Antarctica Lover

Hello All, my name is Antarctica Lover, or AL, here's my blog about China.

[all-about-china]

All About Clothes

Traditional Style Clothes and Dress - Hanfu

Hanfu is the Mandarin word for traditional dress that originates from the Han Dynasty, which is before the Qing dynasty. These have been increasing in popularity as some cultural revival has been underway to stay connected to one's ancestors.

There are cultural differences between Chinese, Japanese, and Korean traditional garments. In China, the Hanfu is signified by a signature wrap technique - the left side is wrapped over the right one to make a Y-shaped neckline. They usually have a relaxed fit.

Business Dress Etiquette

Business dress etiquette is similar to the American business professional. China used to have a unisex business uniform that resembles a suit, but with Westernization of the eastern world, they have moved to more modern suits. Suits could also mean a modest skirt and blouse for women.

Street Style Chinese Fasion

Chinese street fashion combines traditional patterns and elements into worldwide street style and current fashion trends. Fashion used to be used to determine social status, but now has evolved more into self-expression and identity.

Western fashion is a big influence on street style. This western influence is shown through fast-fashion brands exploding throughout the fashion landscape. Fast fashion brands are brands, such as Shein, that are typically made of the cheapest material with dubious labor methods (child labor :(.) (allegedly).

School Uniforms

The school uniform started as a way to unify the education system in China in the early 1900's. With the revolution for a more modern system, the instituted the uniform. They evolved from an attire involving a hat, large silk shirt, formal jacket, and skirt to what looks like a track suit now.

Since the new republic of China was instated (1950's), school children can be seen always wearing a red scarf around their neck. This signifies the Chinese history of being a 'young pioneer' for the emerging government.

Since the 1960's, the government then turned to an all-green outfit. This helped transition the children into the military. It also helped serve as another unifying thing in the culture.

-AL

[all-about-china]

How to Handle Intercultural Communication - from an Idahoan

Idaho's Landscape

China's Landscape

I would love to have a vacation in China for two weeks or less, but I would personally struggle a substantial amount if I was moving to China for an extended period of time. If I lived in China for a year or more, I know I'd have a lot of cultural dissimilarities to adapt to, no matter how uncomfortable these changes may be. I would expect to have social, work life, and general living challenges in adapting to Chinese Culture. As I mentioned in my previous blog posts, Chinese work habits revolve around keeping the peace. Their practice for bringing up ideas to a superior should be handled in an out-of-office gathering. This is unlike the American culture of uncomfortable growth meetings during working hours. I would have to remind myself that my main goal of work relationships is to preserve the name and reputation of the company. In my previous blog post, I also mentioned how their main religion or worldview was based on Confucious and his teachings. It would be a great challenge for me to adapt to those personality traits that're expressed in daily life. In being a fairly strong Roman Catholic, my attitude is slightly different in terms of will and a higher power. I would do my best to adapt to both of these separate cultural differences by making some good friends that would help me and keep me in line, both in my work and personal life.

In shifting gears to intercultural ethics, intercultural ethics is how you interact in an intercultural environment while being self-aware of and how you may affect the other person. One component to manage ethical components in intercultural exchanges, according to our textbook, Communication Between Cultures by Larry Samovar, is having respect for others. This means, not ignoring someone, respecting someone's boundaries, and being an advocate for helping in exchanges for Chinese American relations, specifically in my case that is. We can internalize a lot of accidental micro-aggressions, so we must be careful when interacting with individual people in order to not stereotype :) * thumbs up emoji *

There can be some strategies I can employ to stay connected and engaged with Chinese culture, while still maintain my studies in United States. I can update myself on current events and news by subscribing to news channels from China, and I recommend this to you as well. I can also keep up to date or maybe get creative with it by trying to learn Mandarin on Duolingo or any one of those language learning platforms. After this blog assignment is complete, I will still stay connected to Chinese Culture. 

Would you be able to adapt to Chinese Culture?

Yes! - I think it's fascinating

Ehh - I am unsure.

Voting ended onDec 19, 2023

-AL

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Chinese Education

China has educational hierarchy that starts with the basic education tear. It is law that all children go through basic education for at least 9 years. Basic education is composed of 3 years of pre-school starting at the age of 3. After that, there is primary education which is 6 years. The third part of basic education is called secondary education which is another 6 years. After the basic education, they are usually around the age of 18. But unlike an American high school, the secondary education portion is split into two possible routes. After 3 years of secondary, teens go into the last three years which are these listed two possible areas of focus. A test determines which route the students will go.

Route 1: Specialized technical school: 2-4 years of training for the field that one is placed in.

Route 2: Academic 'senior' secondary education: 3 more years of academic schooling. After this, students can either take a National Higher Education Entrance exam for higher education. If they choose to leave school, this is also another plausible exit point. If students continue on to higher education, they'll go to a college institution where they can get a four or five year degree. Pursuing more education after a baccalaureate program, one could go into a doctoral program or post-doctoral program.

Public schooling in China is free, however supplementary material that Chinese parents often seek aren't included with the schooling. The uniforms, extra curriculars, and tutoring is not included.

What does the typical school day look like for a Chinese student? They spend from around 7:30 am to 5:00 pm. They have a two-hour long lunch break each day. The school week is central to the work week, so Monday to Friday is spent in school. However, Saturday is spent with tutors or exam prep classes to prepare for the several entrance exams. Sunday is the rest day from the academics. Comparing American school system to the Chinese school system, China's is more rigorous. There is great societal and parental pressures on the child to do well on each college entrance exam. 

According to a 2022 world statistics study, there is 36 million university students in China, half doing a short-cycle education and half doing a four-year undergraduate degree. In 2022, there was 9 million students who graduated from public universities. Over half, around 51% of these students are female, which is similar to United States college and university proportions. When posing the question of who goes to college in terms of urban and rural areas, I've found that if a child lives and works on a farm, they're expected to continue on with the family farm.

Do you want to go to school from 7:30 - 5:00 pm?

Yes! More knowledge :)

Uhm NO ?! :(

Maybe...? :/

Voting ended onDec 19, 2023

-AL

[all-about-china]

Does China Have a Universal Healthcare?

In investigating healthcare in China, I have learned some interesting things about how similar and dissimilar healthcare is to America. There is not a universal healthcare that Chinese citizens have to have, but according to The Commonwealth Fund, 95 percent of China was covered by at least one type of insurance plan. There are technically three types of healthcare that were placed at the near turn of the century. There is a medical plan called the Urban Employee Medical Insurance, which is required if you do not live in the city. The second type is also a type of care for rural residents of China, called the Newly Cooperative Medical Scheme. They merged this into a new insurance plan for their citizens that covers urban and rural areas.

Traditional Medicine

Along with basic biomedical health practices, practices of Traditional Chinese Medicine are very important to the culture. Traditional Chinese Medicine includes acupuncture, Tai Chi, and any and all herbal infused ingredients. Acupuncture, as you may all know, is when needles are inserted into the skin to stimulate certain areas under the skin. Tai Chi is along the lines of yoga. It combines calming movements with balance and stability being the emphasis. Chinese herbal products are plants, botanicals, and anything related to a dietary supplement that can cure physical and mental ailments.

In preventing illness and management, it depends on where you are located in China. If consulting an elderly family member in a rural area, Traditional Chinese Medicine will most likely be the answer. However, if you're in a densely populated urban area, your employer and the Chinese government will most likely urge you to see their equivalent of a general practitioner. 

Confucius

As I've mentioned earlier in this blog, Confucianism impacts China heavily in the countries daily lives and decisions. Confucianism also influences how the Chinese view death. It is taught that a person shouldn't be afraid of death. Another religion or way of living life, Taoism teaches that if a person has lived a good, moral life, then they will achieve immortality after death. Chinese people also don't like thinking about death, it is a taboo topic to talk about.

If I knew someone traveling through a humanitarian aspect or going to do healthcare work in a different country, I would give them some advice in practicing in a completely different culture than us. I would give them some advice in approaching respect within the family. They believe that the elders should make the healthcare decisions, so I would ensure that let people know how important it is. I would also caution them speaking about death unless I was sure a patient would be on their deathbed. Death is a taboo topic and very disheartening. In communication with their co-workers and patience, I would suggest listening attentively to what the patient wants to do. They may only want to do Traditional Chinese Medicine, which is a perfectly acceptable treatment, even if there is a biomedical route that is applicable.

-AL

[all-about-china]

All About Business!

Let's get down to business... to defeat the Huns! #mulan

Back on topic:

When thinking about business, the first thing that pops into my head at least, is a bunch of suits sitting in a conference room eyeing a presentation with a dubious expression on their face. I see them drink there water or often their coffee, while listening and looking at their coworkers. This is how I imagine stereotypical American business works. However, I know that in other culture's business practices, quotas, and deadlines are far less important than the relationships one has with their coworkers. In studying Chinese culture, I see what Chinese business culture looks like; from their nonverbal cues, their interpersonal dialogue, and how they view structural hierarchy China is rich in business etiquette.

In China, when greeting fellow coworkers or business partners, it's appropriate to make brief eye contact and smile. It's appropriate to shake hands but only if the Chinese counterpart approaches it first with their hand out. In conversation and conversation starters, small talk is very significant. Along with the face work that is important, small talk is seen as an extension to the face work that is done in business interpersonal relationships. Whether it's talk about the weather, family, friends, events, hobbies or just what's on your mind, this contributes to a welcoming environment.

Dress and personal appearance also demonstrates facework and professionalism. It's common for business professional attire to be warn at most times during business. It's also very common to have a company uniform with the logo or slogan on it, uniting the workers, and contributing to the common shared goals. Avoid wearing white in most settings - it is the color of death, with white roses being a common condolence at funeral services.

Bringing a gift to business partners, deals, or new alliances is a cultural Chinese norm. These gifts must be introduced at the beginning of a meeting and are often accepted with both hands extended outward and a smile. Usually, gifts are presented by a group to the most senior partner of the business deal. This demonstrates respect, formality, and gratitude.

In interpersonal communication within business deals, there may be a number of potential communication challenges. These could be, formality and punctuality, business negotiation, and seating arrangements. Within formality, it's important to recognize that if an American was working in China they would have to be aware of punctuality to work, which is a very important part of the working Chinese day. American negotiations and Chinese negotiations are very different because Chinese people have a higher aptitude for saving face, instead of laying out all cards on the table per se. Negotiations are often done when coworkers are together after hours and possibly going out for drinks. When posing an idea, it can be taken and pondered and if the idea does not work, alcohol could be blamed. This level of indirect communication could be difficult to adapt to if an American was working in China.

Putting myself into the shoes of Chinese worker who just moved to the U.S. I would help give them some general advice of how to deal with conflict management and decision-making skills. I would help explain how negotiations are handled in person- face to face and how this is not an attack or viewed as insulting to their personality. I would also help them by possibly bringing them to witness some conflict management as well as attitudes towards work. All in all, it would be a cultural adjustment, but would be worth it.

-AL

[all-about-china]

Nonverbal Messages

When interacting with people from another culture or country, it is pertinent to understand nonverbal communication and ques. In the United States, it is custom to shake their hand, but that is not custom in most eastern countries and cultures. In my studies of China, I am realizing how other cultures signify respect to one another. To be an affective communicator, even the little signs such as spatial awareness, how you express yourself via clothes and jewelry, and your eye contact are just some factors that are nonverbal.  It is important to not offend one another from another culture, to show respect, and to effectively communicate. 

There are multiple potential obstacles that make it difficult to interpret nonverbal communication. The American hand sign of the peace sign may be offensive in other cultures, while the middle finger may represent something else entirely in Asia. Besides the obvious hand gestures, the very nature of nonverbal communication being nuanced makes it troubling to be accurate. Personality and confirmation biases can also hinder one's ability to accurately read nonverbal communication. 

In China, the beauty standard is tall, thin, and pale. In order to achieve this, Chinese woman stay out of the sun and can use face moisturizers which goal is to lighten the complexion. This is a nonverbal que that can send nonverbal signals to other Chinese people as well as Korean, Japanese, and even Indian cultures place significance on light features. The light or pale skin is used to communicate youthfulness, innocence, and purity. Another source of nonverbal communication is eye contact. Eye contact in Chinese culture is mostly indirect eye contact. This represents sincerity and niceness. Lowering one's gaze can signify respect to an elder.

Chinese people talk and have interpersonal relationships around an arm's length distance in conversation. In putting myself in this situation, I feel like I would be comfortable with talking one on one because that is pretty on par with how my friends and acquaintances communicate. 

Americans and the culture of the United States is to generally not touch strangers, but interpersonal and friendship touch is permitted. For example, my best friend and I hug often, but I wouldn't consider hugging a mutual friend or friend of a friend unless there's different circumstances. Chinese culture permits interpersonal touching but only with clothes friends or a partner. The way my friends and I hug would probably not be considered socially acceptable in Chinese culture.

China culture is both monochronic and polychronic. This culture values being early and punctual in all business aspects. However, being able to adapt to the scenario is also something that they admire as well. These questions are important to answer so when interacting with others of different backgrounds and cultures, I am culturally competent enough to communicate my ideas. 

Do you like eye contact?

Yes!

No - that's scary.

Voting ended onDec 19, 2023

-AL

[all-about-china]

Verbal Messages

Speaking and Language - :)

In my studies of China, there official language is Chinese, this is also known as Mandarin, Modern or Standard Mandarin. Standard Chinese is also known as Putonghua.  As seen in many other countries different dialects are very present across China. According to World Atlas, 955 million people speak Mandarin Chinese out of their total population of 1.21 billion people. It is Chinese law that their government and citizens promote the use of standard Chinese even though there are around 280 known living languages from Tibet, Taiwan, and throughout Hong Kong. Some of different dialects of Chinese are Taihu, Oujiang, Wuzhou, and Xuanzhou. Therefore, this version of Chinese is taught throughout educational curriculum all across the People's Republic of China. 

Another language that has routes throughout China is Cantonese. Cantonese came from the city called Canton, or commonly known as Guangzhou. As I mentioned earlier, there are rules to regulate which language is taught and spoken in the government and official spaces. Cantonese, Chinese, and all languages are regulated by the Official Language Divion of the Civil Service Bureau, which is division in the government dedicated to public administration. 

A good thing to point out with communicating interculturally is the point of having a lingua franca. A lingua franca is a language that is used as a common language between two people's whose native language is different.

With English being a common lingua franca, it is always going to be difficult to translate and create a shared meaning within a conversation. One of these difficulties relies in with how complicated the English language is. For example, take idioms, similes and any expression that uses words in a way that is anything but there denotative meaning. This could make even translating efficiently tough. Therefore, it is best to pay attention closely in intercultural exchanges, especially with Chinese and English being very different from each other. 

Here are some common words and phrases:

Hello : 你好 (nee-ha)

Yes: 是的 (Shi-dah)

No: 没有 (may-yuh)

Please: 请 (she-n)

Thank you: 谢谢 (shi-sheh)

Can I help you: 我可以帮你吗 ( wok-ee-bangy-mah)

I don't understand: 我不明白 (wo-boo-ming-beh)

I don't speak Chinese: 我不会说中文 (woh-bu hoo-ish-oo zhong-wen) 

My name is: 我的名字是克里斯蒂娜 (Who-dem-ingzi shee Christina )

I noticed that when going to a website that is written in Chinese, and then Google or Microsoft translating it, I struggled, and so did Google, with making a meaning out of these words. This can make it really hard for English and Chinese speakers to extract information when needed from a website that is not in their own native tongue. 

Another thing that needs to be noted is how language affects everyone's, mine and your sense of reality. We think in our language, therefore the limitations of some our thinking, is how our langauge teaches us. Different languages can have very different Ent Ondra meanings. There may be one English word for 'book' but book may be a gendered term in Chinese. 

Understanding and trying to explore Chinese from an English perspective gave me new insight on intercultural communication. 

-AL

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Cultural History - Shortened Version!

China and Chinese dynasties have been around for A LONG TIME: here's my quick rundown starting at Confucious.

For the first event that majorly impacted Chinese history, is the teachings of the professor Confucius. Confucious was a philosopher that lived around 500 B.C.  He was from a poor family but found himself helping in civil law cases in his village. Through this he traveled, because he was exiled, to teach his way of ‘virtuous government.’ From then on, Confucius and his ideas have permeated Chinese culture through the great acceptance of virtues and morality. It also helped that his ideas were backed up by the government, which helped Confucianism become a common household spiritual way of knowing. Now, Chinese people who follows Confucius’ ideas of acceptance, love, and keep moving in life may have an accepting attitude towards people of different ideologies. However, this may not all be the case, especially with the rampant violence that prevailed in Chinese History, However, for the last decade, peace has reigned. Confucius helped China shape its principles, through the ebb and flow of different dynasties by having this ideology carry on throughout the trial of history. 

 Another historical event that shaped Chinese culture and attitudes is silk road. The silk road is widely known as opening a giant trade route from modern day Irag, Iran, and then eastward toward Mongolia. Among silk, this route served as a giant route of textiles, leather, food, stones and precious goods.  

The cultural impact of the silk road is significant to Chinese culture and every individual culture along the route of trading posts. Along with goods, this route allowed relationships to build through different people of all nationalities to exchange ideas and even spiritual practices. Through the process of intermingling, this route helped blend cultures together. Then, China’s attitude had to be one acceptance, because of the economic advantage of each different culture, such as the ancient villages located in present day Iran.

Arguably one of the most significant events in Chinese history is the cultural revolution, aided by the Chinese Communist Party. The cultural revolution of China was a period of around 10 years where leader Mao Zedong reinstilled communist values and whiped away ideas of capitalism. This revolition started with school age children protesting in the streets, along with this ideology spreading like wildfires to officials and the military. Countless people died and were executed if they supported the previous world order.

With this event only happening around 40 years ago, the cultural revolution’s impacts are felt today. This caused China to have a significant increase of nationalism and pride towards the government and the CCP. This also caused a hated shared in China of capitalism, and ideologies that reminded them of the past. This shaped their identity today and etched it into the history of the rest of the world as well.

This is a documentary done by the history channel that provides thrilling historical information and knowledge about China's rise and fall of its empire. From one Dynasty to another, this documentary shows the motivations, the how's and whys, and the downright drama of ancient China. Check it out!

-AL

[all-about-china]

Worldview

In my research about China's worldview, it was hard to establish a credible source that wasn't biased in one way or another. With the socio-political climate and the United States relationship with China, most blogs, news articles, or journals were focused on the government's worldview. As I mentioned in the previous post about Chinese and their familiar relations, Chinese culture prioritizes filial piety in everything that they do, from home life to government and foreign options . Most of the Chinese state, in Beijing and in Hong Kong, they're "officially atheist," meaning that the government in charge has declared them officially atheist. However, according to the CIA factbook and most sources, Chinese people practice and live religion in their daily lives. The predominant religions are 21% folk religion, 19% Buddhist, 5% Christian and a few others.

The large Atheist population can be deduced that it's because of the current governmental control. There is a difference between how the current political power's worldview and the religious members of society. The government's current outlook and worldview is called the century of humiliation. This century of humiliation started for the Chinese in 1840's and has continued on. Due to this, the people's republic of China party, is trying to prove themselves for the last century as the next world superpower. This has impacted their ethics and assumptions. In assuming that other worldly powers want China's land and resources, they're on the defensive. In this Chinese authoritarian worldview, China consistently sells the story that it's a peaceful state that promotes harmony and balance. However, Chinese history in the last century has not changed . Ultimately, Atheistic idea about death according to our textbook is easy to explain as there is no presumed life after death. Therefore, in this lifetime agency and worldview are very impacted on the Chinese government's ethics, morals, and common cultural practices to aid the state.

As mentioned earlier, China does have multiple different religions practiced in its communities. As mentioned, the religions most common are folk, Buddhism, and Christian. Folk religion or called popular Chinese religion is mix of most Eastern religions into a melting pot that is used for spirituality and worldview practices. For example, this worldview involves exorcism of demons, communicating with ancestors, worship, balance, and unity within communities. With taking a little something from different religions, this Chinese worldview helps explain the seeming melting elements of Chinese multigenerational traditions. With Buddhism being another predominant religion, where they worship the Budda for their religious practices. It does appear that Chinese culture allows for the free practice of religions, even though the declared religion in Atheism.

-AL

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Family Structure and Function

Traditional Chinese Multi-Generational Family pictured above.

I am studying China and with a population greater than 1 billion people, not all family structures can be discussed. I will be diving more in depth of the family lifestyles of Beijing. In China, the traditional family structure is a husband and wife and one child. In 1979, China mandated a one child per married couple rule. In 2016, they passed a low that states that 2 children can be born to a couple. Even with fewer children per couple than Western countries, China has a very family centered cultural. Traditional Chinese families live in multi-generational households with the eldest paternal figure having the utmost respect. It is also known for more modern multi-generational families to live very near to each other instead of with each other. Among respect for one's elders, families also center themselves around an idea called Xiaoshan, which means serving your family with dedication, obedience, and worshipping your ancestors. Children obey their parents and grandparents. Family roots and beliefs stem from the idea of Confucianism. Along with family respect, respect at work is also a high priority in Chinese culture. Economically, Chinese family functions with the same hierarchical respect in the workplace. Both men and women work in China, with Women doing half of the manual labor or traditional 'blue collar' jobs. 

As I touched on earlier, Family is the most important thing in Chinese culture. China is known for its one child policy that was enacted until 2016. With a sibling being outside of the norm, the only child is expected to continue the pride of the family name. Traditional Families wanted their child to be a boy for continuing on the family lineage, giving up for adoption or aborting girls. Therefore, there's a large gender disparity in play in China as well. These key cultural elements are therefore passed down from parents to children and so on. Gender roles are very distinct, with girls giving up their family and moving in with their husbands. Women are responsible for now taking care of their in-laws' family. In fact, the Chinese vocabulary uses different words for marriage depending on if it's the women's or man's family. The women stay home with their child until they're old enough to go to school, and then the mother would go back to work or continue working for her husband's family. Individualism is still on the rise in China, but the collectivism is still popular within the older generations.

 Most Chinese families are not looking to migrate. With a migration rate of around -0.1 /1,000 people, China's families aren't going anywhere. Since family and the paternal lineage is a very strong cultural element, families, men and women are not going to move away from their extended aunt's and uncle's unless something drastic happens economically or financially. In the past 10-15 years, these ideologies have remained strong. With globalization increasing technology and telecommunication, Chinese families can live apart from each other, but is not on the rise in popularity. Chinese family show this pattern. 

Do you have siblings?

No - I wish I did!

Yes - I love them!

Voting ended onDec 19, 2023

-AL

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Why China?

Hello All,

My name is Antarctica Lover, and I will be studying the culture of China, specifically Hong Kong for my blog posts this semester. I chose this culture initially, because I had picked Antarctica first, but realized that nobody really lives in Antarctica. When going through the CIA factbook list of countries, Hong Kong stuck out to me because my grandad lived in Hong Kong for a number of years in the nineties, and I'm curious about what culture he experienced there. I think that when communicating with Chinese people after my research about China will make me more respectful and aware of their traditions, seen and unseen. Even with other cultures, including the surrounding cultures of Korean, Japanese and Indian I will use my knowledge to better understand their experiences.

Hong Kong is an administrative district of China. In doing some preliminary research, the official language is Chinese, English, and Mandarin. There are three variations of Mandarin which are Beijing, Chengdu, and Nanjing. They have no official religion. Hong Kong is very small, with a square milage only being 430 in total area. They have an extremely large population projection of almost 8 million! 100% of people live in urban areas. The president of China is a man named Xi Jinping. In the total area of China, there are multiple ethnicities or geographical ethnicities of Buyi, Miao, Dong, Tibetans, and Mongolians. For some fun facts, China produces the most rice in the world. Other big crops are wheat, corn, soybeans, and peanuts. All these facts are from Encyclopedia Britannica Here. 

The statement of "In studying other cultures, we do so very often from the perspective of our own culture," means that we will have prejudice when learning about different cultures. We tend to have the point of view that it is our way or the highway. I don't think this method of judgment uses critical thinking skills, and to combat prejudice, I will use critical thinking skills. In collecting data that is least biased and accurate, I will make sure my sources are mostly .org websites or .gov websites. This means that they're an organization, backed up by statistics, rather than some random redditors opinions on a .com website. After I use these unbiased sources, I will follow the bibliography back to their primary source and examine how they collect their data. If data collection is somehow skewed by unaccountability of certain demographic groups or variables, I will not consider that data credible.

I also used The World Factbook for more of my analysis on China.

-AL