What is the idea of family

The concept of family kinship is human nature. Many animals can walk around and forage for food, or can survive independently soon after birth, while human beings can not, and need a long period of rearing, protection and education, so the human affection is much thicker, deeper and longer than that of other animals, so the family has become a fixed form of survival unique to human beings that is difficult to break up.

And the Chinese people's concept of family is particularly strong. Religion, historically underdeveloped in China, has two major functions: one is to provide meaning to life; the other is to provide inner discipline on human behavior. Although there is no universal religious belief in China, Chinese culture still has alternative mechanisms for these two functions of religion, or else it would not have survived for 5,000 years. The Chinese do not believe in heaven and hell and the immortality of the soul, but the Chinese have replaced this function with ancestor worship, allowing themselves to continue to exist in future generations to address the question of the meaning of life. The belief that one's own life will continue in the lives of one's offspring has led to the formation of a family-oriented culture in China (as opposed to the individual-oriented culture of the West), where ancestor worship, the passing on of the family name, and the inheritance of incense provide the Chinese with the meaning of life. This secular belief has not only perpetuated Chinese culture, but has also made China the world's most populous nation. Since ancient times, Chinese people have been used to living in clans with poor mobility, and have traditionally emphasized "filial piety", "passing on the family name", and "raising children to prevent old age", resulting in a particularly strong sense of family among the Chinese people, who are accustomed to living in a relationship with one another. The Chinese people have a very strong sense of family and are used to living in a network of relationships, and lack the sense of individuality that is found in the West.

The differences between Chinese and foreign cultures can be seen in the differences between Chinese and foreign families. The protagonist in foreign literature often faces his own life, while the protagonist in Chinese works is often surrounded by his "family". When the young Romeo rebelled from his family for love, the young Jia Baoyu was being suffocated by his aunties and concubines! How could Jia Baoyu not become a monk after 120 times of this kind of life? Jia Baoyu's encounter, is a "special case"? Is it unrepresentative? In the entire Chinese culture, Jia Baoyu is the most recognizable young man.

Because of the strong concept of family, the establishment and maintenance of interpersonal relationships in the family and in various circles within the industry is an important part of the life of the Chinese people. Specifically reflected in the relationship between such layers:

The first layer of relationship circle is composed of family members and relatives. The core of this "circle" is the immediate family, i.e. parents, children, husband and wife and siblings. On the outside is the circle of relatives. Before the introduction of the family planning policy in the 1970s, most Chinese people had siblings and some uncles and aunts. This circle continues to extend, and for many people, those who live in the same village or have the same surname can also be "renewed" and classified as relatives.

These circles are usually stable. But there are times when some people can move from the outer circle to the inner circle. For example, if a relative who is not particularly close to the family is promoted to an official position, he will be seen as having done his family a favor by becoming prominent, and thus entering the core of the family. Such promotions also bring changes to family relations, as the promoted family member will be invited to family gatherings more often and relatives will visit him more frequently.

The Chinese also view the family from a very different perspective. This perspective is much broader than the Western definition, which is limited to parents and children, and the following five main definitional aspects reflect the strong Chinese concept of family.

One is the core three-generation "Chinese" family. It includes three generations, namely grandparents, parents and children. Under this definition, both parents are included. This is the most common and basic Chinese family unit.

In this type of family unit, parents see their offspring as their own property, and it is seen as the parents' responsibility to help their children with their lives, and to support and care for them until they start a family. The children also see the home as their strongest support and even, in some cases, still live with their parents after marriage for financial reasons. When young couples have children, grandparents usually automatically take on the task of caring for the third generation until they start kindergarten or school. Chinese families are more closely related by blood and have a strong sense of kinship compared to the West. Elders value their families and children, and accordingly, children are more willing to take care of and spend time with their parents and grandparents.