Let me talk about what I saw and heard first. I once heard such a thing. When a China driver violated the rules abroad, he was stopped by the police and had to be punished. Therefore, according to his experience at home, the man began to intercede and say good things, hoping that the police would be lenient and say, "It won't happen again." The policeman always listens to him with a smile. When the man saw that the police didn't object, he thought it would be like this, but after receiving a summons from the court a few months later, he realized that it was not what he thought at all. People smiled at him, it's just a professional requirement. What else can you do? The police will never give you a chance to "never do it again". Another incident happened in June this year, which once again made the differences between countries the focus of discussion. A Chinese aunt danced waist drum in a park in Brooklyn, new york, and was accused of disturbing the people by nearby residents, so she was handcuffed and served with a summons. So what's the difference between Chinese and western cultures? Why is it different? What should we do in the world today?
First of all, we must know that Chinese and foreign cultural backgrounds are different. China culture represents oriental culture and is deeply influenced by Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. Its roots can be traced back to the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. The overall performance of this culture is: paying attention to personal cultivation, moral strength, opposing force, paying attention to harmonious coexistence with others and nature, pursuing spiritual detachment, and taking "benevolence" and "filial piety" as the social core. In the Qing dynasty,
Western culture, represented by American and European cultures, originated from the European Renaissance and was rooted in ancient Greek and Roman cultures. Deeply influenced by Christianity, it attaches importance to individual freedom and rights, takes "love" as the social core, and pays attention to practice and exploration, which is quite different from China people's philosophical thinking on the origin of life. They pay more attention to the exploration and conquest of nature and consider the origin of life from the material level. Influenced by this concept of value, when opening up new sea lanes, there was an act of aggression against the new continent.
In science, China people believe in the experience and authority of their ancestors, and even believe that the ancients believe more than today. The superstition of authority leads to the lack of exploration and innovation spirit, while westerners are full of adventurous spirit, advocate rational thinking, attach importance to practice and theory, and greatly promote the development of science. Therefore, despite the four great inventions that China people are proud of, Zheng He's world-class shipbuilding technology during his voyages to the Western Seas, and the fleet of thousands of people went to the Western Seas for seven times, it was only to declare the "dignitaries" of the Ming Dynasty. When Magellan's fleet traveled around the world and westerners invaded us with the compass and gunpowder invented by China, we thought of rebuilding the Great Wall of Wan Li by the sea. This shows that our thinking is conservative and conservative. This is the reason why China's imperial examination system can last for thousands of years.
Let me talk about the "law" with obvious differences between China and foreign countries. In the eyes of China people, law is only a supplement to morality. Therefore, China people advocate self-improvement, do not advocate binding people with laws and regulations, and do not pay enough attention to the law. The view of western culture is that people's desires should not be suppressed. For the norms of society and individuals, it is advocated to use the "legal system" to restrict them, and to restrict them through institutions, such as organizations and political institutions with separation of powers, while morality is in a subordinate position.
China people pay attention to spiritual freedom. Although the history of the whole feudal society for more than two thousand years was basically the continuous strengthening of feudal centralization, democratic politics was completely lost until capitalism was born in China. Western democratic politics advocates that all rights are just a kind of power granted by the people and exercised by the government, "politics is for the people." Therefore, westerners can veto or re-elect the government that cannot serve the people by voting, and the taxpayer's supervision over the government is also subtle and feasible. Even though there may be many problems in the middle, it is undoubtedly much more advanced than us in terms of system design and understanding.
In interpersonal communication and society, China people value human feelings and like to think in a long-term and holistic way, which often complicates a simple matter, while westerners may find it simpler. One yard is one yard, one is one, and the other is two. High efficiency in dealing with problems is conducive to the formation of a healthy social atmosphere. This is what some people who have settled in America say. "Americans like to join in the fun and meddle, while China people hide when things go wrong." In fact, we can also consider this issue from a legal perspective.
Summarize the feelings and understanding of global understanding and starting from me. The culture between countries depends on many levels. Due to the differences in historical origins, customs, living environment and religious beliefs, there are great differences in culture, but cultural differences cannot be said to be good or bad. In the melting pot of this nation in today's world, it is impossible for any nation or country to get rid of its own traditional culture, and the existence of "cultural differences" will inevitably lead to the continued development of human culture. With the advancement of global integration, cultural exchanges between countries have become increasingly frequent. The purpose of discussing the overall cultural differences is to promote global economic and cultural exchanges and strengthen ties with the world. Therefore, civilizations should understand and tolerate each other, continue to inherit and innovate, and seek common development of mankind.