Intercultural Communications with Chinese Culture - Essay Example

The Chinese Culture Central to the Chinese culture is the impact of agriculture, which is the primary source of livelihood, on their norms and values. This is depicted by their adverse attitude towards modernization as it implies quickening the process of production; yet agriculture involves a process starting from planting and ending at harvesting. In turn, this has made the Chinese become known for their patience. In addition, the Chinese are seen to be conservative owing to the fact that a farmer’s life, generally, will take course in a permanent way such that a family will reside at a farm located far from the city and survive on farming activities that can support a large population. This also explains the communal nature of Chinese, their lives are relatively settled and this reliance on agriculture accounts for their attachment to the earth. Furthermore, the Chinese language is seen to adopt ancient characters that are names of natural botanical plants (Wu). Being Chinese is perceived as a cultural identity rather than a matter of race, implying that anyone of a different descent who abides by their cultural values and norms can be called Chinese. From an informal aspect, the Chinese refer to themselves as sons of Han, which is the majority ethnic population in the country. Overall, there are 56 ethnic groups but overtime the 55 have come to be assimilated to the Han group. Moreover, the Mandarin dialect identifiable with the Han and their administrative system has been made official by the Chinese government. This implies that all Chinese must familiarize themselves with these; however, there are legal systems in place that protect the minorities. Their existence is important to the overall Chinese population because of the territories they are found in, and the cultural relations they have with neighboring countries such as North Korea, Thailand and Kazakhstan. Therefore, the Chinese government must acknowledge their existence to avoid any threats to their national security (“Chinese Cultural Studies”). Personally, I belong to the Bai ethnic community that originates from Southwest China particularly from Yunnan province. My ancestors occupied the Yunnan-Guizhou region that features many rivers including Nujiang and Lancang. Combined with the large tracts of land and dense forests, the river valleys present in this region provided for abundance in fruits and produce; in general a stunning landscape. Our ancestors clad in white sheepskin which resulted to our title Bai as it means white men while the language they spoke is called Pai and has remained undocumented. The ancestral Bai community recorded a host of literary works on their struggles against oppression and nature and way of life. Central to their culture was also music and dance where creation such as the “Lion Dance” has become widely recognized. Notably as well, is chuichui, which is the Bai opera that includes elements of dancing and folk music, and absorbs some styles of the Han operas. Besides that, the Bai community had painters with the most famous work being a depiction of the Resurgence of Nanzhao, which was later stolen by foreign imperialists (“The Bai ethnic minority”). I was born and raised in Beijing as my parents intended for my siblings and I to pursue world-class education and get exposure on modernization. Our closest relation is to the Chinese Yi where family is seen as the most important aspect of life. Our ancestors’ diet included wheat, rice, vegetables, fish suggesting that the main agricultural practices were farming, and fishing. The worst oppression faced by the Bai was in 1949 where Chinese troops attempted to force them out of their ancestral lands, leading to a rising prejudice between the Han and other ethnic communities. Over time our culture and language has become eroded since we have become absorbed into the communist world. Presently, the Bai community resides in remote areas away from modernization, resulting in minimal improvements in their way of living (“The Bai ethnic minority”). People from the Bai community have three dialects of their language; the Southern dialect, the Northern dialect also referred to as Bijiang dialect and the Central dialect commonly termed Dali dialect. Falling under the Sino-Tibetan family, the Bai language is spoken exclusively by people that reside in the remote mountainous regions but those that reside close to towns are bilingual as they can speak Chinese too. Due to the implementation and popularization of the ethnic policy by the Chinese government, the Bai people have developed a sense of pride towards their language and used it as a mark of their identity as an ethnic group (Zhou and Sun 278). Commonly attached to the existence of supernatural, beliefs are viewpoints, ideas and knowledge shared by persons of a particular ethnic group or community. These aspects also entail attitudes, emotions and values, which cause a community to ascribe to certain code of conduct that stems from the social experiences of its people over time. Historically, beliefs have been passed on using folklores, proverbs and myths; and these have influenced traditions and culture of those communities. My community consists of Buddhists whereby a communal god is worshipped and sacrifices and offerings of valuable items such as cattle are made; the other elements of Buddhism include right thinking and prayers to ancestors where nowadays, special ceremonies are held to pray for the ancestors of a family. These three aspects are believed to be necessary, as they will allow one to experience Nirvana which is a state of bliss at the time of passing on, still widely practiced, is the act of calling a Buddhist priest whenever one falls ill (Hattaway). Contextually denoted as a set of standards or guidelines ascribed to by people of a particular social setting, values are inherent and thus can only be determined by observing human behavior over a period. Marriages in my community are usually monogamous and contrary to most Chinese tribes, girls and boys are viewed equally. In the olden days, men and women carried out the same type of work in the lands and this has resulted in Bai women being known for their strength. Hence, it can be perceived that monogamy is a primary value among people of my community. Arranged marriages were a common practice as well, where marriages involving cousins were ordinary. Although boys and girls were held equal in work, when it came to matters of inheritance of land, women were denied the privilege. Another controversial aspect of values within my community was high dowry that led some families to falling into debt. The most significant custom among the Baizi, their own reference, is the tea ceremony that is carried out during marriages and festivals. It features three tasting sessions in the order of bitter in the first taste, sweet in the second and in the third reflection is achieved. This is because the third tea features a sweet, spicy and coarse taste that leaves an aftertaste. The ceremony follows 18 processes that embody etiquette, beauty and honesty, all which explain the hospitable nature of Baizi. The Baizi hold the three courses as a philosophy of life where one should learn to work hard, endure the bitterness, reap the fruits and then reflect on the process as an aftertaste. Also known in my community, is our fish that is prepared in sand-boiler and features approximately 20 flavorings; and leaving the soup and flesh with an aftertaste. This follows their right thinking mentality as a step towards achieving Nirvana (“The Bai Ethnic Group”). Because of our willingness to interact and communicate with other ethnic communities, we have come to be known for absorbing other cultures. In addition, we have had highly developed transportation and agricultural systems, which has attracted foreign communities whose culture we have also absorbed. This has resulted in a non-prejudicial tendency within our community, which is an aspect I am proud to be associated with. More so, our tea ceremony and fish delicacy that follows a life philosophy has brought me great pride. I consider this my culture, farmers with a sense of indulgence; owing to the fact that we indulge in festivities through music and dances reflecting our recreational side. We are also renowned for our creativity as evidenced by the architectural design of the Chongsheng Temple. Our inclination to beauty arises from the Butterfly spring in the Dali region, which is our original inhabitant. Customs that I disagree with from my culture include high dowry demanded during weddings and land inheritance to men only. The former is detrimental as incapable families end up falling into debt; the latter is palpably unfair; furthermore, families are told to make ritual sacrifices of valuable items which may be out of their capability; sending them into caste. This is not a fair tradition, as worship should be a matter of non-material things such as good deed and not material items. Baizi are known for hospitality as shown by their gestures to visitors, where a visitor is offered a full glass of wine, which they choose to drink or not. This depicts an interactive way of communication, as visitors will feel accommodated. Children are also taught to honor their elders by offering them a seat, cigarette or tea. The oldest person in a Bai homestead is offered the head seat at the table and the first tea brewed in the morning. Their appreciation for beauty depicts a cheerful nature in my community as most our attire will feature flowers and the moon in mostly white. However, nowadays other bright colors that include pink and purple are featured. Their literary works and poems have been acclaimed for the creativity, and this has illustrated their adept communication. When communicating with people from different cultures, I try to be an active listener in order to gain knowledge about the other party. This will help me understand their behavior and know how to adjust my own to ensure that there is no misinterpretation or miscommunication. Mostly, I make sure I do not offend the other party through use of ‘unacceptable’ words or language, before any rapport has been established. Where it is possible to have an intermediary when communicating with someone from a different culture, I seek help from them to ensure that I fully understand the other party. Nevertheless, I keep wary of any bias that may arise where the intermediary shares the same culture as the other party which may imply that they will favor their culture more than mine, in case of a dispute. Fundamentally, during cross-cultural communication, one should employ patience and understanding in order to ensure information is relayed effectively. Therefore, my four strategies are being an active listener, being prepared to adjust my language or behavior, having an intermediary and gaining knowledge about the other culture. Works Cited Wu, S. Joseph. Basic Characteristics of Chinese Culture. n.d. Web. 6 May 2013 “Chinese Cultural Studies: Ethnography of China”. brooklyn.cuny.edu. n.d. Web. 6 May 2013 “The Bai ethnic minority”. china.org. n.d. Web. 6 May 2013 Zhou, Minglang and Sun, Hongkai. Language Policy in the People’s Republic of China: Theory and Practice since 1949. New York City: Springer. Hattaway, Paul. “Bai of China”. Joshuaproject. n.d. Web. 6 May 2013 “The Bai Ethnic Group”. n.d. Web. 6 May 2013 Read More