So, in an attempt to not fail as miserably in answering the same questions after returning from Harbin 6 weeks from now, I'm curious to hear from those of you reading my blog. For anyone who has been to China, what makes Chinese people/culture unique? For those of you who have been to other countries, what differentiates the people of those countries? Maybe hearing from some of you might help give me some ideas for answering the same question. Or maybe not. But it's worth a shot...
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Open Question
After returning from China last summer, nearly everyone I spoke to asked the same question: how are Chinese people different from Americans? How is their culture different from ours? Each time I was asked, I failed to give a coherent, intelligent answer. Yes, the food is different. They use complicated characters instead of an alphabet. They generally go to bed earlier than we do and wake up earlier than we do. But are those really major differences? Also, the people I met last summer differed so dramatically from one to the other that I never felt capable of categorizing 1.3 billion people as having a certain characteristic or behaving in a certain way.
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Oh what a question! I feel like I haven't been here long enough to say. I'll try to remember to take a crack at this later on in the China Experience (TM), though.
ReplyDeleteI might think of it in terms of personal boundaries.
ReplyDeleteDo they share personal information easily? Ask about yours? Or is that considered private, within the family? Do they offer advice without being asked? That is one area where I think the Israeli personality differs from the American one.
Moment in history. Current societal circumstances.
ReplyDeleteThose two things, layered with cultural narrative, shape a lot of the differences.
Different contexts, different approaches. I'm being purposefully vague. =)