Summary Blog

Children's cartoon bringing Chinese and  American Cultures Together    

Ni Hao! (Hello!) fellow cultural reporters. We have traversed to and from the oriental east, learning tid-bits of information about the culture of the Chinese. Delectable delicacies, common gestures, and the do’s and don’t’s of relationships have all been explained. Regretfully, this reporter’s funds are running out. So, let us recap on everything learned and summarize important concepts.

One of my main tasks was to learn how the educational system in China differed from that of the United States. Here, we spend eight hours a day, five times a week in school. In China, you can expect to spend around ten hours or more a day, five times a week, and sometimes even on weekends. Their school year is also extended by almost a full month. For those of  you that love your summer months to spend hanging out with friends, working on your tan, and relaxing; be fortunate you aren’t Chinese. Summer there is extra time for the student to set himself apart from the other hundreds of thousands seeking to succeed. For a society that is based on rice farming, it is no surprise that the Chinese are some of the hardest workers to ever walk this earth. From the old legends of their past, to their current students slaving away, the Chinese culture is surely something to admire.

One cultural concept I have grown to think about relates to the collectivist idea of “One China.” This concept is an integral part of the Chinese culture, which is played out until this very day. The concept relates to the Chinese people, the Chinese territories, and the Chinese culture. The people are the individuals that make up the body of the Chinese public. They are the farmers, the fighters, the healers and the policy makers. The territories is the lad that sustains the people and provides nourishment, shelter, and purpose. These two together do not satisfy the complete philosophy of “One China,” for what is a group of individuals, that have land, but a dispersed flock?  Chinese culture along with its traditions and practices serves as the shepherd, guiding its flocks of individuals into a unified collectivist society.

A final question I wanted to learn about is what are the reasons behind the mannerisms of Chinese students? Do they act the way they do because of their collectivist society, or is it an adaptive response to observed interactions while studying abroad?  I have learned that their actions go as unnoticed to them, as our day to day choices would go unnoticed by us. For instance, we make no noticeable concious decision when saying hello to a fellow classmate, but the Chinese regard this quick exchange of words as more than a greeting and instead, the beginning of a  chat between friends. Conversely, the Chinese have a habit of linking arms in public, men and women. To us, this signifies more than the outward expression of friendship intended by the Chinese. These examples serve to illustrate that the mannerisms of the Chinese are no differently developed than our own. Through education, upbringing, and experience, each individual in our separate societies develops along the path set forth by our culture.

Composition of communication

There are many concepts that can be applied to my cultural project. Those I intended to cover were:  culture shock, nonverbal communication, code switching and cultural spaces. In summary, culture shock is when you experience physiological and psychological responses from the extreme differences between your culture and the one you are immersed in. Nonverbal communication, is just that, the messages and cues received from and transmitted to an individual without the use of words. Code switching, relates to the ability to switch between languages when the context suits you. Finally, cultural spaces are zones each individual possesses but in varrying maginitudes that allows for researchers to understand key differences between the communication behaviors of individuals.

In order to explore how these concepts apply within a Chinese context, I had to go directly to the source for answers to my questions. Luckily, I have had a few interactions with Chinese students studying abroad and was able to acquire enough information to come up with general conclusions and formulate some hypotheses. The most helpful individuals were Dong Pu Quin, Xiancong Mao, and Yuping Zhang. Dong Pu is a computer engineering student that I met during Calculus I recitation and he has been a friend ever since. Xiancong Mao, is a fellow student pursuing the same major as myself, Biological Systems Engineering. He and I have had many classes together which have allowed for us to become friends and speak freely with each other. Yuping Zhang was the graduate student I worked with for UCARE. Under her instruction, I was able to learn some technical lab procedures and a little bit of the Chinese language. Through questionaires and interpersonal communication, I was able to learn how different communication concepts applies to the experiences of my friends.

Before delving into the specifics of each friend, let’s recap on some information. China is and has almost always been a hierarchial society. There is a  strict and obvious divide between classes and people of status and no status. This setup dates back to the first dynasties of the Chinese people. Because of this long history of dynastic rule, it is easy to see how China can remain a communist country without too much action by the citizen acclimated to the ruling system. Commonly, Chinese women are picture are servile, fragile, and submissive. This bodes well for the white male looking for such a person as a partner. Chinese men are often pictured as fierce fighters or businessmen, which isn’t too far from the truth.

With those little facts, lets see how our communication concepts relate. My Chinese friends all agreed that there was initially a little culture shock when they landed in the United States. Unlike Dong Pu, my friends Mao and Yuping both came from a bigger city. They relayed to me that Lincoln’s culture wasn’t exactly what they were used to, a little more quiet and spacious, but it didn’t take them long to get used to the place. Dong Pu, on the other hand, came from a village and said that his initial reactions were negative because of the isolation he felt from others. Eventually, he realized that people’s distance wasn’t from a dislike of him but a general way of behaving; his feelings these days about living in the United States are all positive.

One positive remark all of them had, was on the importance they perceive American place on nonverbal gestures and body cues. In China, they say that gestures, specically hand gestures, are not so important. However, some gestures like bowing your head, not staring, and saving face of others, is extremely important in their society. The concept of saving face is sometimes hard for Westerners to understand – I myself do not completely comprehend it. Basically, it is a measure of their honor. Chinese men and more influenced by saving face than Chinese women, but both have a high regard for it. Most important, is to always save face of another individual. This shows your respect for that person and the favor will be forever returned. In a way, saving face is an underlying cultural aspect of China that makes sure the Chinese people respect each other and get along. Nonverbal communication in instances where saving face is important, is also important. Visual nonverbal cues may allow for you to indicate to someone your expectations, or how that person may repay your kindness.

One topic I really wanted to learn from my Chinese friends was if they ever spoke a different language with their fellow Chinese friends, if a non-Chinese speaker was in their mix. I have done this many times with my own family, speaking portuguese to my sister or mother while my aunts, uncles, and cousins complain about our code-switching. I was surprised to find out that Chinese generally speak the language that is most common within the group—they are very kind indeed. I am sure there are instances where they speak Chinese to their friends in a public English setting, but this would not be for the sole purpose of others not understanding them. For this reason, their choice of language does not matter. However, some students may interpret their use of their native language as a means to exclude them, or speak of them, without them knowing any better.

The last concept I would like to review is that of cultural spaces. Americans, living in an individualistic society, tend to have tightly defined cultural spaces. There is the public space, social space, personal space and the intimate space. Americans have a large personal space relative to the Chinese. This means that it is expected that others stay at least a foot or so away when communicating with you. Chinese have a small personal space, which is why they are often seen in close proximity to each other when conversing. The reasons behind these differences lead once again to their different cultures. Collectivist societies emphasize the community and how each person is part of a larger whole; which is why being nearer isn’t so bad. Individual societies emphasize personal space and freedom from to do as one pleases; which is why the personal space is large for Americans.

Hopefully this reporter’s summary will help you understand a little better what needs to be considered when interacting with the Chinese. Stay tuned for the final audio/visual compilation.