Comparison of Chinese and UAE Culture - Essay Example

Comparison of Chinese and UAE culture: Chinese culture: Food: Chinese food is popular not only in China, but all over the world because of its uniquebeatification in terms of taste, aroma, presentation and nutritional value. Completely uninfluenced by foods from other parts of the world, Chinese food maintains its originality and sanctity enough to make it the most wanted cuisine even in areas where Chinese culture is totally nonexistent otherwise. Chinese food makes frequent use of vegetables preferably in raw form. In most Chinese foods, vegetables are roughly stir-fried and they are raw enough to maintain their high nutritional value. Use of spices in Chinese foods is significantly temperate. Spice cardinally employed is Chinese salt. Indeed, Chinese salt is fundamentally responsible to lend the Chinese food its sacred richness. There is frequent use of sauces, made from natural herbs. Soy sauce and Chilli sauce are on the top in the list of Chinese sauces that are also employed in non-Chinese cuisines. Typical Chinese food combines boiled chicken with stir fried vegetables that is served with noodles or boiled rice. Clothing: Although Chinese people, both men and women, conventionally wear Western casual outfits, i.e. pair of jeans and a T shirt, yet they do have a dress of their own that is typically and only Chinese. One of the most famous traditional Chinese dresses is Qipao. It sufficiently covers all parts of the body that projects the modesty of a lady who wears that. It is made in Asian silk, that mixes traditional traits of Chinese clothing with the Western style to make it look even more elegant. (My-Qipao.com, 2010). Most styles in Chinese dresses have room for improvisation as per the mood of individual at a particular time. Festivals: In the Chinese culture, holiday season is chiefly meant for enjoyment and a large number of festivals are organized in the holidays. Holidays in China are cardinally decided on the basis of solar and lunar calendars. Festivals are organized as per the weather. There are spring festivals, summer festivals, winter festivals and autumn festivals in China. Norms: Chinese people have their own standards for mannerism and etiquettes. Chinese people are very particular about their reverence and image. Chinese people tend to avoid circumstances where their reputation could be challenged. Shouting in public or argument in a public place is considered offensive. (Smith, 2010). Any action, be it normal in other cultures, is considered to be a severe offense in China should it cast a negative impression of the personality of a Chinese person. Besides, Chinese people are generally quite reluctant to fight and live in harmony. Extensive debates over petty issues are considered positive because they cause a spread of awareness and knowledge. The culture of UAE: Food: People of UAE enjoy nutritionally rich cuisine that is fundamentally based on Halal food, as per the teaching of Islam, given Islam is the religion of a majority of native people. UAE cuisine is known for its diversity and richness in terms of taste, freshness and chastity. Majority of people in UAE are meat lovers, and make frequent use of natural herbs and dry fruits in foods including olives, almonds, walnuts, and dates. Date desserts are very famous in the Arabic culture. Clothing: Natives of UAE are characterized by their elegant clothes. Clothes for both men and women sufficiently cover up all parts of the body and the overall look is modest and as per the dictations of Islam. Women tend to wear black gown over their clothes, and men dress up in white kurtas that fall that cover them from shoulders to feet. Additionally, they tie red and white checked handkerchiefs around their heads as a measure to prevent their heads from the scorching heat of UAE. However, UAE is accoutered with a large population of foreigners that dress as per their own wont and traditions. Festivals: Festivals in UAE are traditionally pertinent to religion Islam. Therefore, main festivals in UAE constitute Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Azha. Apart from them, Dubai shopping festival offers a wide range of recreational facilities and is one of its kind among all festivals in Asia. (Compare Infobase Limited, n.d.). Dubai shopping festival typically occurs in summer. Since UAE is among the main countries involved in universal trade, there is a large variety of products that are exhibited in the Dubai shopping festival. Norms: People offer hospitality to foreigners and strangers. There is strict enforcement of law and order in UAE, and the laws are inflexible towards any sect or community. This has a huge positive influence on the general quality of life in UAE. People enjoy complete freedom in terms of practicing religion and varying customs. It is because of the hospitality of the native people, that UAE is equipped with an enormously large population of foreigners. Besides, the local traditions and customs are mainly pertinent to the teachings of Islam, since Arabic culture is fundamentally influenced by Islam. It is so not only in UAE, but all other Arabic countries as well. Comparison: Chinese culture has traditionally maintained its originality by the immense pride sought by the Chinese people in their traditions. Chinese culture is least influenced by external factors unlike many other cultures that keep maturing over the time with the advent of foreigners. UAE culture is increasingly being influenced by constant in-pour of foreigners. Food is a specialty both in UAE and China. Both countries are ranked high in culinary competitions, and their foods are appreciated in cuisines all over the world. Both Chinese and UAE cultures are signified by their distinct clothes. Traditional clothes in both countries are very modest. However, traditional UAE outfit accords with the harsh weather conditions. Chinese is conventionally spoken only in China whereas Arabic is spoken in many countries other than UAE. Number of festivals in China is considerably larger than that in UAE because of the fact that festivals in China keep being organized off and on throughout the year for reasons other than religious. (Anon, 2010). People natives of both countries are extremely nice in their attitude. Cases of racism are almost non-existent. However, natives of UAE generally spend more lavish lifestyle than Chinese owing to the abundance of wealth in UAE because of oil. References: Anon, 2010, Chinese Festivals & Events, viewed 20 November, 2010, . Compare Infobase Limited, n.d., Festivals in UAE, viewed 20 November, 2010, . My-Qipao.com, 2010, Chinese clothing, especially Chinese dress Qipao / Cheongsam, viewed 20 November, 2010, . Smith, SE, 2010, What Should I Know about Chinese Etiquette? Conjecture Corporation, viewed 20 November, 2010, . Read More