Running Head: EXPLORING CHINESE CULTURE AND STEREOTYPES

Exploring Chinese Culture And Stereotypes

Connor G. Roberts
University Of Kentucky

EXPLORING CHINESE CULTURE AND STEREOTYPES

Abstract

This paper explores many different things about the chinese culture. Some of these things are stereotypes,
gender roles, religion, holidays, communication, food, and societal differences from what we know in the
U.S. The purpose of this paper is to better inform you on many of these subject areas because many
Americans and people throughout the world have their own ideas of what they might think the Chinese
Culture is like and after this reading it will probably change your perspective in some manner. The
information that is used was compiled from interviews with 2 students of the Chinese culture along with
scholarly articles and reliable internet research. The two things that are hit strongly and focused on the
most is stereotypes and societal differences because that is what effects the reader the most. This is
because all of us hold stereotypes in some way and we all know that our culture is much different than
that of the Chinese, but what we dont know which is where we develop most of our stereotypes.
Keywords: Stereotypes, Gender roles, Cultural norms.

EXPLORING CHINESE CULTURE AND STEREOTYPES

The concepts, culture, ideas, and communication norms of China is very broad and different from
what we know as Americans. In America, we see and probably know Chinese immigrants. We stereotype
these people because many of us have never really took the time to figure out their culture and who they
are and what theyre about. The only way to truly understand a different culture is to take the time to

research and learn about another culture and not follow the stereotypical assumptions that many
Americans have. I conducted interviews with two chinese students by the names of Jacob and Zach who
Ill refer to in this paper along with multiple internet research sources. These next paragraphs will give
you a lot of basic information about the Chinese culture so you can better understand it.
As Americans almost all of us have stereotyped Asian or Chinese people. I can say that Im guilty
of this as well. Growing up as a student at my high school, I always viewed Chinese or Asian students as
being smarter or well-gifted. They tended to be very driven in their work and got good grades, so a
stereotype that I began to live with is that all Chinese students were very intelligent. In athletics at my
high school, the Asian students tended to specialize in one sport and were driven to be the best they could
at it. The leading scorer on my basketball team my senior year was half Chinese so when Id see Asians
compete in athletics, I always thought they must be really good and dedicated or else they wouldnt be
playing. In my interviews, I began to hear some different feedback from Chinese American students
whove been stereotyped by the same stereotypes that I had on Chinese American students. In my first
interview I had with Jacob, a Chinese American student who moved to the U.S. 6 years ago, he talked
about how Asian students are viewed in the school systems academically. He quickly discussed that in his
school many teachers would always compliment him and the other Asian students on their work ,but that
their work was not much different than the other students who werent Asian and that it was more just
something in their mind making them think that theyre actually doing
EXPLORING CHINESE CULTURE AND STEREOTYPES

so great in the classroom(J. Huang, Personal Communication, September 17, 2014). In my second
interview with Zach, a student who has a Chinese grandfather and although was born in the U.S, still
carries his Chinese heritage with him, he talked about being stereotyped athletically. He was a kicker for
his high schools football team and said people always perceived his ability as something he just had as
being Asian. He talked about how it was more the fact that he just worked very hard at it and was
dedicated to it that he had the ability to be a good kicker( Z. Durham, Personal
Communication,September 24, 2014) .

As Americans, we tend to get these stereotypes at a very early age. We begin to develop these
perceptions from television/social media, knowing an Asian student that does fall into some of the
stereotypical categories that we normally think of, and word of mouth just being where youre from and
who first told you what to think about another culture. Television is something that Is largely contributing
to stereotypes we have on the Chinese. South Park, a show that prides themselves on making fun of
everyone, has stereotyped the Chinese a lot. The Chinese people in the show barely have any bit of their
eyeball showing as the show makes the statement that all Asians have squinty eyes and the Asian people
in the show can not say city instead they say shity. The University of Texas has some interesting numbers
though that would surprise many Americans about Asian students. Asian American college students are
more likely to seek medical leave, more likely to go on academic probation, and are less likely to graduate
in 4 years. Also, 33% of Asian American students drop out of high school or dont graduate on time(UT,
& Lee, S.J 1996) .
Chinese cultural communications and interactions have changed quite greatly over the years and
is very diverse and different from where it once was. In my interviews I got some interesting information.
From Jacob, he said greetings have changed but right now its very normal to just shake hands but you
never see people hug or show physical affection( J. Huang, Personal Communication,
EXPLORING CHINESE CULTURE AND STEREOTYPES

September 17, 2014). Zach mentioned in his interview that in more formal settings people are likely to
bow but in common settings that shaking hands is more common and greetings have become more like
the U.S. In the past it was much more common to nod and to show acknowledgement(Z. Durham,
Personal Communication, September 24, 2014). The business world in China has very specific rules and
norms that must be followed such as: not using hand movements, avoiding physical contact, avoid
anything with your mouth be it odd movements or touching it, and avoid pointing at anything and instead
use open palms if you must show something(UT Dallas MBA Graduates 2012).
Gender roles are something that have a long history in China and have changed quite a bit over
the years. In imperial China, women were viewed as a subordinate to men and only controlled power in

things like the family and home. Chinas traditional role of Confucianism is something that plays a part in
gender roles because it berates women who are strong and vocal (OSullivan 2012). China becoming a
communist country contributed to gender equality making gender roles not as far apart as they used to be.
Masculinity in China isnt exactly defined as being manly its defined more as having power(Furuoka, &
Nikitina, 2013) . Many women in China today are becoming more and more strong and Independent.
Icons like Li Yuchun, a women on a popular tv show, who is a tall, tomboyish character with a low voice
and very strong and self-independent has helped pave the way for women to step up in society and
demand equal power( Wen 2013). Women in China are more likely to marry for money than for
compatibility though, which gives a bit of perspective in the Chinese Culture (OSullivan 2012). In my
interview with Jacob, he talked about how China has changed now in that men arent shy to meet women
any more and theyre able to go out and interact with each other while they used to just sit around and
wait when it came to marriage and things(J. Huang, Personal Communication, September 17, 2014). As
far as employment goes Men are considered to be more likely candidates for work positions than women
because women are considered
EXPLORING CHINESE CULTURE AND STEREOTYPES

child bearers(OSullivan 2012). Comparing China to the U.S when it comes to gender equality they are
almost exactly the same. In the United Nations Development Programmes Human Development report
the U.S scored a 37 and China 38 out of 100(OSullivan 2012).
Holidays and food are something that define culture and Chinas are quite interesting. In my
interview with Jacob, he mentioned multiple holidays that China has. The Palm Spring Festival is
considered to be the biggest and the Moon festival is considered to be another. Palm Spring Festival lasts
a week and Jacob told me that its very comparable to what we have as New Years just that theirs lasts a
whole week. The Moon Festival is a holiday where everyone eats mooncakes and is a lot like our version
of Thanksgiving(J. Huang, Personal Communication, September 17, 2014). In my interview with Zach,
he mentioned that people in China often eat with chopsticks but in my interview with Jacob, he said some
people are starting to use spoons and forks which is considered being a sign of high class(Z. Durham,

Personal Communication, September 24, 2014). Jacob also talked to me about the differences between
eating in China vs. the U.S. In the U.S, we eat all types of foods, be it hot or cold. He said in China that
they only eat hot food. He also discussed the difference about how in the U.S, we have breakfast foods
and dinner foods. In China they eat the same type of stuff be it breakfast or dinner. Food in the U.S is
much more diverse than what they have in China, as well being we have all different types of foods from
all different types of countries and backgrounds while in China they only have a few options(J. Huang,
Personal Communication, September 17, 2014).
Religion is something that defines many countries but China is one where its a bit different.
China does have freedom of religion but it is strongly regulated in the practices of them(UT Dallas MBA
Graduates 2012). ( The number one religion in China is that their isnt one because the majority of
Chinese by a massive margin are atheists.) The two religions that are represented though and are
commonly practiced is Christianity and Islam( UT Dallas MBA Graduates 2012). Confucianism is
EXPLORING CHINESE CULTURE AND STEREOTYPES

something though that in a way takes place of religion. Its is considered an ethical and social
philosophical practice rather than religion. Although religion isnt a large part of the Chinese culture,
people still do have strong moral values and follow things like Confucianism. In my interview with Jacob,
he talked about how China is a very family oriented culture and that it matters very much. He mentioned
how parents will go out of their way to offer better opportunities for their child and that also parents
arent the sole ones to raise you. Grandparents often assist because when parents are at work the
grandchildren often watch the child and grandparents like having grandchildren with them to keep them
company(J. Huang, Personal Communication, September 17, 2014).
Putting it into perspective though what are the differences in the Chinese culture vs. the U.S
culture? Jacob showed me in our interview an awesome website that showed side by side comparisons of
real example differences between the U.S. culture, and the the Chinese culture. There were 24 different
examples and Im going to explain them all. Some of these were briefly covered in the earlier paragraphs.
In U.S. culture, we tend to be straight and to the point when discussing a subject. In the Chinese culture,

they work their ways in and out around things confusing you and then maybe youll understand their
point at the end. In the U.S. were an individualistic society, while in China they are a collectivist and
tend to all be the same. In U.S. culture you are supposed to be on time, while in China that time might
vary from a little bit early to 15 or 20 minutes late. U.S. social connections tend to be broken up into you
know these type of people who you know that they know, while in China somehow everybody seems to
know somebody who knows everybody. In the U.S. we tend to display our emotions almost all the time
no matter how were feeling while in China they always tend to put on a smile no matter how they feel.
When waiting in line in the U.S., we tend to be orderly in a single order while in China its a cluster and
bulge to get as close as they can to the front.In the U.S., we tend to be the most important part of our lives
and look as ourselves as being a big deal, while in China
EXPLORING CHINESE CULTURE AND STEREOTYPES

they view themselves as a small person and just a part of something bigger. In streetlife the U.S. tends to
be pretty spaced out and it isnt too very crowded while in China streets are packed with people.At parties
or dining in the U.S., we tend to breakout into our own little smaller sections, while in China they have
one big circle of people.At dining the noise in the U.S is fairly quiet or moderate while in China the place
is very loud and noisy. In the U.S the preferred drink would be considered either a cola or a beer, while in
China, people prefer a hot pot of tea. In the U.S, we tend to go and travel and see things for ourselves,
while in China, they prefer to look at pictures and when they do travel they always bring a camera.
Beauty in the U.S is normally described as being tan with a darker complexion as we see many people
who attend tanning beds, while in China, fair skin is considered to be the sign of beauty and women will
even use umbrellas when the sun is out to keep it from tanning their skin.When problems arise in the U.S,
we tend to find a way to fix the problem and work our way through, but in the Chinese culture they, tend
to avoid problems and find ways around them.In the U.S, we tend to eat 3 meals a day that all are
somewhat different. We may eat food hot, cold, or just like the way youd eat a piece of bread. In China,
meals are almost always hot and they eat the same types of food for breakfast as dinner because they
dont eat certain foods at only certain times of the day. In the U.S, weve always drove cars but some

people are trying to become more eco friendly and are choosing to ride bikes instead now, but China has
actually had the opposite because they used to always travel by bike but now cars and such are becoming
a much more popular thing when it comes to transportation. Elderly in the U.S like to have pets to keep
them company, while in China they, like to have a grandchild with them. In the U.S, its common for us
to shower in the morning before we go out for our day, but in the Chinese culture, they prefer to shower at
the end of the day. In the U.S, we like good weather so when its sunny or not raining, while in China,
they tend to like all the weather be it a storm or a sunny day.In U.S working environments, our bosses
usually are only a little bit stronger
EXPLORING CHINESE CULTURE AND STEREOTYPES

than us and dont have crazy power over us, while in China bosses tend to have all the power and their
workers fall far below them. Trends in the U.S when it comes to dining are becoming more different
because were tending to experiment with different kinds of food, while in China they are doing the same
thing as they are beginning to eat foods that require a knife and fork. Were both actually doing the same
thing in this area just going after the other guys stuff. In the U.S, a child is raised by its parents and
grandparents help just a little while in China, a child is raised just as much by its parents as its
grandparents the child is shared by everyone in the family. In the U.S many people avoid things that are
uncertain or new to them while in China, they tend to gravitate directly towards it. As Americans, we
view the chinese as being people who have goatees and are very old looking souls that eat with chopsticks
while they view us as being partiers who eat a lot of fattening foods and drink beer(J. Huang, Personal
Communication, September 17, 2014)(Izismile, East vs. West, Cultural Differences 2013).
The Chinese culture is very different from what we know as being Americans. Their differences
make their country no better or worse than what we have though. Many of these concepts and ideas
should give you a better idea of what the Chinese culture is about and hopefully change your mind on
some of the stereotypes we have today on the Chinese culture.
References

OSullivan, K. (2012). The Role of Women in China. Fair Observer Retrieved From
,www.FairObserver.com/Region/centralsouthasia/rolewomenchina.com
University of Texas (2012). Model Minority Stereotype for Asian Americans. Retrieved From
www.cmhc.utexas.edu/modelminority.com
UT Dallas Global MBA Graduates (2012). China Business Etiquette, Culture, and Manners. Retrieved
From www.cyborlink.com/ Besite/China.com
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Izismile (2013). Differences of Eastern vs. Western Cultures. Retrieved from

www.Izismile.com/funcreativeillustrations/highlightthedifferencesofeastern24pics.com
Huike, W.(2013). Diversifyingmasculinity=supergirls,happy boys, cross-dressers, and real men on
Chinese media. Asiannetwork exchange, 21(1),1-11.
Nikitina,L. , & Furuoka, F. (2013). DRAGON, KUNG FU AND JACKIE CHAN. STEREOTYPES
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Desired Skin Tones

www.izismile.com/funcreativeillusrations/highlightthedifferencesof 24pics.com Retrieved on October 16
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Solving Problems
www.izismile.com/funcreativeillustrations/highlightthedifferencesof24pics.com Retrieved on October 16
2014