Chinese and American Worldviews
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Chinese and American worldviews differ partly because of historically different methods of structuring the family environment.American homes valorize privacy and individuality, and Chinese homes have few privacy boundaries. In America, protection of children is a primary family value, and in China children are reared to care for and revere elder generations. The culture of American individualism and indepedence in families is replicated in American education, and traditional Chinese education is more group oriented. American education stresses individual creativity and learning styles, and Chinese education stresses conformity and traditional values. American ethnocentric attitudes absorbed in education manifest as active sense of superiority vis-à-vis the rest of the world, and Chinese ethnocentrism manifests as passive superiority. There is a bigger gap between the America idealized at school and actual experience than there is between the China pictured a school and students' actual experience Social needs and values come down to property rights and conflict in America and to acceptance of injustices as a natural part of life in China. From an early age, American children learn to seek advantage competitively but also to seek approval and independence in their peer group. In China, children are more likely to identify socially with their family status and bring that identification and mutual family dependence to relationships with their peers.
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es, but virtually all citizens consider their government accessible.
Americans identify and engage with their government in ways that Chinese do not.
Chinese "steer clear" of their government when possible.
In China and Taiwan, the tendency has been toward more centralization of government, but "local gentry" with aristocratic attributes have traditionally held sway over practical matters.
The principle of federalism in the US makes individuals political stakeholders and puts them in closer connection with politics and political leaders.
Chapter 9
American and Chinese conceptions of religion are dramatically different.
Chinese religion is deemed a comfort and aid in adversity.
Americans' idea of religion is evangelical and normative.
The Chinese view of religion is like its view of society: hierarchical, spirit-filled, bureaucratic, having greater and lesser deities.
The Chinese god-concept is distinguished by a "lack of intimacy" between god and man, though gods are thought to have various effects on human life.
Ancestor worship is a distinctive feature of Chinese religious experience, with the dead transmitting personal and social values down the generations.
Chinese polytheism is consistent with China's social str
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Chinese American, China Chinese, American Christian, Western Chinese, China Fear, American Chinese, Racism America, Taoist Mohist, Traditionally China's, China Taiwan, culture american, security human relationships, china children, chinese music, actual experience, security human, human relationships, individual creativity, fosters personal, american education, mutual dependence,
Approximate Word count = 1412
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)
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