The Differences between Chinese and Western Cultures
----From the movie “Gua Sha”
1 Introduction
Gua Sha is a movie about the differences between American and Chinese culture. The story takes place in St. Louis. Xu Datong has been to the United States for eight years. He is a successful game-designer with a happy family. One day, his son Dennis is sick. The grandpa uses the Chinese traditional therapy named Gua Sha to help him which leaves bright red marks on the skin. And then, Dennis is left at home alone and he has an accident. He is sent to the hospital so the doctor sees the scar on his back. The doctor doubts if the child is abused at home. In the court, every witness and testimony make Datong lose the custody of his son. Then, it makes Datong break up families and he loses his friends and job. Finally, Datong climbs up the pipe to the ninth floor which his family live to see his son on Christmas Eve. At the same time, his friend John tells them that he can live with his family and the court has learned Gua Sha.
The film reflects many differences between American and Chinese cultures, including the legal system, ethical standards, the traditional Chinese medicine theory and many other issues.
2 The Differences between Chinese and Western Cultures
2.1 The difference in the legal system
In America, parents shouldn’t leave their child alone and can’t abuse the child. If they break the law, they may be taken to the police station. What’s more, their children will be separated from them. Children are protected by laws. In the film, the family gets in this trouble. But the rule doesn’t work in China. In China, parents have the right to beat them when children don’t obey their words.
From the movie, Datong slaps Dennis because he wants Dennis to apologize to Paul but Dennis refuses. Paul’s father can’t understand him at all. However, Datong says that it is to show his respect to him and give him face. Chinese think that the child is their private property. He is my son so he is mine. I can beat him because he does not obey my words. But in America, every one is equal, including parents and children. In American’s eyes, it is illegal to beat someone. Parents seldom decide something for their children. They want their children to fight for themselves.
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2.2 The difference in ethical standards
Chinese pay more attention to the whole and we think that everyone should devote himself to the family. In traditional Chinese culture, filial piety is one of the most important things. In the film, we can see that Datong admits that he does Gua Sha to his son. He doesn’t want his father to worry about Dennis so he tells his father nothing. He takes Dennis out of the welfare centre to meet with his father who will go back to Chinese. However, American values themselves. They are educated with independent spirit. They do not have strong feelings with their family.
There are also many differences in the views on friendship. Stewad and Bennet discuss American friends: "Although Americans keep many friendly and unofficial ties, but they rarely make those deep. At the same time, when People choose friends, they also make it separate from others." However, it is different in China. We want to have several close friends. And as a friend of mine, you should help me to do many things without a return. When Datong’s boss in the court admits that Datong has beaten his son, Datong thinks he is my friend but he betrays me. And the boss believes that he just says the truth. Integrity is an important virtue in America. American won’t tell a lie even though he is your friend.
2.3 The difference in the views on the traditional Chinese medicine theory
We can see it from the origin of different cultures. The philosophy of China and America are different. The western people prefer rationalism while the Chinese like exploring the relationship between the nature and human. In the court, Datong tells them what Gua Sha is. But nobody can understand him. Even his lawyer finds it too difficult to understand.
3 Conclusion
The film reflects many differences between American and Chinese cultures. At the same time, it also expresses cultural assimilation. In the movie, the American man Queensland searches for a clinic to try Gua Sha. We can see that American is willing to learn Chinese cultures. The film has a happy ending, but it also ignores some cultural differences. I hope one day we might not be damaged by cultural differences and the world would be a “datong” world.
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