much like natural people, and a little indecent (according to China standards)-

Nixon: There is a question that I think everyone would like to ask. We saw that your cabin outside the earth was very bumpy, so I thought, is this the most difficult moment of this trip? Do any of you get seasick?

Armstrong: No, I don't get seasick. Although this is the most difficult moment in our voyage, it is also the most comfortable moment. You can ignore our words.

Nixon: OK, OK, I know you can share our feelings here. Besides, can you know something about this place? Ever heard of the All-Star Game?

Armstrong: Yes, sir. The spokesman of the control center gives us news every day.

Collins: They report to us every day.

Nixon: Do you support the national team or the American team?

Armstrong: I am on the side of the national team.

Aldrin: I'm just, sir.

Mr. Collins: By the way, me too.

Nixon: This is the politician in the group, isn't it?

Armstrong: It's a pity that you missed this activity.

Nixon: Yes, yes-have you heard of it?

Armstrong: We also heard that-

Nixon: It's raining-

Armstrong: It's raining. And we haven't been able to control the weather yet, but we can take it as tomorrow's task.

Nixon: Yes, yes. Then, I just want to make a summary of everything, because I don't want to waste your time. You still have a lot to do. It's amazing. You guys look really energetic. Is your health as good as your appearance?

Armstrong: Oh, we feel great. Mr.president ...

Nixon: Well, let me say one last thing. I think, yes, when you came down, we knew it was a great achievement. The whole process was only eight days, just one week, a long week, but it was the greatest week in world history. Because of what happened this week, the world has become infinitely vast ... for this, we want to thank you. ...