Cultural Differences between China and Japan

Summary of Cultural Differences between China and Japan

(1) Differences in Cultural Values

1.1 Belief in Gods and Spirits

The Yamato people are a people who believe in nature, and nature is a god. Nature is a god, and those who go along with it will prosper, and those who go against it will perish. Just as we Chinese have the dragon as the soul of the nation, the Yamato people believe in this "spirit". They believe in such "gods" and "spirits", and they consider their beliefs to be very religious. There are countless shrines and temples all over the country. Especially in the Kyoto area. Many tourists visit Kyoto as a temple/shrine destination in Japan. Here is a small collection:

(1)Shibunakeien

It is very famous because it is located near the JR Kyoto station and it takes only 10 minutes to get there. It is often the first stop for tourists arriving in Kyoto. Here is the grave of Genro, a poet and nobleman of the Heian period. Legend has it that Genryu went berserk and devoured a courtesan because he was haunted by a spirit. This is exactly the same as the description in the world's first full-length novel, "The Tale of Genji".

(2)Rin-odo/ Seiryoji Temple

Famous for its Aburi (rice cake) sold in the temple, which is said to be a blessing from the bodhisattva;

(3)Gengoan

Gengoan

Famous for its blood-spattered floor, which was made into a blood patio after Ishida Mitsunari committed suicide during the Warring States period, and for its two windows, the "Window of Wandering" and the "Window of Lostness", both of which have been described as "the window of the lost" and the "window of the lost. There are two famous windows, "迷いの窓" (迷いの窓) and "明鏡の窓" (明鏡の窓) in the hermitage, which are said to be used by the gods as a daily test to see if the nuns are tired of the world;

(4)Manshuinmen

Famous for the "Ghost Woman" inside the hermitage, a ghostly woman said to be one of the most dangerous of all the monsters. She is said to be the "Yamato Nadeshiko" of monsters;

(5)Kwano Nenbutsuji Temple

Named after the Jellyfish Jizo stone Buddha outside the temple. Jellyfish Jizo is a god in charge of women's labor in mythology. It is rumored that women who have had abortions due to incestuous relationships will hear their babies cry here;

(6) Takifune Shrine

The famous shrine in Kyoto is famous for its blessing boards (ema). Inside the shrine is a 700-year-old tree, which is considered to be the eye of the gods on earth.

The above list of sights in Kyoto is one of the more impressive aspects of Japanese devotion to the gods.

Pious, but also reverent. As I mentioned earlier about the origin of Shibunari Garden, there is also a legend hidden in Kyoto area that "Oshino-sama" (阿条小姐), a woman who was abandoned by her own husband, abused to death when she remarried, then took revenge on her enemy by means of her death, and came to the earth every year on the night of the thunderstorm, when the flowers of the other shore bloomed to seek for her miscarried child, and pay attention to the name of this woman, which shows that the Yamato people have a complete reverence for the "gods. This shows that the Yamato people are in complete awe of the "gods". This is also reflected in their artistic creations. (For details, see 2.1 Differences in Artistic Creativity.)

Chinese deities are more "friendly" in comparison, because myths have a political basis. In China, deities are portrayed in a way similar to Western Christianity. All the gods tend to teach "goodness and patience". The Japanese are also stoic, but there's a difference. As I said before, Chinese deities tend towards Christian values, the one lotus, emphasizing the equality of all beings, excluding the special, and the image of the deity is made to be very tall and perfect. However, this is different from the Western religious and mythological deities, which are characterized by a clear-cut personality. Therefore, Chinese deities are very distinctive.

1.2 Differences in Values

Due to the different nature of Japanese society, the values of the Chinese and Japanese are completely different. China has lost a lot of its unique values due to its special history, but with the reform and opening up and the absorption of western culture, a kind of fusion of values has been born. On the one hand, it is important to see that the Chinese people, after being fully exposed to the Western capitalist society, have a strong desire to learn new things, and the openness of their personalities is much higher than in the planned economy era. This is something to be recognized and encouraged. At the same time, it must be reminded that due to previous historical reasons, the Chinese character is mixed with both traditional ideas and Western values. As a result, Chinese people's value orientation is unstable and easy to be shaken. Such as the reform and opening up of the "abroad fever", "stock fever", in this series of positive behind, but also must recognize that they bring people blind, poor subjective harm. And these ----- blind pursuit, not strong judgment, is the Chinese value orientation can not be affirmed in the place.

The Yamato people, as I said before, are a very stoic people, and this has contributed to their prosperity in many fields of science, technology and art. At the same time, they are also characterized by a brutal temperament. This had a lot to do with the fact that they became one of the three fascist countries in World War II. As for the values of the Japanese people, it can be said that they are relatively "pure". The reason is well known: after the Second World War, Japan was in a state of zero tolerance. They may have been subjected to cultural aggression for a long time under American jurisdiction. But this cultural cleansing was at the same time a rejuvenation. Japanese culture, because of its post-war history, got stronger blood in its own capitalist context. It even took its own unique path in the face of cultural annexation by other capitalist countries. Therefore, Japan has its own unique values: the only way for the small country not to be squeezed out of the capitalist bus is to be active, progressive and strong.

(2) Differences in Artistic Creation

2.1 Differences in Artistic Creativity

China is an ancient civilization with 5000 years of history and enjoys an irreplaceable position in culture. Chinese poetry, with its unique Chinese rhythm, has long been given its rightful place in the world of poetry. In addition, the Chinese pentatonic scale has long been proved by the world that it is no inferior to any other scale (of course, any other scale is equally great.). . Chinese philosophy, although y branded with feudalism, but still by virtue of the depth of its anatomy, and Greek philosophy, German philosophy and the same name.

In contrast, the gap between the two cultures is obvious. Japan has its tea ceremony, flower arrangement, and ukiyo-e, but they are not as good as those of China.

What is noteworthy is the difference in artistic creativity between the two countries in modern times. Artistic creativity is only an indication of some differences, and it is difficult to compare the two countries because of the different dimensions of artistic individuality they express. China's artistic creativity is very uniform, and there are few spiritual works. I've seen some film school students' works, and they're not very good. In the field of modern pioneering art, web vision, multi-media vision, there is not yet a big achievement. And Japan?

Japan. Undeniably, it has always been the leader in the field of animation. Creativity is an important factor in the success of the Japanese animation industry. The non-internationalization of the Japanese language is one of the major drawbacks to the export of Japanese films, but animation is characterized by a lightness of language and an emphasis on expression, which makes it easy for people to understand. In addition, animated movies are shot picture by picture, so any subject matter can be used freely. In animated films, any place, not just Japan, can be the stage, and any character can be the main character. By utilizing the innate characteristic of animation - "statelessness" - Japanese animation has become much more competitive for export. Chinese artists, on the other hand, are less creative and less competitive. Chinese animation has had a glorious history, with films such as "The Palace of Heavenly Creatures" in the 1960s and "Nezha in the Sea" in the late 1970s occupying such a prominent position in the world that Chinese animation has come to be known internationally as the "Chinese School". The "Japan Animation Producers' Union" organized two missions to China in 1959 and 1960 to study the art of Chinese animation, but later on, the lack of a driving force made it lose its competitiveness in this field. It is a great pity.

Likewise, Japan is still in the early stages of pioneering art. Few outstanding works have been produced. Because of the tendency of pioneering art (mostly visual art) to move to SOHO (small office home office), there are equal opportunities for artists in this field in both countries. In general, in modern times, there is only a difference between the two countries in terms of artistic creativity. There is no absolute difference between good and bad.

2.2 Differences in Artistic Orientation

The differences in artistic creativity between the two countries were described in 2.1. It is only the internal cause ---- of the differences in national personalities. But the external factors ----- social system, value system and so on, have created almost opposite artistic orientations in the two countries.

In 1.1 it was said that Chinese religious mythology is somewhat similar to Christianity. Christianity's greatest doctrines are the elimination of heresy (prominence) and the establishment of equality (mediocrity for all). These are caused by the national character, and the national character is again the orientation of artistic creation.

Like Christianity, Chinese literature and art are against darkness, against killing and absurdity, while Japanese literature and art, due to its more open mindedness, has no qualms about incorporating into its art the negative emotions of human beings such as melancholy, pessimism, and even despair (which is also the great god of art). This is why Japanese literature is so morbid and Chinese literature is so bland and pale. Of course, these "melancholy, absurdity, despair, morbidity, blandness, pallor" are just a non-data parameter to compare the difference between China and Japan by looking at all corners of the world's art creations.

(III). Differences in Social Landscape

Japan under capitalism is one thing, China under socialism is another.

The family. Japan is very open, but Japan is also very conservative. Japan is still very conservative ----- under the disadvantage of women's rights. Japan still retains the custom of a woman taking her husband's name, and those women (Yamato Nadeshiko) who are very conservative in Japan can only look at their husbands' deference in a perverse way. They even put on make-up before going to bed and still address their husbands with respect during sexual intercourse. In Japan, women lose their jobs when they get married. And this "loss" is often active. Even for the more open-minded women, they disappear from the "worker bee" scene after marriage and devote themselves to their duties as wives and mothers. This is very similar to what happened before the founding of China. With the founding of the new China, it was recognized and abolished as an old custom. In today's China, such a situation is unimaginable. Yes, in China, maybe in the countryside, in Taiwan, there is such a thing. But it's not as popular as it is in Japan.

As mentioned above, Japan is a hard-working country. It has been called the "bee" by the world. But every hard-working bee will unload their AMANI on weekends and go into various entertainment centers to spend the weekend, working seriously the next day, working and playing. The environment in China is not as "friendly".

It has been said that the cultures of China and Japan are linked by a common thread, but it is interesting to see how the two cultures measure up against the global cultural landscape, excluding the "せんにゅうかん", which is a kind of "せんにうかん". These two "brothers", is two feet, no matter how you report stereotypes, they still have their short feet, inch for inch.