中美文化比较论文

The Course Paper for Sino-American Culture Contrast 姓名：沈萌 学号：20122824 专业班级:机自实验3班 班号: 651

The development of Chinese Identity: a Perspective of

Sino-American Cultural Comparison

1. background

Since McLuhan characterized today’s world as a "global village", people have noticed the frequent communication between cultures, western culture rushes into china while Chinese culture strikes the world too. In the process, Chinese and western culture boomed in this culture collision, and arose the attention of the world. We have to admit that Chinese nation is a group of people of good learning skills, we are good at absorbing cream of other people or nations’ culture which can make us better improved and grown. During these years, plenty of things in American style rushed into our land, American culture influenced us in every moment. So inevitably, Chinese identity changed and improved in this trend.

Since Chinese identity has changed a lot, we will find the detailed changed identity below.

2. My opinion

Firstly, we have to list “personal self concept” in the first stage. We all know that china is a typical Collectivism nation, but now we are becoming more and more individualist. Secondly, we used to be more nostalgic and less concerned about the future, however, we are getting more and more concerned about the current moment and the future rather than the past time in the perspective of “time concept”. Lastly, our self status in society depended on age or family, but now it is changing to be more relied on self-achievement including education and success in career in the perspective of “status”.

3. Arguments

3.1 personal self concept

In the perspective of “personal self concept”– Chinese looks more at the group collective than at individualism. America has become known for its push of

individualism which has been a source of conflict with other cultures that look collectively. A person from China is more prone to look at how their acts affect the whole instead of how it affects them personally. They are more willing to give up and sacrifice for the greater good. America’s individualism has been its backbone and the reason for its success as a world power. So when these two opposite culture boomed. Chinese began to obtain the cream from American individualism. American people may pay more attention to his own interests and future, they are more realistic and pragmatic. Comparing with them, we are more selfless and loyal to nation’s goal and struggling for the great rejuvenation of Chinese nation. Now, more and more Chinese people have tasted the sweetness of pragmatic and acting like this way.

3.2 Time concept

In the perspective of “time concept”, Crossing cultures for business can be frustrating when it interferes with getting the job done. Most Americans are very time sensitive when it comes to meetings and deadlines. If the meeting was to commence at 2:00, then all parties are to be present at that time. The Chinese do not view time as an absolute but more as a suggestion. Concern is not expressed for a meeting starting late or ending at a different time. The same can be applied to deadlines. If a report is due on Friday, an American would be waiting for that report to be received before end of business day. The Chinese would not worry if it showed up several days later. The reason why Chinese people prefer to focusing on the past is we believe we can learn a lesson from the past and guide us performing the right thing in the future. There is a Chinese proverb: "consider the past, and you shall know the future." However, American are more concerned about the future, they are more foresight and sagacity. We Chinese can learn a lot from it and complish things more outstandingly.

3.3 Status

In the perspective of “status”, Reputation of the individual is very important in China. If an action will humiliate someone or ruin a reputation, it is avoided. When shame occurs, the person sacrifices their job or whatever it is that will heal the shame. In America, reputations come and go overnight and in the end usually does not matter. The end result is more of the focus. A person is more likely to overlook a reputation to get the job done.

The Chinese society is becoming opening instead of blocking out the achieved factors are much more significant than the ascribed but some boundaries of classes need to be opened , such as Hukou system ,etc. In the factors of the achieved , educational ca

pital is becoming more important.the attainment of social status for sons and daughters are all affected by their families class origin instead of only sons.

4. Conclution

In brief, Chinese identity is in a certain condition of gradually improving. We have to realize that Chinese nation has a lot of traditional character worth treasuring, meanwhile, we can’t hold our indigenous character tightly rather than learning merits from other nations. If we do so, the history may repeat itself like the Qing Dynasty. Just because of our empire standing still and refusing to make progress, our past prosperous, rich and strong country had gone and had been caught up by those backward weak nations and had been rode roughshod over and gone through those tough years. Now we are never the old Chinese again, we know the importance of learning all information and get the merits from it. Meanwhile, Chinese are nostalgic, so it may be a little hard for us to abandon traditional Chinese character. So, a Chinese people combined with these two nation’s character may be more capable of getting things done or getting along with people around us. That’s the 21 century’s Chinese people.

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