英语专业毕业论文The Differences of the Marriage (2)

i 西华大学毕业论文 毕 业 论 文 题题 目目 The Differences of the Marriage Concept Between China and America ii 西华大学毕业论文 Contents Abstract ii 1 Introduction 1 2 Definition of marriage and love value 2 3 Differences of marriage between China and America 3 3 1 Wedding cost 3 3 2 Wedding dress 4 3 3 Wedding ceremony 6 4 Views on Divorce 7 4 1 Chinese views on divorce 7 4 2 American views on divorce 8 5 Reasons of these differences 9 5 1 Social values 9 5 2 Living conditions 10 5 3 Economy 10 5 4 Religion 12 6 Conclusion 12 Bibliography 14 Summary of Writing This Thesis 15 Acknowledgements 16 iii 西华大学毕业论文 The Differences of the Marriage Concept Between China and America Abstract Marriage exists as a human custom in various countries Marriage is a socially or formally recognized union or legal contract between couples For the differences of concepts and culture marriage s definition is primarily an institution in which human relations usually intimate and sexual are acknowledged American think highly of interests and freedom while Chinese value ethics and the dependence relationship between people There are many differences of marriage concept between China and America This thesis analyses the reasons of these differences by studying the differences of love value wedding cost ceremony wedding dress and views on divorce between China and America China and America have its own characteristics as a result of the differences of living conditions social value history background economy and religion The mode of life differs from person to person With the development of the society and cultural integration people s marriage concepts have changed a lot There are many things in common among the form and detail of Chinese and American marriage but their roots have not been changed Only by maintaining its own culture fundamental and social characteristics can a nation live long Key words China America difference marriage cultural integration 摘要摘要 婚姻作为一种人文风俗存在于许多国家 婚姻是一种人们获得亲属关系的法律制 约或社会结合 依照观念和文化的差别 结婚 普遍以一种亲密或性的表现形式被认 可 美国人重视个人的权利和自由 而中国社会重视伦理道德和人与人之间的相互依 存关系 中美两国在婚姻观方面有许多差异 本文通过研究中美两国在爱情观 婚礼 的花销 服饰 结婚典礼以及对离婚看法的差异分析产生这些差异的原因 由于地理 环境 社会价值观 历史背景 经济发展 宗教信仰不同 各个民族又各有其特性 每个人有自己的生活方式 随着时代的进步和中西文化的交融 人们对中美婚姻的看 iv 西华大学毕业论文 法也产生了变化 婚姻的形式和细节产生许多共同之处 但主要的观念未变 一个国家 要想长久存在 更重要的是坚持自己文化的根本 保持社会的特色 关键词关键词 中国 美国 差异 婚姻 文化融合 1 西华大学毕业论文 The Differences of the Marriage Concept Between China and America 1 Introduction Marriage exists as a human custom in various countries John Gottman 1999 45 advocates that custom is the great guide of human life Knowing the customs of a country is the guide to know the soul of the country and its people People should know the culture of their target language as a foreign language learner People can really learn the language well only in this way No matter which area of the country you are in the engagement ceremony is a process for lovers to go through American think highly of interests and freedom while Chinese value ethics and the dependence relationship between people There are many differences of marriage concept between China and America This paper analyses the reasons of these differences by studying the differences of love value wedding dress ceremony wedding cost and views on divorce between China and America China and America have its own characteristics of marriage as a result of the differences of living conditions social value history background economy and religion The mythical origin of Chinese marriage can date to the story about Fu Xi and Nu Wa who invented proper marriage procedures after getting married People having same surname should consult with their family members to reduce the potential risk of unintentional incest in ancient Chinese society Marrying one s maternal relatives was generally not thought of as incest so families sometimes intermarried from one generation to another As time went by Chinese people became more geographically mobile When a spouse died the husband and the wife were buried separately in the respective clans graveyard A male would become a son in law who lived in the wife s home in a maternal marriage The New Marriage Law of 1950 thoroughly changed Chinese marriage traditions enforcing monogamy choice in marriage and equality of men and women arranged 2 西华大学毕业论文 marriages were the most common type of marriage in China until then Starting October 2003 it became legal to marry or divorce without recognition from the couple s work units Although people with infectious diseases such as HBV may now marry marriage is still illegal for the mental patients Chinese culture is significantly influenced by Confucianism while American culture is significantly impacted by western ideas With the development of the reform and opening up policy the communication between China and America has become more and more frequent Marriage is a normal and necessary social phenomenon America is a cross cultural society American pursue freedom and independence while Chinese people s psychology is concern and sympathy Therefore their understanding of the marriage concept is different from America In China young people have to visit each other s parents before getting married When visiting the girl s parents During the wedding instead of using the typical white color that in western cultures signifies purity Chinese and even Russian bridal attire has been traditionally red The prominent use of red is evident in Chinese culture for any joyful festivities while white is used in memorials and funerals denoting death Xi Xiao 2008 35 proposes there were rare divorce in ancient China but in America evangelicals who attend church regularly divorce at a rate of 36 lower than secular couples for the religion The aim of the present thesis is to discuss the cultural differences in various aspects between Chinese and American festivals such as in their origin celebration food feast manners and dressing and finally find the reasons In this thesis the aim of knowing the differences of the marriage concept between China and America is to make different nations communicate with each other more often The thesis will involve the wedding dress wedding cost ceremony and views on divorce to study in order to have a preliminary research on their different marriage concepts People can know the differences of marriage concept between China and America from many aspects From the study I can understand the history and culture of China and America better 2 Definition of marriage and love value 3 西华大学毕业论文 Marriage exists as a human custom in various countries Marriage is a socially or formally legal contract or recognized union between couples that establishes rights and responsibilities between husband and wife and between parents and their children Marriage is the foundation of families and the society Marriage s definition varies according to various cultures but it is mainly an institution in which human relations usually familiar and sexual are acknowledged According to Norman Wright 2005 47 marriage is considered to be compulsory before pursuing any sexual activity in some countries Marriage is considered cultural and universal when defined widely A broad definition of marriage includes those who are monogamous provisional polygamous and same sex People marry for many reasons including juristical social sexual emotional religious mental economical and so on Stephanie Coontz 2005 36 advocates whom they marry may be influenced by socially determined rules of incest individual desire prescriptive marriage rules and parental choice Marriages are arranged in many areas of the world Shotgun weddings are unlawful in some jurisdictions Love is the most beautiful and noble thing in the world and people have praised it for thousands of years The key points of marriage are loving each other living a wonderful life and prolonging our life In developing parts of the world arranged marriage polygamy child marriage and sometimes forced marriage may be practiced as a cultural tradition On the contrary such practices may be outlawed and penalized in many parts of the world In the developed regions of the world there has been a general trend towards ensuring equal rights within marriage for women and legally recognizing the marriages of interfaith same gender and interracial couples Oftentimes these trends have been motivated by a desire to uphold human rights and establish equality 3 Differences of marriage between China and America 3 1 Wedding cost In China bridegrooms pay most wedding costs People thought a couple should share all responsibilities together in the west The average age of American buying houses is 36 years old They buy houses for kids not for marriage Most of young American rent houses when get married Many Chinese admire the open minded family relationship of American 4 西华大学毕业论文 but they can t get rid of the traditional concept According to American tradition it took one year from engagement to wedding It wastes energy and time to prepare the wedding The bride s side prepares for the wedding The report suggests that the average cost of an American marriage is 22000 dollars All costs of American marriage are 72 billion every year The average cost of a Chinese marriage is 13000 yuan The average cost of wedding venue wedding company and wedding dress are higher than last year But the costs of wedding photos and jewelries go down The cost of main wedding projects is about 131768 yuan up 6 8 percent of than last year The average cost of marriage is 560000 yuan in towns in our country The cost includes wedding photography wedding services wedding banquets wedding dresses jewelry honeymoon travel buying a house buying a car home decoration furnitures and so on Couples spend about 330000 yuan on buying house The report shows that 81 percent of young people need financial support from parents when getting married Affected by traditional concepts Chinese will buy new houses and even new cars generally when they get married Although the price of house is higher and higher many parents still spend all their savings and buy houses for children Honeymoon is originated from the west where 99 percent of couples will go on their honeymoon The average cost of going on honeymoon is 4000 dollars in America Honeymoon is a pleasure for married couples Many people will go to travel on their honeymoon How to spend money depends on personal economic situation Many American don t save face and compare unrealistically when they get married 3 2 Wedding dress In China the traditional wedding dress is usually red Many decorations are red How did red become the color Chinese love Red is the color of the fire blood and sun So most Chinese people believe that red is the color of wealth and good fortune Decorating the wedding with red color also stands for their expectations of wealth and good fortune Chinese marriages emphasize wealth and celebration And many brides wear cheongsams 5 西华大学毕业论文 in marriage In Chinese traditional marriage brides wear red clothes and phoenix coronets with a red scarf Grooms wear robes and mandarin jackets Brides sit in bright red sedans and grooms ride horses in advance Although Chinese people are influenced by western customs and also wear white bridal veils nowadays most Chinese still keep the traditional culture They may wear white bridal veils during the ceremony or banquet and then they will wear the red cheongsams or any other traditional wedding clothes But in America the color is different The white color means holiness in the west In Greek mythology Zeus was the incarnation of a white bull In Christianity the Holy Spirit was manifested as a white dove so Jesus Christ was called the white lamb and the symbol of the virgin Mary was a white unicorn Later white became the color of priests clothes The priest wore a white robe in the Catholic liturgy White also means innocence Just as Luo Xiu 1999 35 pointed out in Roman times white represented celebration Between 1850 and 1990 white also symbolized affluence In the early 20th century white stood for purity So white has been the first choice of the wedding dress s color It symbolizes the beauty and holiness of brides The ancient American ladies wear a wreath of flowers in the marriageable age to be distinguished from married women It symbolizes virginity Brides wearing veils is the symbol of youth and virginity in the beginning later it stands for purity in Catholicism It was said that a beautiful noble girl stood behind the white gauze curtain and her fiance was amazed at her beauty and praised her greatly It inspired her to wear a wedding dress at the wedding Her behavior pioneered a fashion It s the origin of brides wearing wedding dresses The dressing of American brides is grave and elegant American wedding is a more romantic style so the whole wedding from start to finish full of romance And the wedding tradition of something old something new something borrowed something blue has been kept for many years Many brides have been asked on their wedding days if they have gathered something old new borrowed and blue to carry with them when they walk to the marriage hall The meaning of that is to bring luck and fortune to the newly married couple 6 西华大学毕业论文 3 3 Wedding ceremony Chinese marriages are quite different from American marriages Traditionally there were many things people should prepare for the wedding Such as requesting for marring the bride requesting for bride and groom s birth dates engagement formal gifts for the bride s family and selecting the wedding date Young people need to visit to each other s parents before getting married The boy has to bring betrothal presents with him to express sincerity when visiting the girl s parents And while the girl visits the boy s parents the parents should prepare a formal gift for the future daughter in law The procedure of the wedding ceremony was complex First relatives should go to the bride s home to escort her back to the wedding and then the bridegroom kicked the curtain of the sedan chair Next the bride strode the fire pan The bride and the groom performed the traditional Chinese wedding ceremony There were three worships worshiping the heaven and the earth worshiping the groom s ancestors and parents and worshiping each other After that the elders would give them red packages with monetary gifts and wish them well Then the groom s family would give a banquet for the friends and relatives to celebrate the wedding The typical foods of the wedding were longans Chinese dates peanuts and chestnuts The meaning of them is early birth of a healthy baby Chinese marriages are lively and festive In Chinese marriage there is a farewell dinner for the bride Relatives and friends will joke the bridal chamber after the dinner Chinese think that the more lively the wedding is in the bridal chamber the happier the bride and groom are in the future So relatives and friends do anything to obstruct the bride and groom On the contrary American marriages are more dignified and sacred so it is rare to see cross cupped wine double happiness and teasing the bride and the bridegroom on wedding night The wedding venue is full of flowers in American wedding which is full of romantic atmosphere Not only can you learn the background music but also the pledging expresses faith American are open minded The upsurge of the wedding is in the church Going to church for the wedding ceremony is the most important part of the whole wedding The bride and groom go into the church with the wedding march The bride often stands on the 7 西华大学毕业论文 left side of the groom in American marriages If a rival appears in the wedding ceremony the groom can take out his sword immediately and beat off the enemy The bride s father puts his daughter s hand on the groom s hands It means his daughter s life is related with the groom They will live together in the future days Relatives and friends look at them and always smile Over in the sacred church the echoes of their oaths are everywhere She is the most beautiful bride that day People give their best wishes to the new couple Then the priest says You may kiss your bride They kiss and exchange rings Relatives and friends clap warmly Marriage is a perpetual covenant which you are to stick to a lifetime oath The Lord Jesus said God will not separate the people This love is for life After that guests go to dinner but the bride and groom go for their honeymoon 4 Views on divorce 4 1 Chinese views on divorce Fornication and Extramarital affairs are two factors of divorce The possibility of divorce is very large if someone has sex outside marriage or has an affair although modern people are more open minded about sexual behaviour So people can see that Chinese are difficult to forgive their partners disloyalty Chinese people are not open minded like American The other reasons of divorce are domestic violence and the bad habits of husband or wife Besides Personality clashes are also easy to lead to divorce The couples may quarrel more often due to personality clashes In ancient China people thought that women were inferior to men Only the parents of the men had the right to dissolve their marriage Generally speaking it s divorcing his wife and the rate of divorce is low Nowadays more than 4000 couples divorce in China every day and the data is still increasing The reasons of the high rate of divorce are various Such as social pressure long distance marriage work stress and so on Chinese society is at a transitional stage now The high development of network and modern communication skills provide many chances for people to communicate with each other and people are affected by other countries so some are more open minded about sex 8 西华大学毕业论文 Many young people are not constrained by traditional moral concepts It s common for modern youth to have cohabitation and trial marriage Meanwhile special marriage adjusting mechanism is rare so that s why more and more people divorce 4 2 Amer