1 / 2 Tsair Lin ( Tai Lam)

Culture conflict between Asian and US people.

When coming to US under immigration program, besides the
confrontation between the great changes of environment, weather, and people,
what I experience and take interest in is the culture conflict between American
and Asian peoples living styles. People coming of age in Asian countries
express their ideas in quite a different way from those in this new world in the
concept of hierarchy, privacy and love.
Asian peoples concept of ordering relationship is stronger than people
living and growing up in US. In the countries where hierarchy is the base of
social organization, children are expected to be obedient towards their parents.
Sometimes there is even an order of authority among the children themselves.
Younger children are expected to yield to older children. However, independent
behavior on the part of the child is not encouraged. Respect for parents, teachers
and seniors is seen as a basic virtue: children see others showing such respect,
and soon acquire it themselves. While in US, as well as some western countries,
children are more or less treated as equals as soon as they are able to act. The
goal of parental education is to let children take control of their own affairs as

soon as they can. Active experimentation by the child is encouraged. This is still
one of the disagreements between the different thinking of hierarchy.
Concept of Privacy or personal issues is also the conflict between the two
inhomogeneous cultures. Americans do not like hearing others asking them
about the family size, family income and daily activities even the home address,
telephone number and something related to personal issues. They consider this
privacy that cannot be exposed. On the contrary, asking Asian people about
their family even their means of family support sometimes shows a loving care
or interest. Another aspect of privacy concept can be seen in job interview.
Asian people suppose to be impolite or slightly rude when asking their
interviewer about their salary, welfare and future promotion when hired. To
Americans, this is normal and natural. For they think this is the right of the
interviewee. The view of privacy and the definition of personal are quite
different and even contradictory.
2 / 2 Tsair Lin ( Tai Lam)

Another aspect in ways of expressing ideas between the two cultures is

love showing, here lets take love for parents and children as example. Asian
parents and children hardly say I love you to each other to show their love.
This is not to say, love does not exist in the family. They show their love by
actions. A Chinese character meaning a childs filial love or piety to their

parents consists of two morphemes. One represents the root of seniors (parent)
appearing above the morpheme of child. A child is carrying his parent on his
back! This word pronounces Xiao, known as Shao. From this denotation,
love for Chinese people can be understood as non-verbal expression. Americans,
on the other hand, express their love to their parents and children whenever and
wherever they can in whatever situation. Different cultures have different ways
of indicating their feelings.
To sum up, cultures influence communication styles. Cultural styles can
create misunderstandings in ways of expressing among people from different
cultures. Yet, how I try to adapt for cultural difference is still my major concern.
The healthy basis for mutual understanding and intercultural cooperation, as I
assume, is neither ethnocentrism nor xenophilia.

Tai Lam (Tsair Lin )

Chinese Culture Association of South California
Cerritos Chinese School
05/08/2006
Los Angeles, California USA