>>>>Dean Grillot: In this segment of the class we've been talking about culture and identity.
And today to talk about Asian identity, I have with me Professor Bo Kong, a political
scientist who's an expert in energy policy in China. He's also from China. What part
of China are you from?
>>Professor Kong: Western China.
>>Dean Grillot: From Western China. So tell us a little bit about culture in China. I
know culture is very important in Chinese society. How, how can you describe Chinese
culture to us?
>>Professor Kong: You are very right about the importance of culture in shaping the Chinese
identity. At the individual level and collective level, culture plays a very important role.
To be specific, we are talking about a set of norms and, and, and principles and goals
that emanate from the, the combination of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism that really
shape the Chinese identity. And these values manifest themselves in in the emphasis on
loyalty, filial piety, and, and, and righteousness through self- enhancement and learning, for
example. Of course these, these values go through constant restructuring as time goes
on. When the CCP took over under Mao, China launched this cultural revolution that that
of course influenced how these values are are felt in China, how they, they manifest
themselves. But in general, what it means to be Chinese is to be to be good, you know,
for example, to be conscious of hierarchy, to be respectful of authority, and to be a
good member of, of the family and to be good member of the community. And you know, that's
that's very, very true. And and you can take these values to a larger level and to the
collective level, and one important part of this is face; that is respect and status.
Chinese are very, very sensitive and very, very conscious of face. And so the idea is
to not lose face in front of the public, do not lose face in front of friends, and do
not lose face in front of your family. And the same is true, you know, for the country
as well. That's why when the Chinese president goes to-- comes to America, and he's very
sensitive to the, the type of treatment he receives from the White House. Whether the,
you know, 20-21 canons are fired, whether he receives the state dinner, whether he receives
the-- whether it is a state visit or work visit. These all matter, because in the view
of Chinese this is, these are the, you know, rituals and ceremonies that that carry a lot
of symbolism.
>>Dean Grillot: So you're from China but you live in the United States. So you could maybe
compare a little bit for us the differences between an Eastern identity and Chinese identity
and Chinese culture and Western identity-- the culture that we might have in the United
States, for example. So what are some of the differences and what are some of the similarities?
And would you say that we're more similar than different?
>>Professor Kong: Well I, I think that there're differences and similarities. And the differences
primarily lie in the fact that the, the American values focus more on individualism, whereas
the Chinese values focus on collectivism. This of course is also true of of the influence
that was, that was imposed by the Chinese Communist Party over the past you know, couple
decades. And and you know therefore, you know, this the the there is this emphasis--huge
emphasis on not challenging the the authority, you know, not challenging the hierarchy: Whether
it is in the family, whether it is in the classroom, whether it is at work. When you
go to the Chinese classrooms, you don't see students fighting, quarreling about or debating
or arguing over one story. Instead, what you see is the professor basically standing there
trying to portray one story. This is pretty much representative of how the Chinese society
works. There is only one voice, that's the Chinese Communist Party. And so the idea is
do not challenge the authority. That's very much true. And the other differences that
the, the Chinese culture tends to focus or the Chinese thinking tends to be very, very
networked or interlinked, whereas the American thinking tends to be very, very linear and
logical. And this this sometimes is not quite, quite obvious to people. When Chinese come
to the negotiation table or to engage Americans about foreign affairs, they tend to go back
to, you know, dynasties, when some of the historical events still carry some symbolic
meaning for for today's engagement with America. But for Americans, this isn't this is very,
very difficult to understand, because Americans tend to get down to business very quickly,
whereas the Chinese pay so much attention to the, the rituals and the symbolism. And
the other the the other important difference is that Chinese tend to focus on the big picture
first and then they, they get down to business. For example, when it comes to WTO negotiations
with the United States. The Chinese try to set the tone correct first, and the idea is
if we can agree to the big picture, everything else will follow. Whereas for Americans that
comes from the litigators, you know the the legal culture, the emphasis is focused on
details. If you can't agree on details, how can you agree to the big picture? So oftentimes
there's a lot of, there's a lot of back and forth between China on these differences.
And I think there are there are, there are also similarities. Both cultures emphasize
hard work, diligence, being part of family. And I think these these, these values manifest
in in both societies.
>>Dean Grillot: Well, I have to ask because I've spent some time in China myself, and
clearly there are a lot of Western products and institutions. And I mean you can go to
Starbucks and McDonald's and Pizza Hut and 7-Eleven even -- all throughout China.
>>Professor Kong: Right. Right.
>>Dean Grillot: So how has that had an impact on Chinese culture and identity? Do you think
perhaps with globalization we've seen a shift in culture in China? Or are these cultural
tendencies that you're talking about really running deep in society and, and are really
likely to sustain themselves?
>>Professor Kong: I think that's a very good point. Globalization certainly has raised
a lot of challenges for for Chinese, regarding the issue of what it means to be Chinese.
For example, when you asked me what does it mean for you to be Chinese, I may find this
question very, very difficult to answer. Because inherently, I don't know what it means to
be Chinese. Some values I cherish, I grew up with are not necessarily, you know, practiced
or are not necessarily cherished by the younger generation in China that grew up with American
movies. You know, grew up eating you know American fast food etcetera. So there is a
huge generation gap when it comes to Chinese identity. The identity I have may not be the
identity shared by my peers in China, particularly the younger people. Whenever I go back to
China, I find myself just, you know, amazed at the differences we have -- not the similarities
we have. Sometimes I, I ask myself am I, you know, is China still my country, the country
I used to know? Is China the same China I used to know? I think the answer is pretty
pretty much not, not, not. But but having said that, I think there are, there are, there
are some deep cultural, you know, goals, cultural you know creeds that still are still there
you know? For example, the this emphasis on family values, this emphasis on on community
values and still is still there, but but it just goes through this this constant restructuring.
It has-- it's been challenged by the globalization. For example: In the Chinese culture doesn't
emphasize universalism, whereas the Western culture does, you know, when it comes to human
rights. That is considered to be a universal value, but the Chinese view is very, very
pragmatic and very, very practical. And the the official view is you know the the universal
you know human rights comes after the the material rights being ensured and guaranteed.
And to some extent that goes back to the law of hierarchical needs, and you can't argue
with that because there is some truth behind it. But nevertheless, you know, the Chinese
won't go around and say, you know, "We have a universal value that ought to be embraced
and and and practiced by everyone." That's why I think there is this deep tradition in
China throughout the dynasties that China never exports ideas. And because the idea
is, you know, being the center of of, you know, of that part of the world, China had
a lot of good cultures, a lot of good values that others sought to embrace. So whenever
they wanted the values, they they would come to China and and and seek those values.
>>Dean Grillot: Well students - what you think? Now that you've learn a little bit about Chinese
society, Chinese culture, Chinese identity, do you think you could see the global community
from a Chinese perspective? How might you view American foreign policy, for example,
from a Chinese perspective? Let us know what you think.