The person interviewed is Yu Chan. He grew up in Jingchuan County, China. He belongs to the Han Chinese group and speaks mandarin dialects. He came to the United States five years ago while currently aged 21 years and pursuing a career in business administration in the country. Regarding the informant’s mode of life, he together with his parents ensured to attend the Lunar New Year that prevailed from mid-January to mid-February. This serves as the largest festival while they utilize it in honoring their ancestors by eating mustard greens and rice congee with the goal of cleansing their body. They mark the holiday with parades and fireworks while the dancers usually dress as dragons. They also celebrate the Moon Festival with paper lanterns, fireworks, and gazing at the moon. For his family members, they serve as rice farmers in the county while they spend most of their time cultivating the land. The informant’s culture differs from the one of other cultures mostly because of the significant emphasis they direct toward the family. They also tell heroic stories concerning their land, particularly those pertaining to great leaders who have played a significant role in liberating their country from hostile forces wishing to divide it.
On interviewing the informant, the major difference that I encountered between his culture (Chinese culture) and mine (American culture) revolved around one of family values. The informant revealed that China perceives the family as central to all things. According to the Chinese, the family has to do with certain things. For instance, respect and hierarchy prevails among the eldest. Within the family, the father serves as the topmost in the hierarchy, perceived as the president. The grandfather is regarded as the board chairperson. The mother comes next whereas the children come last. When it comes to the Chinese, they follow the Fiel Piety concept, which requires that the elders receive respect, while it is dominant in the family culture of the Chinese. Additionally, part of this is associated with ancestors and lineage in which ancestor worship emerges according to the viewpoint of the West. The Chinese ask their ancestors for assistance whenever the family faces challenges. This type of hierarchy and closeness of the family leads to the adoption of the ‘saving face’ concept, which requires that family members should always ensure to honor the family name. This form of hierarchy also spreads to the family’s village while it grows upwards to comprise of the national government, which serves as the reason as to why most citizens trust it while at the same time revealing the reason as to why Chinese are normally nationalistic. They perceive the government as an elder that deserves respect and as the national leader of the Chinese family. Based on my assessment of the informant’s response and comparing it with the American family system, they differ to a certain extent. For instance, Americans today offer increased value to the individual and independence whereas the family is not as close as it is the case with the Chinese. Americans accord value independence and freedom more as opposed family closeness. Nonetheless, recent trends have revealed certain trends, particularly in the event whereby both the Americans and Chinese are becoming increasingly independent while the value accorded to the family is declining. This situation is more intense in the case of the Americans than the Chinese are.
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An additional issue I discussed with the informant related to one of education. According to the interviewee, the Chinese perceive the teacher within the classroom setting as an authoritative figure whereas the learners are supposed to ensure that they raise their hands when asking questions or wish to say anything. The learners do not have permission to utilize anything else aside from the title of the teacher and probably the last name when addressing the educator. Examinations and tests are normally undertaken most probably to assess the memory of the learner as opposed to the subjective comprehension of a topic or subject. Contrary to the interviewee’s response, when it comes to Americans, their approach to educating seems freer unlike the case of the Chinese one. Certain teachers are found to encourage their learners to address them using their first name or use abbreviations. The American education encourages the students to take part in class freely while they also have the freedom of expressing their thoughts and ideas. Exams and tests target evaluating the subjective understanding of a topic or subject rather than testing memory.
In the area of public relations, the informant revealed that China follows a social structure that emanates inevitably from a strict social hierarchy. Younger individuals cannot address the elder people using their first names while they need to use titles or certain terms when addressing older persons. For the Chinese culture, it revolves around relationships while individuals accord tremendous value to relationships. They ensure to exercise specific caution to maintain the relationships after establishing them. In the event of relationships within the family, children need to make sure that they take care of the needs of their elderly parents. Similar situations prevail in friendly relations whereby individuals expect a return favor when they offer one. The Chinese culture ensured to value all forms of relationships fiercely. However, the American culture does not follow similar public relations patterns as stipulated by the informant. Americans do not follow any strict social hierarchy that requires any form of relationship. Americans accept addressing individuals by their initial names while the trend is anticipated in most instances. Tremendous fluidity prevails between American culture’s relationships, which encourage and relax all interaction forms. When it comes to familial relationships, parents play a key role in upbringing their kids although the society does not require that children care for their parents during old age. Americans value and encourage independence. In the event of friendships, no expectations prevail for returning a favor when offered one. The American culture relaxes the idea of relationships significantly.
Irrespective of the various differences that the informant revealed pertaining to the Chinese and American culture, the two societies also have certain similarities. For instance, the interviewee revealed that the Chinese culture accords tremendous value and appreciation to punctuality. In fact, the respondent revealed that the Chinese perceive punctuality as a plus while all parties are expected to be on time as a show of respect of each other. Since the Chinese lay significant emphasis on the establishment and maintenance of relationships, they perceive respecting each other’s time as major requirement that needs following by the other party. Regarding the American society, I witnessed certain similarities pertaining to the issue of punctuality. Americans fiercely value and demand punctuality in their distinct life areas, whether at school, workplace, and other areas. Individuals need to make sure that they reach their destination prior to or on time, but should not be late. The culture does not tolerate a laid-back attitude when it comes to matters related to time management.
The other area in which the interviewee revealed a similarity between the Chinese and the American culture revolved around the issue of making decisions based on unanimity. In the event of the Chinese, the respondent claimed that decision-making revolved around consensus. It serves as a major aspect that facilitates subtle and indirect communication, which the society encourages. This practice targets avoiding any confrontational incidences and misunderstandings or conflicts attributed to a certain action. The same case applies in the American society, especially in the business sector. Here, most decisions depend on a consensus to ensure that each group or team member supports a decision. The society does this to avoid imposing any form of authority to the members of the teams while at the same time ensuring that the process of making decisions does not serve as an authoritative one.
From the interview, I asked the informant information concerning visiting the country. Form the interview he responded that he had visited the country severally when young before deciding to attend college in the U.S. The interviewee said that he travelled into the country initially for pressure as well as due to the desire for getting the feel of the country in real life, but decided to come to the country eventually to pursue course in an American college. The respondent expected that the country would feature immense opportunities for leisure, education, and job openings. The interviewee argued that the U.S. met some of his expectations, particularly on matters related to leisure activities and education standards. The attitudes that he had toward the country was that America was a land of opportunity and that any one was capable of succeeding through hard work and not giving up.
In conclusion, it has become apparent that both the U.S. and the Chinese cultures are unique and astonishing in their own right. For the differences that prevail between the two cultures, they reveal that the two distinct cultures can learn from each other in various aspects. Assessing the Chinese culture and the manner in which it differs and resembles the one of Americans serves as an indication that comprehending the different cultures would contribute toward increased understanding of the diverse people in the society and the world, hence encourage togetherness among them.
