Culture differences between America and China
Although we all live on the same Earth which everything is linked, there are various differences between us because we are from different countries. Among these differences, I believe that the most common one is the culture differences. During my time in America, I have noticed three major cultural differences between China and America.
First of all, it is not uncommon to see that American people will greet to every one they meet. In China, the relationship between strangers is very weak and strangers are very indifferent to each other. It is not surprised to see that we even do not know who are our neighbors, not even to greet with them. Sometimes, we may not know the person living a wall behind us is a man or woman. However, in America, people will greet to each other even though they are totally strangers. Life abounds with such examples. When I get on a bus, the driver will say:“Hi, good morning!”. When I walk out from my dorm room, the floor cleaner will greet me with:“ Hi, how is your day?”. The same scene will happen when I go to the cafeteria or the convenient store. However, In China, if I need to purchase something in the market, there is usually no conversation between cashier and me, not even a greeting.
What’s more, American people are very polite. It is frequently to hear “Excuse me!”,“Sorry!”and “Thank you!” in America’s daily life. At first, I cannot totally understand why people are so polite to others, but then I realize that it is a American culture, which I think is a worth learning virtue. Also, American people seldom talk loudly in public occasions. They respect the peace of others, especially in the library, theater, and restaurant. In contrast, Chinese people prefer to talk loudly especially during the eating time because they think that it is very festival. In addition, American drivers will respect passengers and obey traffic rules more than Chinese drivers. In China, it is unlikely that drivers will wait for passengers to walk across the street if they reach a green light.
Finally, the privacy is more important in America than in China. It is thought a aggressive thing to talk with Americans some personal topics, such as the age, income and marriage situation. However, it is very common to see in China that elders will inquire your job, marriage and salary to express that they are concerned with you, and it is as normal as they greet to you.
There are plenty of cultural differences between America and China, and I believe that what we need to do is just understand them, and accept them.
