The-differences-between-American-and-Chinese-value.docx

The differences between American and Chinese valueEducational Differences Between China and AmericaChinese education focuses more on the accumulation of facts and exposing students to certain beliefs. Stereotypically, Western education is more liberalized, encouraging students to synthesize the ideas presented to them to form their own opinions. The differences in education systems are most striking at the primary education level; while 5-year-olds in China are copying basic characters like over and over again in their notebooks, their American counterparts are learning educational songs or using crayons to illustrate what they learned that day.When it comes to education, traditional Chinese society pressures students to study attentively for mandatory tests needed to move onto the next level of education, without bothering about other things like extracurricular activities and young romance. As a result, Chinese students are less conscious of the world around them, all-around development is faint and they have no opportunity to enhance their personal qualities in many respects. Chinese parents place their hopes on one child, and are overloaded with the sense of responsibility for their childs education; in effect, the child becomes an all-dependent sheep, lacking a creative, individualistic character.Undoubtedly, the American education system produces students that are too focused on scores and salaries. While the best of a well-rounded western education brings out critical thinking skills, creative entrepreneurship and a deep understanding of the world through an interdisciplinary lens, the worst must be admitted too. Western society also produces individuals who are all too dependent on their helicopter parents, who mechanically amble through the various levels of state testing to get a piece of paper and eventually, a sum of money for their troubles.The west is often idealized as full of individuals with artistic, intellectual or altruistic visions that allow them to strive for something beyond high test scores and a sustainable salary. This is only true for a segment of the American-European population.In China, students are famous for having to practice the same kind of questions thousands of times so that they can get a high score on exams. On the American side, this sort of extreme focus on standardized testing can be found mostly at public schools with students who are at risk of failing state administered tests. Students at “better” (often more affluent) public or private schools are often shielded from such grueling test preparation until they hit their high school years, during which the practice exams for Advanced Placement courses and SATs (Americas college entrance exam) start piling up. Parents of top-performing students often invest hundreds of dollars and hours into test prep courses and study materials, but in the U.S. there also exists students who are more low-key, willing to settle for a less prestigious university in exchange for a saner academic life.When a Chinese child goes to college, the ranking of the university is all that matters. If he studies in Tsinghua, Beijing University, or other famous universities, his parents will take a pride in him; if he has not been matriculated in a famous university, he will feel sad and ashamed when facing relatives. Above all, we can know Chinese put their faces first.Getting into an Ivy-league school like Harvard or Yale is a dream for many students and their parents, but only certain types truly obsess over the university rankings put forth by US News every year. There is much more concern about how happy the child will ultimately be at the respective college; Americans, on the whole, take factors like cost after scholarships and quality of campus life more into consideration than their Chinese counterparts.The individualism VS the collectivismIndividual concepts Collectivism is more popular in China while individualism in America. Chinese often owe a success to a group. Facing praise, they appear very modest and say a lot of formulae. Under the similar circumstance, Americans are more likely to tend to individualism and will accept the praise directly.1.Individual striveAmerican thinks highly of the persons who get success by their hardworking, instead of relying on the family. In America, you can often see the person who is in low profile, while he (or she) is relative of successful people. But it is just the reverse in China. Like the old saying goes : “When someone got to the top, even his dogs and chickens got there too”.2.Individual privacy“Leave me alone!” To American, losing privacy means losing a part of oneself. They think the privacy is in relation to ones basic dignity and independence. But it doesnt mean that they dont want to share and be frank. In fact, they are more vigorous in work when they are “individual”. But in China, ”privacy” just means “scandal”.3. Individual choiceMore than to help you to choose, American prefers to give you advices. It is just the same in the way parents teaching their children. For example, “Buying a toy and then you wont get new clothes. Or buying new clothes so that there will be no toy.” One can be thought as a dawdler and a loser who is always depends on others choices. While in China, most people are just waiting their “destiny”, and they are often tend to “take to the woods” when trouble comes. There are nearly 100 words in America which have the prefix “self-“, American takes “individual” seriously, but it doesnt means American ignored the importance of cooperation. In fact, they are more effective as they have the same value. The other way around, Chinese seems very “collective”, but it is just to obey the leaders orders.Principle vs. RelationshipAmerican stress rules and principles while Chinese stress rel