Intercultural Blog Project on the culture of China.
Hello, My name is Lumumba Diop. I am a student at City College of San Francisco. This blog is an assignment for my Intercultural Communication course taught by Dr. Jennifer Kienzle. If you have any questions or comments about this project, please contact Dr. Kienzle: jkienzle@ccsf.edu
This blog project will be focusing on aspects of the Chinese culture such as some history, cultural challenges, and tips for outsiders to communicate more effectively with someone of the culture.
With thousands of years of continuous history, China is made of many different Dynasties. It is one of the world’s oldest civilizations and is regarded as one of the cradles of civilization
Xia dynasty(2070–1600 BC)
Shang dynasty (1600–1046 BC)
Zhou dynasty(1046–256 BC)
Imperial China
The Imperial Period of China is divided into three sub periods: Early, Middle, and Late.
The Early sub period of the Qin, saw unification of China and their replacement by the Han. The First Split followed by the Jin unification, and the loss of north China. The Middle subperiod was marked by the Sui unification and their supplementation by the Tang, this caused the Second Split, and the Song unification. The Late subperiod included the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties.
Modern China
Young officials, military officers, and students were frustrated by the Qing court’s in ability to reform; by China’s weakness. So they began to advocate the overthrow of the Qing dynasty and created the republic. Inspired by the revolutionary ideas of Sun Yat-sen created a revolutionary military uprising, called the Wuchang Uprising, this began on 10 October 1911, in Wuhan. The Republic of China was formed in Nanjing on 12 March 1912. This is what ended 2,000 years of dynastic rule in China.
This led to….
People’s Republic of China (since 1949)
Mao Zedong of the Communist Party of China (CPC) proclaimed the People’s Republic of China (PRC) from atop Tiananmen.
Interviews
I had the ability to interview to interview two people from the Chinese culture. Their names have been changed for privacy.
Interview 1
About you
International Student at CCSF from
Business Administration Major
Hobbies or interests?
Chinese Dramas
Where any family members were influential in your upbringing? If so, how did they influence you?
“Many parents in the Asian culture are controlling over their kids, My parents were different they let me make my own decisions, which is different from others in my control”.
What did that do for you?
“This developed a sense of independence within me: helped me in my transition into America”
What language did you speak in the household?
Mandarin/ Cantonese/ Taiwanese Dialect
Can you think of a specific instance of when your culture played a major role in your childhood?
“In school it was confusing to be taught only Mandarin but speak Taiwanese at home. It can feel like that my Taiwan culture is lost through having to “code switch” with my dialect”
If you had to describe your culture to an outsider, how would you describe the values and practices?Is there anything that an outsider should know about your culture?
“Chinese Culture is very caring. The culture is invested in collectivism, People in China think more about others rather than themselves. We care more about what others think about us”.
Challenges and tips
Can you describe an instance when your culture became a challenge to you?
“People in different parts of china can tell through physical appearance and through accents where you are from geographically”.
“When I went to Beijing, someone made fun of my Taiwanese accent, because I lived outside of the city”.
Now that we have discussed challenges, are there any communication tips for outsiders to communicate with members of your culture respectfully.
“In Chinese culture it is important to respect all elders and children”
Interview 2
About You
“I was born in China and immigrated to the US when I was ten years old, I was raised in the southern part of china Guangzhou until I was ten”
“I was raised in the village and felt safe living in the village as opposed to the city life”
What family members were influential in your upbringing?What language did you speak?
“My parents worked very hard to teach me how to work hard and they taught me how to work hard in America”
“ We spoke Cantonese”
Was there a specific instance of when your culture played a major role in your childhood?
“There was a test in China called the “GaoKao” also known as the higher education exam, which determined your chances to go to college”
“Many people didn’t pass this test and were forced into certain professions but many people study hard for years”
Describe your culture to an outsider, what are the values and practices?
“I think as I got older, I found that the culture is very reserved .Speaking up is not normal in our culture”
“And it’s made me reserved as well”
“Standing out in China, can be detrimental depending on the circumstance”
Challenges and Tips
“Speaking up was a challenge for me, because I couldn’t speak my mind”
“Asking “Why” is not asked a lot in the culture, what is said isn’t up for negotiation”
“A challenge is too respect others; you must use the correct name terms. As well as being loud can looked at as being disrespectful or obnoxious “
Tips
“Not too much eye contact, be mild mannered”
“Elders love to be introduced to outsiders who try to make an effort respect their own culture”
