Please recommend me some books about the comparison between Chinese and western cultural customs. I will be very grateful!

On Chinese and Western Etiquette Culture

Etiquette is a rule of communication between people, a language and a tool. China and the West have completely different etiquette cultures. With the acceleration of world globalization and the high-speed collision and integration of economy and culture, a large number of western cultures have flooded into China.

With the acceleration of China's reform and opening-up and the increasing cross-border exchanges, the differences between Chinese and western etiquette culture are becoming more and more obvious, and the influence brought by these differences can not be ignored. It is necessary for us to understand these differences before the perfect integration of Chinese and western etiquette.

First, the differences in communicative language

Daily greetings, most people in China use "Have you eaten?" "Where to?" Wait, this shows a kind of intimacy between people. For westerners, this kind of greeting will make the other person feel suddenly, embarrassed or even unhappy, because westerners will understand this question as an "inquiry" and feel that the other person is asking about his private life. In the west, they just say "hello" or "good morning!" According to the time. "Good afternoon!" "Good evening!" Do it. And the British will meet and say, "What a beautiful day!"

In terms of address, in Chinese, only people who are familiar with it can "call them by their first names". But in the west, "name" is much broader than Chinese. In the west, "Mr" and "Mrs" are usually used to address strangers with unknown names. For women in their teens and twenties, they can be called "Miss" and married women can be called "Madam" or "Madam". Family members, regardless of rank, can generally call each other names or nicknames. At home, you can call your parents by their first names. All male elders can be called "uncle" and all female elders can be called "aunt". This cannot be done at home. Be sure to distinguish between Qing dynasty and Qing dynasty, old and young, otherwise it will be considered impolite.

Second, the differences in catering etiquette

There is a saying in China that "food is the most important thing for the people", which shows the position of diet in the minds of China people, so China people regard eating as a top priority. Chinese food pays attention to the color, aroma, taste, shape and meaning of dishes, even exceeding the emphasis on nutrition. As long as it tastes good, nutrition is not important. Western diet pays more attention to the collocation and absorption of nutrition, which is a scientific concept of diet. Westerners pay more attention to the nutrition of food, ignoring the color, fragrance, taste, shape and meaning of food. Their diet is mostly for survival and health, and it seems that they don't pay attention to the enjoyment of taste.

People in China eat at will, so they are likely to talk about happy places, laugh loudly, or let their children run around in restaurants as if they were at home, which is quite inappropriate in western countries! Especially if we eat in a western restaurant instead of China restaurant, we must pay attention to table manners. Napkins should be laid on your legs, not pinned to the neckline, and you can't wipe the table or tableware with napkins! When using a knife and fork, there is no taboo to talk without a fork, because in foreign countries, putting down the tableware means that you have finished eating and are ready to ask the waiter to take it away. Of course, it is not safe to wave with a knife and fork. What if it is an exception!

It is basic courtesy to keep quiet while enjoying food. For example, you shouldn't make noise when eating soup or chewing food, especially when burping. If hiccups are noisy, you should say "I'm sorry" to the person at the same table. Never eat with your mouth full. Eat slowly. When expressing opinions, wait until the food is completely swallowed before you speak, and you can't chew and say it at the same time. If there are fishbones or bones, try to pick them out or cut them off with a knife and fork before putting them in your mouth. It is not appropriate to chew and then spit it out with your mouth. If you have to do this, you'd better cover them quietly with a napkin cloth.

Chinese and western banquet etiquette also has its own characteristics. In China, from ancient times to the present, most people respect the Left. When entertaining guests, you should arrange the distinguished guests in the left seat, and then arrange them in turn. In the west, respect rights, men and women sit separately, and couples sit separately. The seats of female guests are slightly higher than those of male guests. Men should open chairs for the female guests sitting on their right to show their respect for women. In addition, westerners should sit up straight when eating. They think it's impolite to bend over and eat with their mouths together, but this is the usual way of eating in China. When eating western food, the host does not advocate binge drinking. China's table wine is a must, and it is used to entertain guests. Sometimes, in order to show respect for each other, they will drink one cup after another.

Third, the differences in dress etiquette.

Western men usually wear conservative suits, white shirts and ties in formal social occasions. They like black, so they usually wear black leather shoes. Western ladies should wear formal dresses on formal occasions. Besides, ladies have the custom of wearing earrings when they go out. In western countries, especially in America, people usually like to wear casual clothes, such as T-shirts and jeans.

Nowadays, people in China are wearing more and more westernized clothes, and the traditional Chinese tunic suit and cheongsam have withdrawn from the historical stage. The dress of men and women in formal occasions is no different from that in the west. In daily life, you will see many people wearing vests, shorts, slippers and other indecent clothes.

Fourth, the differences of legal concepts.

Oriental culture is represented by Confucianism, which values righteousness over profit. For the friendship between brothers and friends, we can be lenient, even at all costs, and the result is often excessive behavior and loss of more due benefits. For example, people in China value human feelings and have strong human feelings. There is an old saying: "Blood is thicker than water", "Kiss or not, hometown people, beauty or not, hometown water." These words mean that human feelings affect judgment, and human feelings are more important than morality. "Water", even if it is not beautiful, is beautiful as long as it is domestic water. This is a manifestation that emotion is more important than reason. Sometimes emotion is even more important than law, which is mainly because China has always had an emotional influence on the legal system space, that is to say, in China, we stress rationality first, and then legitimacy. If it is legal and unreasonable, it will be difficult to implement this law. If it is reasonable, there are rules to follow.

Westerners are the opposite. Westerners value law, not human feelings. Law precedes reason, and reason precedes emotion. We often see father and son, husband and wife and friends in the west go to court. Some things are obviously unreasonable, but they are legal. Losers can only admit that they are unlucky, and onlookers can only tolerate them. But if something is illegal, even if it is reasonable, westerners will argue endlessly until it goes to court.

In sensible China, there is a strong human touch, so you can do something, trust others and get along well. This is a natural insurance system, and it is easy for people to tide over difficulties in a difficult environment. So in China, human relations are extremely important, and life is full of family happiness. But it is also prone to injustice; In western countries with legal feelings, human feelings are like paper, which can be said to be "the voices of chickens and dogs hear each other and don't communicate with each other." If there is any contradiction, reason first, then go to court, simple and clear. Westerners are indifferent to human feelings, but fair and equal. Even a grassroots person can go to court with the Prime Minister as long as it is really reasonable and legal. Living in western countries is a bit like being rich and beautiful in the Guanghan Palace, but there is a general sense of coldness. Especially for the elderly, it is very pitiful for us in China to be lonely and walk alone.

Verb (abbreviation for verb) Differences in social customs

In eastern culture, men are often highly respected, which is mainly influenced by the feudal concept that men are superior to women. In modern society, oriental culture also advocates equality between men and women, but in many cases, the status of men is still higher than that of women, and women are still discriminated against. In western countries such as Europe and America, respecting women is a traditional custom, and giving priority to women is one of the principles in communication in western countries. No matter what kind of public place, men should take care of women. For example, when shaking hands, women hold out their hands first, and then men can follow. When going to eat, the man should sit down with the woman first, and the woman should order first. When entering the door, the lady should go first. Get on and off the elevator. The lady is in front. Now, with the deepening of cultural exchanges between the East and the West, the western principle of giving priority to women is also favored in the East. The blending of eastern and western cultures also makes eastern and western etiquette increasingly integrated, unified and more international.

For another example, the eastern countries, represented by China, pay special respect and filial piety to the elderly when dealing with the relationship between the old and the young. For example, in the eyes of many people in China, it is unfilial for the elderly to send their children to nursing homes or nursing homes when they get old. Children usually spend the Spring Festival with the elderly. In some rural areas of China, during the Spring Festival, the younger generation should bow to their elders. In western countries, due to the promotion of self-reliance, children have less and less contact with their parents when they are adults, which makes many old people often feel lonely and have a sense of desolation in their later years.

Etiquette is a kind of culture, which has vertical inheritance and horizontal reference and integration. A society lacking etiquette is often an immature society. And a society with inconsistent or even contradictory etiquette standards is often an unharmonious society. Etiquette is the foundation of the whole social civilization and the most direct and comprehensive expression of social civilization. To create a harmonious society, we must start with etiquette. Today, China is facing unprecedented challenges. No matter in material, spiritual and cultural aspects, there is an urgent need for a complete and reasonable set of values to unify. Etiquette culture is undoubtedly this unified "Depth Charge". Only by recognizing the differences between Chinese and western etiquette culture and integrating them reasonably and effectively can we establish a etiquette culture system suitable for contemporary China society and realize the ideal of a harmonious society.