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1、Primary Facets of Chinese and foreign CultureSubject:Feeling Chinese Cross-cultural orientation (Analysis)Author: Zhou YiPublication:Name: The Chinese cultural system: implications for cross-cultural management. Intercultural Business CommunicationFull Text:Chinese Family-ism Chinese families, as a
2、basic unit of the society, act to provide not only shelter and food but also an environment within which the people socialize and play the roles defined by Confucius. A form of social immortality, families have something of the character of a religion which, at times, is enhanced by the ritual of an
3、cestor worship; the consciousness of it has penetrated deep into the Chinese soul. A strong and lingering belief is that when one dies, his or her self lives on in the greatest stream of the family life. In modern times, the Chinese traditional family concept is transformed info family-ism that perv
4、ades almost all social organizations. Employees are provided with housing, free medical care, and education for their children by the organization they work for. Their activities and personal lives are closely connected to the organizations whose management, in many ways, functions as the parents of
5、 extended families, responsible both for business and solving employees personal problems. Hiring, selecting, compensating and other management decisions may all involve family-ism.Group Orientation Chinese group orientation is also identified with Confucian doctrines that emphasize ties of kinship
6、and close personal relationships. The individuals exist for the benefit of the group, group pressure is applied to ensure conformity through eliciting shame (losing face), and conflict is generally handled through intragroup mediation rather than an external legal system. The individuals are perceiv
7、ed as part of a network of social relations. They find their own identities with reference to others around them and adopt group goals and opinions in exchange for reciprocal care and protection. The American concept of individualism is often frowned upon because it appears to the Chinese as selfish
8、ness - an unnatural attempt to isolate the self from the group and to place personal interests over those of the group. In industries, the importance of groups is reflected in the form of family-isms claim for solidarity. The group orientation is expressed by danwei (literally, work unit), where the
9、 focus is not only on work-related activities but also on exercises and control in non-work areas. As a result, the social needs of the people in a workplace tend to be ranked higher than autonomy and self-actualization needs. In business management, a group relationship is manifested in interperson
10、al connections (guanxi), which overpower the formal organizational structure in many cases. Business contracts are often specified in legal terms but implemented relying on trust and relationships between the parties involved.Chinese Ideal of Life Traditionally, the basis on which Chinese visualize
11、the meaning and purpose of life is humanism. To the Chinese mind, the true end of life lies in the enjoyment of a simple life, especially family life, and in harmonious social relationships . The ideal life is permeated with a sentiment of a state of summum bonum, an ultimate condition neither parti
12、cularly ambitious nor metaphysical but immensely real. To many Chinese, the importance of life is not so much to achieve worldly specified goals but to experience a spiritual supremacy. This ideal of life represents a secular vision or perspective rooted in an original or primitive human society and
13、 culture, which places high priority on naturalness and simplicity in terms of living a life leisurely, carefree, self-satisfied, and unhurried. Happiness is often interpreted as nestling in its own hand, but almost strangled to death during the hot quest for it . Chinese Character We should keep in
14、 mind that Chinese character in this context refers to some national properties synthesized through complex processes of Chinese tradition and culture. It is a generalization of the Chinese personality traits, not necessarily a description of the individual behavior. Chinese define character with di
15、rect reference to maturity of the state of mind. A mature person of mellow temperament, retaining an equanimity of mind under all circumstances, with a complete understanding not only of himself or herself but of his or her relations, is a person of true character . Such true character is attained t
16、hrough great learning - the illumination of understanding developed and cultivated through knowledge and mental discipline. A mellow understanding of life and of human nature is, and has always been, the Chinese ideal of character, and from that understanding other qualities are derived, such as pac
17、ifism, contentment, calm, and strength of endurance, which distinguish the Chinese character. For a generalized picture of the Chinese national character, the following listing may serve as the gist.Chinese Concept of Time Time orientation differs between Chinese and Americans. As discussed above, C
18、hinese are inclined toward tradition, their mindset and behavior are both significantly influenced by past cultural values. Americans, in a nation molded by change, view time as a scarce resource. They keep a daily schedule precise to almost every minute. Time to them means efficiency and movemental
19、 value, and, therefore is carefully budgeted to achieve personal or organizational goals. The Chinese, based on their philosophy of life, look at time as a process of eternity. What is the point of keeping such a tight schedule? Rice will grow by seasons not by minutes; the sun will rise day after d
20、ay. What really matters is how life can be made natural and enjoyable each day. If one is always pressed by time where is the quality of life to be found? The Chinese look upon each experience as different and unique, not accumulative in a linear fashion. A frog on a lotus petal is a moment in time
21、and beauty to contemplate and meditate upon, a thing not to be lost. According to the Chinese cultural values, the highest reward in life is the spiritual enrichment and serenity received from the contemplation of ones living environment. Time is valuable when it is used to achieve this ultimate hum
22、an reward; time is flexible and repeatable regardless of how much present-day businesses want to go against it. It is not difficult to see that some of these traits are vices, others neutral or admirable qualities. They are a blend of the weakness and strength of the Chinese nation. Traits that sugg
23、est a passive or conservative state of mind, rather than a spirit of youthful vigor and achievement, definitely have negative effects on economic activities and social development.In contrast to the American way of thinking, Chinese minds, because of their unique tradition and living environment, th
24、ink in terms of concrete analogy, which somehow puts the situation in a form easily grasped in its entirety. If the American way of thinking could be likened to masculinity, the Chinese mind would be akin to femininity in many respects. (Assuming masculinity and femininity do exist worldwide.) For e
25、xample, Chinese tend to favor the use of common sense - an integrated but often undefinable state of mind - when approaching problems, which indicates that less segmenting of the situation is involved. Synthesis, intuition, concrete image, proverbs, are often the first Chinese priorities. Like women
26、 who have a surer instinct of life, the Chinese depend largely upon their intuitive power (sixth sense) for solving natures mysteries. Chinese logic seems to be accompanied by some personal and subtle fabrics while American logic seems to have been prepared with more impersonal and explicit substanc
27、es. In the Chinese language, the word because appears less frequently because the meaning of because is usually implied by the speaker or inferred by the audience with reference to the context. The reason is because . . . said by many Americans may suggest a strong motivation to reconfirm the cause-
28、effect relationship ingrained in their mindset. ConclusionThe cultural system is influential in all aspects of Chinese social lives including business management. Essentially, it is the unique Confucianism, family-ism, group orientation philosophy of life and mode of thinking that have made the Chin
29、ese cultural system distinctive and powerful. Effective cross-cultural management strategies in China should be based on the implications of the actual cultural mechanisms, not on the temporary cultural fashions that run skin-deep and are likely to generate cultural disorientation.Learn cross-cultural business communication course, I understand the cultural differences impact on people, as well as the cultural collision of joy and embarrassment, which is very helpful for my future跨文化商务交际课程论文学号: 101001122姓名 :周燚
