the Differences between Chinese and American Values

the Differences between Chinese and American Values

Decade of years have witnessed a gradually change of people's value toward their lives. And it is commonly acknowledged that there are some differences between Chinese and American, which can be recognized as the represent for Chinese and America culture respectively. The following paragraphs will state this point of view further.

Chinese Values:

In China, Confucian thought has dominated the Chinese way of life for almost 2,000 years. In Song Dynasty, ZhuXi, a famous academician, carried forward Confucian thought. So, the widely accepted traditional values derive largely from the influence of Confucian philosophy and they are at the very core of Chinese identity.

The Chinese value the importance of the family, the hierarchical structure of social life, the cultivation of morality and self-restraint and the emphasis on hard work and achievement. In many ways the family unit is more important than its individual members. Children must learn not to answer back to their parents or other elders. Chinese values emphasize loyalty to the community and the country, modesty and righteousness in social activities. In Chinese tradition, the interest of the community is always more important than that of the individual.

There are also lots of values in China,such as:filial piety, thrift, diligent, golden mean, rite, righteousness and so on.

American values:

The formation of American values is combine Americans' frontier heritage's values with European early settlers' values together.

We hold these truths to be self-evident,that all man are created equal,that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights and that among these are Life,Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

——The Declaration of Independence

Basic American values include individual freedom, self-reliance, equality of opportunity, hard work, material wealth, and competition. It is the cornerstone of American values. On the aspect of freedom, Americans mean the desire and the right of all individuals to control their fate without any other interference. They are highly individualistic in their thoughts and actions. With great emphasis on individual values, each person is seen as separate. Social relations are based on the autonomy of each person, which means that each person should be treated as an individual first and then as a member of a group. Individuals must learn to rely on themselves, otherwise they may risk losing freedom. Individualism often entail privacy. The notion of individual privacy is seen as desirable and highly valued by Americans. Equality or fairness is highly cherished in USA. On the aspect of equality, Americans mean that each individual should have an equal chance for success. Americans believes that all people are created equal and that all should have an equal opportunity to succeed. Every one has the right to compete with others equally.

To sum up what I have illustrate above, there is a point where both us Chinese and American should reach that although a various differences exist, we could not decide which is better or not superficially. In fact, as an undergraduate, we need to not only conserve the positive parts but also abandon the negative aspects decidedly.