Inter-Cultural Interview Reflection – Chinese Culture

Inter-Cultural Interview Reflection – Chinese Culture

The Confucianism principle greatly influences the Chinese culture. Based on the Confucianism principle, the culture is characterized by specific cultural values, including benevolence, honesty, righteousness, loyalty, and wisdom. In line with the justice principle, one of the main cultural aspects of the culture, the Chinese are expected to do what is right even when it does not favor them. Apart from the Confucianism principle, Hofstede’s insights such as high-power distance, gendered roles, and a hierarchical social structure influence the Chinese culture. China’s cultural values influence how people behave at work and in various social situations. This paper reflects on the most distinct values of the Chinese culture, and how different cultural aspects such as social power, gender roles, and justice influence the behavior, and overall, the Chinese culture.

Distinct Practices of the Chinese Culture

One of the most important values of the Chinese culture is Confucianism. Confucianism places a premium value on respect for elders, moral integrity, and community harmony (Adler, 2012). The Chinese uphold respect for senior members of society as they are believed to have the wisdom needed to guide the rest of society in the right direction. Besides, the principle emphasizes the need to live harmoniously, and that people should care for each other’s needs.

According to Adler (2012), political and social structures in China align with communism, a practice where the state controls national resources to ensure equity. Also, moral integrity, a key aspect of Chinese culture, has influenced institutional behavior. Due to strict adherence to moral integrity, those who violate moral principles are severely punished. For instance, the country is well known for imposing capital punishment on serious corruption offenders. Confucianism influences various aspects of Chinese culture, including politics, governance, and justice delivery.

Gender Roles

The Chinese culture has deep gender connotations, implying distinct expectations are placed on male and female members of society. One of the greatest influences of gendered roles is the Confucianism principle, which gives males and females different roles. As per the Confucian principles, men are expected to be breadwinners and leaders in the household (Zhang & Liu, 2021). On the other hand, women play an insubordinate role to their male counterparts and are expected to take care of household duties and raise children (Zhang & Liu, 2021). Based on the Confucian principle, the males are expected to go out, look for jobs, and be the household’s breadwinners, as their female counterparts take care of children.

However, it is worth noting that some of the traditional gender roles have since been abolished due to modernity and globalization. For instance, due to enhanced economic development, the role of women has significantly changed as they have acquired education and are actively participating in mainstream jobs. Besides, legal changes have abolished some cultural practices such as foot binding, which placed high beauty and femininity expectations on women. Despite these changes, deep gender connotations are still practiced in China.

Even though Western culture does not have deep gender connotations, there are remnants of the same in society. I have learned that gender connotations are responsible for the gendered employment inequalities present today (A Scott Moreau, 2014). The efforts by Western culture to deviate from gender connotations align with similar efforts by other cultures.

Social Power, Authority, and Hierarchy

The Chinese culture is extremely hierarchical. In particular, people are expected to respect those in authority who are older members of society perceived to be wise and experienced. At the family level, the father is the most powerful figure. Social power is embedded in the Chinese culture to the extent that there is a saying that “when the father orders his son to die, the son must die.” Although the saying should not be understood literally, it shows the extent to which Chinese culture is hierarchic. The hierarchic nature of the culture is also reflected at the household level, as the person with the most authority sits in the prime position during family dining. Some of these traditions may be fading due to Western influence, but hierarchy remains.

From the above perspective, I have learned the importance of social power and hierarchy. An authoritative figure has the power to influence their followers toward pursuing specific behavior, and this can foster unity. China’s perspective regarding hierarchy is different from America’s culture because in America followers can challenge authoritative figures (A Scott Moreau, 2014). Non-Americans may perceive challenging authority as being rude.

Role of Honor and Shame

From the outset, China is a justice-oriented society. Here, honor comes from what one does or does not do. The Chinese culture conceptualizes shame as an emotion and a human capacity that may be used as a self-assessment tool (Zhang, 2015). After conducting a self-assessment, one is motivated to move toward socially acceptable behavior if one falls short. For instance, if a child steals some money from their home, admitting the offense requires courage since it leads to shame. Afterward, they are expected to do the right thing to avert shame in the future. To that end, honor/pride, and dishonor/shame are important aspects of the Chinese culture.

This has changed my perception of shame since I thought it was inconsequential. In the American culture, people do not care much about what others think about them. This may make someone from outside the American culture think that Americans have a careless attitude to life.

Conclusion

In summary, Chinese cultural values are guided by the Confucian principles. The Confucian principle shapes critical cultural values such as harmony, justice, honesty, wisdom, and loyalty. Besides, Hofstede’s insights such as high-power distance, hierarchy, and collectivism shape the Chinese culture. The Chinese culture has extreme gender connotations based on the Confucian principle, with men expected to be breadwinners while women cater to household duties and raise children. Besides, the Chinese culture is hierarchical, as older members hold more authority owing to their experience and wisdom. At the household level, a father is the most powerful family member. Also, China is a justice-oriented culture, where one derives honor or shame from what one does or fails to do.

References

A Scott Moreau. (2014). Effective intercultural communication: A Christian perspective. Baker   Academic, A Division of Baker Publishing Group.

Adler, J. A. (2012). Confucianism by Paul R. Goldin. China Review International, 19(1), 67–71.             https://doi.org/10.1353/cri.2012.0010

Jing Zhang Ph.D. (2015). Understanding the Concept of Shame in the Chinese Culture.

Zhang, Y., & Liu, H. (2021). Individual’s gender ideology and happiness in China. Chinese Sociological Review, 54(3), 1–26. https://doi.org/10.1080/21620555.2021.1871727

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Inter-Cultural Interview Reflection – Chinese Culture

During your interview you should ask the following questions:

What do you identify as the most important or distinct practices of your culture?
How are gender roles addressed in your culture?
How is social power, authority, or social roles in a hierarchy expressed in your culture?
In class, we learned that in “honor-oriented societies,” worth comes from one’s role or group membership and in “justice-oriented societies,” worth comes from what one does or doesn’t do. What is the role of honor/shame in your culture? Are honor/pride and dishonor/shame important concepts in your culture?
After your interview, write a 750-1000-word paper summarizing and reflecting on the responses you received. What did you learn from this exchange? How did your perceptions change? Based on your discussion, how do you think your culture is perceived by others? You should incorporate at least three concepts from Chapters 12, 13, or 14 of your textbook in your response.