5. Reflection 5.1 Personal-reaction level When I first heard of the Thai etiquettes, honestly, my immediate reaction was not intense. Because, same as my interviewee Lu, we are both from the same country. Similarly, in some regions in China, we cannot point at a Buddha statue or disrespect to Buddhism. I consider the attribute of the world renowned as “Land of Smile” is a staggering showcase to the nature of tolerance and acceptance of the nation. More specifically, it refers to itself as a Buddhism nation. On the other hand, the Confucianism has meanwhile moulded Asian’s collectivism and harmony-orientation. But I felt confused with the case about the taboo of touching others’ heads which was described by my interviewee. The western culture emphasizes on keeping a distance fairly with others. This reflects a measurable accidental perspective of respect on privacy and individual rights. As a Chinese, however, we consider touching a kid’s head as love and devotion. But in Thailand, this may works counterproductively. In relation to myself, my present study life in Singapore is gradually deepening my perception to cross-cultures. I have experienced some culture shocks in Singapore, although I am also a Chinese. Chinese take the proportion of 74% in Singapore’s population (Statistics singapore, 2015). Look at the Chinese cluster, it …show more content…
Because Thais are accustomed to a slower pace of work and life to eliminate any potential risks may be caused. Uncertainty Avoidance seems like a widely-available culture in the East. A Thai scholar Nattavud Pimpa (2012) implied it through an old phrase “Cha Cha Dai Pla Lem Ngam” (Slow down to make a beautiful knife) in Thailand. Thais’ uncertainty avoidance is high, because they would like to slow things down and avoid the any negative feedbacks and criticisms from their families, friends, and
In the book Learning to Bow, written by Bruce Feiler, Feiler is sent to Japan to teach Japanese students about American values, customs, and its language. Feiler discusses his life and teaching experience in Japan during the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. In what became more of a learning lesson however, the author was able to understand what it truly meant to be Japanese. Feiler is better able to understand what it means to be Japanese through his immersion into Japanese society, as well as comparing his Americanized ideals with that of Japan. He is enabled through this immersion to better understand the vast similarities and differences between these two distant countries.
A Cultural Minefield by William Ecenbarger is an article about how common gestures and customs at home have different meanings in other parts of the world. Ecenbarger has been to six different continents and didn’t realize until years later, that he offended or embarrassed his host during that time. For example Ecenbarger in Australia got into a taxi and jumped into the back seat. The taxi driver spoke to him in voice that made Ecenbarger nervous. In the United States it is a custom that you jump into the back seat whenever asking for a cab.
(Keep your head down and don’t cause any trouble, we’d been told, weeks before, in a mess hall lecture on “How to Behave in the Outside World.” Speak only English. Do not walk down the street in groups of more than three, or father in restaurants in groups of more than five. Do not draw attention to yourselves in any way.)” (Otsuka 121-122).
Buddhism is a religion founded in the 5th century, by Buddha the person who then helped spread it into places like India and much of China and continuing to spread into some parts of Asia. The vast amount of trading routes such as the silk road in Asia helped Buddha and his views spread. This new religion clashed with other great religions such as Christianity causing some’s responses to Buddhism to be alarming. However, these were only a small amount of responses, the greater response to Buddhism in China was very positive with many supporting the idea that Buddha brought which was peace and enlighten.
Religions have existed for millenniums, cultivation and sculpting the old world into what it is today. Each religion is unique in its own sense, meaning that each religion is its own mix, it’s own jam. Every one of these jams, or religions, have been spread across nations. Some jams are smooth like butter, finding easy acceptance and even easier assimilation, whereas some jams are chunky and laden with difficulties. Buddhism’s jam was one of interesting circumstance, containing a vary of smooth and chunky consistency.
Knowing how to interact with people of other cultures has become an increasingly important issue as international communication and travel becomes more common. With more interactions between cultures, cultural misunderstandings become more common. The satirical book Fear and Trembling by Amélie Nothomb attempts to address this issue, pointing out what people often do wrong. Fear and Trembling is a story which follows Amélie, a young Belgian woman who goes to work for a Japanese company and struggles to fit in, committing many cultural faux pas along the way. Nothomb uses contrasting sentence structure between Amélie 's thoughts and her dialogue and actions to demonstrate the way that Westerners often ignore other cultures despite knowing better because they view themselves as more important.
Buddhism in China DBQ A little before the Tang dynasty there was the Han dynasty where Confucianism was a staple of daily life and government. When the Han dynasty dissolved and the Tang dynasty took authority. Buddhism began to spread widely all over China. Buddhism was met with all types of responses: some saw buddhism as a threat to Confucian family values, while some saw Buddhism as a way to disregard worldly pleasures and luxuries that would only bring them harm, and lastly some mixed on the concept of Buddhism had an issue with the ascetic lifestyle led by its followers. One of the responses to Buddhism in China was that it was thought that Buddhism was a threat to Confucian family values.
Even though growing up with two different cultures have its benefits, the challenges outweigh them and can potentially bring negative impacts on someone’s quality of life. Firstly, it can be difficult to adjust the changing society norms. The convention and expectations every culture has, which may be dissimilar from one’s own. To
And you can see how stern the main character’s face is, when he sees how different the table manners are. This can contribute to the lack of interest for cultures. The main character actually looked hurt when the woman didn’t pour him the sake first, however she only did this as a manner. If I were this main character, I would definitely feel unwelcome, because these Japanese people are assuming that I can fully acknowledge their rituals and cultures without being told. However, a valid confirmation the estimations and the guesses, it is impossible to fully understand these
I was going to see my bedridden grandfather who was in his last moments while the Chinese society in public places was relatively rude in manner. Self ego drives the tension and conflicts between people. These conflicts were simply escalated in “speech sounds”, and can be seen as a more severe version of today’s
“Wind-Wolf knows the names and migration patterns of more than 40 birds. He knows there are 13 feathers on a perfectly balanced eagle. What he needs is a teacher who knows his full measure” (Lake 75). There are variant forms of culture worldwide; individuals get a unique identity by incorporating other cultures based off experiences and personal opinion into their own. For some people, to incorporate means to deal with obstacles; it is challenging to adapt into new cultures.
Personal Statement I would like to confirm that it is my motivating of Chinese culture that ignited my passion for cultural and creative industry. As a Tourism Management major student, I was able to explore the Chinese diversified cultures and landscapes, which offered me an insightful understanding of the Chinese cultural development. Under the guidance of commercialization, some cultural heritages have developed into huge tourism souvenir markets full of counterfeit and shoddy products. The over-commercialization reveals the fact that the Chinese culture is facing a severe situation. The country calls for a better cultural development strategy, which cultural and creative industry can offer.
It can be said that opposites attract as well as complement each other. Within the religions of Daoism, Confucianism, and Shinto lay harmony, respect, and ethical behavior towards nature, ancestors, oneself, and others. Although Daoism and Confucianism are native to China and Shinto to Japan, East Asian cultures integrate these religions and practices with openness and acceptance. They are the light and dark without reference to good or bad as the opposites necessitate one another. (Fisher, 2014, 201) Instead the interwoven religions of Daoism, Confucianism, and Shinto compliment each other in addition to having distinct differences.
Cultural Analysis of China The definition of culture is; the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group; the characteristic features of everyday existence (such as diversions or a way of life) shared by people in a place or time. Mainland China has a rich and prosperous culture which dates back more than 4,000 years, which is full of Chinese culture and history. China has a colorful history, which focuses on more traditional aspects like food, customs, and the life style of its people. The Chinese people have shared a common culture longer than any other group of people on earth.
But in China, this view seems cannot be fully correct as even China has different ethics group, but still, they could live together peacefully in general. Different aboriginal contain their local culture but they seem did not reject each other. China is a country with diverse ethnic groups, 56 recognized by PRC, so I would like to promote this special feature by using the sentence” This is China, this is home.” in different dialects at the end of this video. China has 7 major regional dialects and numerous sub-dialects including, Northern(北方話), Hakka(客家話), Wu (吳語), Min (閩語), Yue(粵語), Xiang(湘語) and Gan(贛語).