英语国家文化主题作业ChineseImag.doc

英语国家文化Chinese ImageChinese ImageI. Chinese stereotype in different timesA. Ancient times (before 1840)In ancient times, Chinese and westerners communicated through a road which was called silk-road. While the Silk Road was first established, silk was not the chief commodity. Han dynasty made very little profit from it until the Romans were fanatic about silk that the large profits came in. The Roams love silk so much that they even exchanged silk for its weight in gold. So the Wests first knowledge of China came from the silk exported via the Silk Road. During Tang Dynasty, a lot of foreigners came to Changan which was the capital of Tang Empire, it indicated that foreigners were fond of China. So the westerners thought that China is a mysterious and distant country and Chinese were rich.B. Modern times (1840-1949)China had suffered a hard time since 1840. British launched opium war, and Chinese had to assign Nanjing Treaty. Chinese government opened a series of city as harbors and Hong Kong was divided from China. Western countries began invade into China and forced Chinese government assign a series of treaty that infringe upon Chinese sovereignty. So it formed an impression from westerners that Chinese were inferior to them. In 1939, the World War II was burn out. China was a main battleground. Japanese began invade into Northeast of China in 1931, expanded into North of China. Because of Chinese tenacious resistance, Japanese were cast out of China. Chinese were not weak any longer. They were tenacious in the foreigners eyes.C. Nowadays (1949- )After the foundation of PRC, foreigners still didnt know much about China because of the tense relationship between China and the United States. What they do know comes from three main sources: the movies, news and history classes.Foreigners think that all Chinese know kungfu and dress like Huang Feihong. All Chinese are brainwashed into worshipping Chairman Mao and cant think independently. People at that time were radical and hostile to foreigners. (Source: studying the Cultural Revolution in high school history classes.) Asian women are generally subservient to men, anti-feminist, and more morally pure than Western women. (Source: movies about ancient Japan, cultural differences. This stereotype is again the result of ignorance of modern China - and thinking that todays China is really 12th-century ancient Japan).China has launched the reform and open policy since 1980. With more and more people went abroad, foreigners began to know China and Chinese. Foreigners think that China is a big country with so large population and Chinese are strange because they eat cats and dogs. But they admit that Chinese are very good at cooking. Chinese are always working hard and not enjoy the life, never work with other people. Some westerners even consider Chinese are conservative and doesnt understand the difference between Chinese cultures and Foreign cultures.II. Factors that help form such a Chinese stereotypeA. HistoryHistory is an important factor. Chinese began to communicate with westerners 2,000 years ago, thus it helped to form an original Chinese stereotype. The Silk Road can prove it. The coming and going of horse and camel caravans carried oriental thoughts, ideas, arts and sciences to the West. A lot of foreigners came to China to study, trade and settled in China. Westerners thought China was a rich and powerful oriental country. But in recent 100 years, China had experienced a dark period. Some foreign countries invaded into China and killed a lot of Chinese people. They break into peoples house with guns and thought China was a backward country. Westerners changed the stereotype of Chinese with the development of history.B. Culture differenceCulture difference is also a main factor. Every country has its own cultures and civilizations. Oriental culture is subtle, and exquisite, while Western culture is on the other hand. The character of oriental culture is reflected in all respect of the reservation. When someone goes to a country, he should respect the foreign customs and obey the local rules. If not, it would cause a series of troubles that should be avoided. For example, a few days ago, a Chinese couple had a dispute over luggage placement with cabin crew in a flight of United States Continental Airlines, then the couple was kicked off by the captain on the grounds of flying safety, and their re-boarding was also refused. Finally, their 12-year-old daughter was “abandoned” on the plane; the couple could only switch to the next days flight back to Shanghai. It makes foreigners think that Chinese lack of manners and look down upon Chinese. There are millions of people study and work abroad every year. They often feel lonely and wont get along well with local people, so foreigners also think Chinese are not good at work together with others.In fact, Chinese are generous, friendly and keeping smile on their faces. They are good at cooking delicious food. They are brave, tenacious and industrious. The image of the dragon for example is one of the most prominent cultural symbols of the country. So much so, that the country of China is often referred to as the oriental dragon. The dragon is a highly revered mythological character in the Chinese culture and as such the Chinese people consider themselves to be descendants of the dragon and are proud of saying that. But westerners think dragon is ferocious and evil. It also indicates the different cultural concept between oriental and western culture.C. Political ideologyPolitical ideology is a branch of culture difference. Our country is a socialist country, while most western countries are capitalist countries. Foreigners still have some prejudice against China, and some western media often report some news to vilify China and Chinese.In recent years, some western media report some news to smear China image. D. Citizen consciousnessNowadays, some Chinese people tend to praise highly of foreign countrys freedom, justice and optimism. It is also a main reason why foreigners look down upon Chinese. Even some western countries use it to propagandize that China doesnt respect human rights.III. How to improve our imageA. China ImageWith more and more communications with foreign countries, China should set up its new image. Although we have thoroughly changed our image in 1900, we still have a lot to do. As a big country, we should develop the science technology to make China to become strong. In 1962 and 1964, China had its own nuclear weapon. It completely changed the weak image of China. We must know that western countries still worry about Chinas power, so they often put forward the speech of “Chinese threat”. We should utilize the chance under the world pressure to overcome the difficulties.Second, we should establish a good diplomatic relationship with other countries. A good diplomatic relation can create a bridge for people all over the world to clear up miscomprehension, improve mutual understanding and balance oppositions.Third, it is most important that Chinese should develop its economy. Only the countrys economy develops well can the national strength be improved, and citizens live happily, the citizens quality is improved as well. At the same time, more and more factors are settled in China. It causes a series of environmental problems. As a developing country, we should solve these problems well. Strong consciousness of environmental protection can change our image to be better.Nowadays, peace is the theme of the world. China is one of Permanent members, and plays an important role in The United Nations. It is also another method to improve our countrys image.B. Personal ImageAs a Chinese,