After reading The Treatment (Guasha), there exists a obvious cultural clashes between China and America.
First, as an immigrant who had lived in the United States for eight years, Datong is essentially dominated by the Chinese traditional values. For example, he thinks highly of filial piety. As a result, Datong tells lies in the court that it was him who makes guasha to his son. When his good friend, Mr. Quinlin, knows that it was not Datong but his father made guasha to Dennis, he is very shocked. According to American ideas, each person should not give any perjury in any case. So, as an American, Quinlin can not understand Chinese culture value system. In China, people will be consciously or unconsciously to deal with the problem for parents or children, but in America, it is not. This is a reflection of the cultural unconsciousness. In America, when children become eighteen, they will live by themselves. And the parents will not live with their children any more, even they are old. But in China, this will be regarded as disobedience. And also in China, if children quarrel with others, the first reflection of parents is to blame their children, for others’ face, especially for the leaders’.
Second, Guasha reflects the conflict of law (including legal concept) caused by the cultural differences between Sino-US. We live in a world of legal pluralism, when contact with each other, the difference of cultural concept behind the law and a lack of mutual understanding are likely to lead to conflict of laws or legal concepts. In the movie, Guasha is the clue of story’s expansion. In the word of Xu’ father, “in China, Guasha has a long history for thousands of years, but why it hard to make clear in America. In fact, it’s because of American culture; there is no one kind of treatment which makes a person become scarred. In the context of this culture, the American law cannot leave a legal position for Guasha. Thus, Guasha’s difficulty to make clear in America is normal. Only when the cultural differences or cultural blind area being recognized, the conflict may be resolved. In the movie, Datong’s trouble come from his boss, children’s welfare bureau officials, the judge’s utterly ignorant about Guasha; from American law’s cognitive blind spots for Chinese culture. And Datong’ turnaround also begin with these people, they recognize and understand Guasha gradually, and then understand the behavior of Datong and his father. The conflict of legal concept caused by cultural difference only can be real solved through the communication and understanding of culture.
Third, man-governing vs. law-governing. The movie represent that Datong Xu thought friends will help him get rid of the case at the hearing instead of inadvertently testify. If in China, friends would rather liars also want to help him get rid of the lawsuit. But Americans have a choice of honesty. That is the cultural differences between the two countries. Chinese people pay attention to sentiment, the principle, the method.
Man-governing is the core of Chinese culture. They consider that friends are those who always here to help you and would go out on a limb if you asked him to. However, Americans make friends do things in the weight of the order is : method, the principle, the sentiment. That is to say, the first thing is law, and then is reasonable, the last is sensibilities. Americans are very respect for law, they confident that they can find solutions to all problems in the items of the law.
Forth, Chinese medicine and Western medicine. Film conflict after scraping by Dennis, back left of a fever marks. Americans think it is child abuse, which led to a scraping of the lawsuit. Gua Sha is an adjunct therapy to traditional Chinese medicine.Chinese medicine focus on the balance of gas, blood, yin, yang, in order to coordinate the harmony between man and nature. The yin and yang of Chinese medicine, Meridian said the focus on the overall observation, the diagnostic approach is to look, smell, ask, cut, how the wind blows: the clinical experience of mouth legend, Apprenticeships granted; treatment methods such as acupuncture, cupping, Gua Sha has a wealth of clinical practice. The establishment of Western medicine in philosophical thinking, focusing on the study of physiology, pathology, anatomy, focusing on the validation of the laboratory, perspective, slices, imaging and other scientific means. Therefore, as an experience in medicine, traditional Chinese medicine for Americans only have the mind of the scientific evidence, naturally difficult to understand. Causes of disagreement: Philosophical Thinking. A basic proposition of the Chinese philosophy is man and nature. Chinese people believe in \between man and nature overall”, coordinated and organic links. And long of Great Unification of the rule of the Chinese people with a conservative, playing it safe, seeking a unified view read. This attitude can be seen from the Chinese people towards family show. Relative to the China, Western countries surrounded by the sea, with very poor living conditions. They must fight against such harsh conditions, and then to conquer the sea, to conquer nature. Therefore, their relationship is mutually exclusive. Westerners prone to \two Western cultures is a rational culture, Western philosophy is a real certificate on the Western medicine is built on this basis. Therefore, Chinese medicine traditional scraping is considered to be \Fifth, Concept of Family: value orientation is different between America family and china. 1. Westerners’ concept of family is relatively weak, and they regard themselves, personal as the center, make their individualism, liberal values very well developed, and the children have their rights. 2. China is parents socialist, believe that children are part of the parents; parents have power to make decisions.
In the United States, personal interests and desires is the first, the
parents can't will not left the children alone, which have not self-control,
not to abuse children. Movie \ of the continuation of life, and the copyright to all of its, and Mr.Xu said to
Datong the \the aspects of the Chinese traditional family values. Chinese families emphasize on family, the love of the blood. Chinese often say \
poison not food son\his abuse, Datong think the allegations incredible. For his wife JianNing said: \Don't you feel absurd?” Chinese families’ filial piety parents are one of the important aspects of the moral. In the film, Datong was able to get a green card for father to the judge admitted that his son is to scrapping. Later, in order not to let father worry, Datong has been to hide everything for father. In order to do filial piety, Datong charges for father and the respect the fact the legal consciousness of personality. Americans can't understand the concept of the \children education primarily with strict, sometimes need to beat and scold discipline, folk have \XuFu said: \child.\
Last, loving and educating children. In China, when children made a mistake, parents will abuse child in public, which don’t consider the child’s self-esteem and face. In the education of children, the Chinese think, hits is kisses, scolds is the love. But, in the United States is not, Americans are more respect child’s self-esteem and they will not easily to abuse children.
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