{"id":428,"date":"2023-10-24T03:58:43","date_gmt":"2023-10-23T19:58:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/2023\/10\/24\/the-7-differences-between-western-and-chinese-culture\/"},"modified":"2024-04-29T17:34:29","modified_gmt":"2024-04-29T09:34:29","slug":"the-7-differences-between-western-and-chinese-culture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/the-7-differences-between-western-and-chinese-culture\/","title":{"rendered":"The 7 Differences Between Western and Chinese Culture"},"content":{"rendered":"<blockquote><p>Have you had any misunderstandings with Chinese? The cultural differences between the west and the east will cause different attitudes and practices to certain things. So it is necessary to enhance communications and understanding of both sides.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Have you had any misunderstandings with Chinese? The cultural differences between the west and the east will cause different <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/jobs\">attitudes<\/a> and practices to certain things. So it is necessary to enhance communications and understanding of both sides. To make you get along with Chinese easier, I summarize the 10 different habits and preferences between foreigners and Chinese.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.hiredchina.com\/Fuz5Zw0w8GY6DmZamsCKYwP_8DDt?imageView2\/0\/format\/webp\/q\/75\" alt=\"1.jpeg\" width=\"598\" height=\"797.3333333333334\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_73 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/the-7-differences-between-western-and-chinese-culture\/#Eating\" title=\"Eating\">Eating<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/the-7-differences-between-western-and-chinese-culture\/#Visiting_Ones_Home\" title=\"Visiting One\u2019s Home\">Visiting One\u2019s Home<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/the-7-differences-between-western-and-chinese-culture\/#Giving_Presents\" title=\"Giving Presents\">Giving Presents<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/the-7-differences-between-western-and-chinese-culture\/#Expressing_Thanks\" title=\"Expressing Thanks\">Expressing Thanks<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/the-7-differences-between-western-and-chinese-culture\/#Bathing\" title=\"Bathing\">Bathing<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/the-7-differences-between-western-and-chinese-culture\/#Cooking\" title=\"Cooking\">Cooking<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/the-7-differences-between-western-and-chinese-culture\/#Supporting_The_Old\" title=\"Supporting The Old\">Supporting The Old<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Eating\"><\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #e33737;\">Eating<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.hiredchina.com\/FhqiguE4pypC-WPnGEq6ABNTJKu4?imageView2\/0\/format\/webp\/q\/75\" alt=\"2.jpeg\" width=\"598\" height=\"432.55333333333334\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople are iron, rice is steel, and you\u2019ll feel hungry without a meal\u201d. Food is an important part of our daily life. There are many differences between westerners and Chinese on the dinner table.<\/p>\n<p>If you have dinner in a westerner\u2019s home, they may just prepare one dish on the table, they also like to say: \u201cThe dish is quite good; or the dish is quite famous\u201d. While Chinese people will say: \u201cNot much food, just take some\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Foreigners will let guests choose their favourite food on the table. While Chinese, in order to show their hospitality, prefer to use chopsticks to refill other\u2019s bowl.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Visiting_Ones_Home\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #e33737;\"><strong>Visiting One\u2019s Home<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.hiredchina.com\/FhXiPXMQ6ftwmetxSEEZNhP8BpPa?imageView2\/0\/format\/webp\/q\/75\" alt=\"3.jpeg\" width=\"598\" height=\"433.52461799660443\" title=\"\"><\/h3>\n<p>When visiting westerners\u2019 home, the house owner does not like guests to see here and there in their house as this may invade his privacy. While Chinese like to walk around the house and see every room and this often raise a friendly topic to talk about.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Giving_Presents\"><\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #e33737;\">Giving Presents<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.hiredchina.com\/FtmorbMICeogsNqXblyr9WBam8Hq?imageView2\/0\/format\/webp\/q\/75\" alt=\"4.jpeg\" width=\"598\" height=\"338.1547619047619\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p>In the West, visitor takes only a bottle of wine for gift. Because they will drink the wine brought by the guest, if the guest takes two bottles of wine, it seems to indicate that the host is an alcoholic and the visitor is afraid that one bottle of wine is not enough for the host.<\/p>\n<p>But Chinese people like to send gifts in pairs, for example, two bottles of wine, two cartons of cigarettes. First, this is to show that the visitor is not <a href=\"https:\/\/dictionary.cambridge.org\/dictionary\/english\/stingy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">stingy<\/a> person; second, even numbers are seen as good in Chinese culture.<\/p>\n<p>When receiving gifts, westerners want you to open the gift in front of him and give some praise. While for Chinese, in order to show that the receiver is not a greedy person, he is accustomed to put the gift aside quietly and unpack the gifts after then guest leaves.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Expressing_Thanks\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #e33737;\"><strong>Expressing Thanks<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.hiredchina.com\/FqQzKF2xQxHrikbgOTRs270a7CvX?imageView2\/0\/format\/webp\/q\/75\" alt=\"5.png\" width=\"598\" height=\"408.6333333333333\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p>Westerners are accustomed to say thanks to family members or friends for their help, and they expect to hear the polite language \u201cthank you\u201d or \u201cplease\u201d and the like. However, Chinese people believe that they do not have to say \u201cthank you\u201d to family or friends as this seems to alienate their relations.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Bathing\"><\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #e33737;\">Bathing<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.hiredchina.com\/FoGpHGzUFqyIOoovtae8IcnMe6nu?imageView2\/0\/format\/webp\/q\/75\" alt=\"66.jpeg\" width=\"598\" height=\"447.9227799227799\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p>Westerners generally bathe in the morning and then go to work refreshed. Chinese usually bathe before going to bed at night. Bathe will loosen up their muscles and minds, and besides in the morning they are in a hurry and don\u2019t have time to shower.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Cooking\"><\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #e33737;\">Cooking<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.hiredchina.com\/FpCjqIivaNkFXvGtImke3LEmer6D?imageView2\/0\/format\/webp\/q\/75\" alt=\"7.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" title=\"\"><\/h3>\n<p>Westerners cook with detailed recipes and do precisely in accordance with the recipe requirements; they also use kitchen measuring cup and spoons to weigh ingredients. While most Chinese people cook dishes based on their experience and preferences, rarely completely follow recipes step by step.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Supporting_The_Old\"><\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #e33737;\">Supporting The Old<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.hiredchina.com\/FgbAe2QjJUV0qCaL8mHVuHNuu5cR?imageView2\/0\/format\/webp\/q\/75\" alt=\"88.jpg\" width=\"600\" height=\"397\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p>When getting older, Westerners go to live in a nursing home, and few live together with their children. China\u2019s traditional culture places great emphasis on supporting parents, \u201cWhile one\u2019s parents are alive, one should not <a target=\"_blank\" class=\"inside_link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/tag\/travel\/\" title=\"View all posts in travel\">travel<\/a> to distant places.\u201d is one of the old Chinese sayings. Until now, sending elderly parents to a nursing home is considered to be a deed of impiety<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.hiredchina.com\/FlXXlKXBxtykYAuKbjvAxKMwIbVH?imageView2\/0\/format\/webp\/q\/75\" alt=\"GIC.jpg\" width=\"450\" height=\"488.7\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Have you had any misunderstandings with Chinese? The cultural differences between the west and the east will cause different attitudes and practices to certain things. So it is necessary to &#8230;","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7371,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[60,29,289,214],"class_list":["post-428","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-funny","tag-china","tag-jobs","tag-the-7-differences-between-western-and-chinese-culture","tag-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/428","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=428"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/428\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7375,"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/428\/revisions\/7375"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7371"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=428"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=428"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=428"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}