中美文化对消费观的影响Impact of Chinese and American Cultures on Consumption Concepts

中美文化对消费观的影响

1.引言

2.与消费观有关的中美文化背景介绍

与消费观有关的中国文化背景介绍

与消费观有关的美国文化背景介绍3.中美文化对消费观的影响

3.1节俭对享受生活

3.2“面子”消费对满足自我

3.3 从众性对个性

3.4 保守主义对冒险主义

4. 结论

Impact of Chinese and American Cultures

On Consumption Concepts

1. Introduction

―Culture is man’s medium; there is not one aspect of human life that is not touched and altered by culture,‖claims American anthropologist Edward T. Hall (许力生40). What’s more, ―the culture of every society is unique, containing combinations of norms and values that are found nowhere else,‖ writes I. Roberton (许力生40). Today, with the economic development and social progress, more and more people pay attention to the issue of consumption. As is known to all, Consumption is determined by the subjective element of consumers, so it has the brand of ―culture‖ more or less. As typical Eastern and Western countries, Chinese culture is different from American culture —Chinese culture is deeply influenced by Confucianism and Buddhism; but American culture is deeply influenced by Protestantism. Therefore, different cultures produce different consumption concepts. In order to understand the impact of Chinese and American cultures on consumption concepts more clearly, this paper will first introduce the cultural backgrounds of China and America which are related to the consumption concept briefly, and then compare the Chinese consumption concept with the American consumption concept.

2.The cultural background of China and America related to the consumption

concept

Culture is an important factor which influences the consumption concepts. China has a long history which is more than five thousand years. The mainstream culture of China is Confucianism and Buddhism. But American history is relatively young which is deeply influenced by Protestantism. If one wants to understand Chinese and American consumption concepts much better, first he or she should know their cultural background.

2.1 The cultural background of China related to the consumption concept

As is known to all, Confucianism is the groundwork of traditional Chinese culture. It is an unabridged ideological system which is created by Confucius and based on the traditional culture of the Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties. The main representations of the core ideas of Confucianism are rules of propriety, conservatism, forbearance, filial piety, frugality, temperance and collectivism. Confucianism dominated a feudal society that in essence has lasted 2000 years and for that reason its influence over the history, social structure and the people of China cannot be neglected. The founder of Confucianism, Confucius, was born in the Spring and Autumn Period in the Lu kingdom which was the country of etiquette and culture. He hoped that a conduct of ―benevolence‖ which is the

fundamental virtue of Confucianism would make the population harmoniously live together under the traditional Chinese system. But ―benevolence‖is a very general and very broad concept. Thus, he used ―rules of propriety‖to govern customs, ceremonies, rituals and human relationships. Confucius was also extremely concerned with creating social order in China’s feudal times. "Confucianism defines codes of conduct and patterns of obedience. Women obey and defer to men, younger to elder brothers, and sons to fathers. Respect flows upwards, from young to old, from subject to ruler" (崔进130). And he placed ―temperance‖ as a primary virtue. It means that one should restraint his or her own desire and cannot do anything freely. And one cannot discuss Confucianism without mentioning another important man, Mencius. As a Confucian, he also based his entire ideological system of thought on the concept of ―benevolence‖. He said, ―Benevolence is the heart of a man, righteousness the road‖ (蔡希勤236). In his opinion, the young should maintain their old parents; the lower level should be subordinate to the higher level and the individual should obey the collective. He also declared that one should reduce his or her desire and be frugal. In a word, China is deeply permeated with Confucianism and the Chinese are nurtured with Confucianism which exerts the greatest influence on every aspect of the Chinese way of life, according to the book Walk around China: Oral English Practice Series—Culture (刘上扶 113). Therefore, as an important aspect of daily life, Chinese consumption concepts are deeply influenced by Confucianism.

Usually, Confucianism is thought as the only mainstream culture in China. But in fact, Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism are all important parts of Chinese traditional culture. According to records, Buddhism originated in India in the 6th century BC. From the 3rd to 6th centuries AD, Buddhism developed in China. And in the middle of the 1st century AD, the religion gained the interest of the Han emperor Ming. However, in the beginning, Buddhism was inconsistent with Confucianism which was in a dominant position in many aspects, so the thought of Buddhism could not be accepted by most Chinese people. Therefore, later, Buddhism formed philosophy with Chinese characteristics and became a major religious faith of Chinese people more than 1,000 years, because it had fused with Confucianism and Taoism. The impact of Chinese Buddhism on people's psychology and behavior mainly embodies in the following aspects: first, Buddhism advocates the virtue of filial piety which means that everyone has the duty to respect and support their parents. Second, to a certain extent, Buddhism restrains people's ideology of egoism and hedonism.

The cornerstone of Buddhism is the view that all life is suffering. Everyone is subject to the

traumas of birth, sickness, decrepitude and death; to the things they most dread (an

incurable disease or an ineradicable personal weakness); and to separation from the things

they love. And the cause of suffering is desire—specifically the desires of the body and the

desire for personal fulfillment. Happiness can only be achieved if these desires are

overcome, and this requires following the ―eightfold path‖ by following this path, Buddhist

followers aim to attain nirvana (崔进131) .

It means that one who does the good deeds will be lucky, but one who does the bad deeds will be unlucky. Therefore, when people are extremely in pursuit of self-interest or enjoyment, they will worry about comeuppance which is mentioned in Buddhism and control their actions. The spirit of Buddhism also reflects on Chinese consumption concepts.

2.2 The cultural background of America related to the consumption concept

On the contrary, the dominant culture of America is relatively young because of its unique history. According to the book Communication Between Cultures, the fundamental American proposition of ―independence, freedom, adventure, material wealth‖ is pursued by each individual (Samovar, Porter and Stefani 112-113). Ostensibly America is an unreligious country, but actually is a religion country. Because Americans are fanatically pursuit of comfortable and luxurious material life, it seems that only in an extremely unreligious country may appear this phenomenon. But actually about 95 percent of Americans believe God, among them, about 60 present of believers are Protestants. So when American culture is mentioned, one must mention the Protestantism in the United States. As is known to all, "the most important thing to understand about American is probably their devotion to 'individualism'" (狄艳华 99). And ―individualism is often regarded as the most marked characteristic of American society‖, in the words of Wang Enming (290). And the notion of ―individualism‖ in American culture had the very close relation with Protestantism. What is the origin of the Protestantism in the United States? In the 16th century, the Protestantism of the Christian faith separated from the Roman Catholic Church in Europe because they had different religious beliefs and religious practices. Then the Protestants found that they could not agree among themselves about many things. Therefore, the Protestants began to form separate churches. In the 1600s, the Catholic Church did not recognize the rights of such Protestant churches to exist, resulting in much bitterness among some of the religious groups. Subsequently, many Protestants experienced religious persecution, which eventually compelled many of them to leave their native countries in order to have freedom to practice their particular religious beliefs. Thus, Protestantism emphasizes that the individual is the center of religious life and everyone has the right to pursue happiness and success. People should love themselves first, and then

love others. Besides, the Protestantism encouraged people to do their best to achieve the idea of ―self- improvement‖. Therefore, in the United States, owning more and more material wealth became the symbol of ―self improvement‖ which could be accepted widely. Usually, religion only refers to the moral world of human beings, but not the aspect of material. However, the leader of Protestantism pointed out that the people who had more material wealth were more blessed and favored by God. In other words, material wealth was the symbol of God’s favor. Therefore, to most Americans, acquiring more material wealth was one part of ―American dream‖. American people also like adventure, because of its special history. Settling a new, undeveloped land required a great deal of attention to the daily activities of surviving, a situation that did not lend itself to dependency or formality. So as an American maxim says, one who does not take the risk will have no success. In a word, the main characteristic of Americans is independence, freedom, adventure and material wealth.

3. The impact of Chinese and American cultures on consumption concepts

From above, it can be seen that the main representations of Chinese characteristic is rules of propriety, conservatism, forbearance, filial piety, frugality, temperance and collectivism; but the fundamental American spirit contains independence, freedom, adventure and material wealth Chinese. Because of their different propositions, China and America have different consumption concepts as follows:

3.1 Frugality vs. Enjoyment of life

Since ancient times, frugality was our Chinese traditional virtue at all times. As the representatives of Confucianism, Confucius preached that extravagance leads to insubordination and parsimony leads to simplism. So it was better to be simplified than to be insubordinate (马德五179). And Buddhism prescribed its followers not to eat meat or drink wine. This characteristic can be reflected in Chinese daily life. From a child, Chinese people are educated that thrift is honorable, waste is shameful. Therefore, Chinese people are not encouraged to buy new things. If things can not work, Chinese people usually go to repair them until those things cannot be mended. In China, the second-hand market is very popular. In the second-market, people can buy anything which they need and the price is much lower than things which are new. This phenomenon can be seen that Chinese people are very frugal.

Chinese frugality is also influenced by the virtue of temperance. In the words of Mencius, ―the best way to cultivate one’s heart is to reduce one’s desire‖ (蔡希勤38). To a certain extent, Buddhism restrains people's ideology of egoism and hedonism, because Buddhism stresses self-command, especially emphasizes on restraining one's own greed and selfish desires. Buddhism also emphasizes comeuppance. Therefore, when people

want to buy convenient transportation, comfortable home, beautiful clothes, etc, they will worry about comeuppance which is mentioned in Buddhism and restrain their actions. Once people have the consciousness of self-control, they will be thrifty.

Of course, the virtue of rules of propriety also has the impact on the view of frugality in China. Usually, Chinese family is very large which is composed of the young, the old and the children. Confucianism requires the young to respect the old and the female to obey the orders of the male. And Buddhism is also for the virtue of filial piety. Chinese people respect their elder parents and feel a deep sense of duty to maintain them. They think they have the obligation and responsibility to support their parents in the old age. This is accepted as a natural part of life in China. And fostering their children is their duty, too. To Chinese people, it is a heavy burden to take care of their parents and children. So they can not spend money freely, they should deposit one part of their money in case of need.

Americans, however, don’t advocate the principle of frugality, but enjoyment of life. The main reason is that most American people believe in Protestantism. And the leader of Protestantism points out that the people who had more material wealth were more blessed and favored by God. Therefore, Americans do their best to acquire more material wealth and make their lives more enjoyable. Among American people, there has been a wholesale creation and diffusion of the miracle of comfort: convenient transportation, delicious food, labor-saving devices, comfortable home, etc. Americans take great fancy to them and have a high value of being comfortable. Indeed, in American civilization, such material wealth is both the criterion and the undeniable proof of success and progress. As is known to all, Chinese people like to deposit their money in the bank. But Americans think that money is just belong to a kind of medium, only tangible possession is valuable. Therefore, most American people readily want to own expensive clothing and furniture, fine cars, fancy houses, and the endless variety of elaborate machinery – power mowers, hi-fi sets, mobile telephones, and dishwashing machines. What’s more, American people get rid of old things quickly and without any consider, whether the ones still work or not, because they think that it just wastes time to mend the old things and they have no interest in old things.

What’s more, in the opinion of American people, every individual is free and one's thoughts and actions should not be restricted by anything. And they have the right of enjoyment of life. So Americans do not advocate the principle of temperance. They can buy anything which they want.

Besides, although there has been much talk about ―family values‖ in the United States, the family is not a usual frame of reference for decisions in American mainstream culture. Family connections are not so important to most people. General speaking, American

children are independent earlier than Chinese children. Furthermore, Americans do not think they have the obligation or responsibility to foster their parents. Therefore, to American people, taking care of themselves is enough.

3.2 ―Face‖ consumption vs. Self-satisfaction

Though the Chinese people observe the principle of frugality, sometimes they are extravagant. As is known to all, ―face‖ is a sense of one’s status, which a person thinks of himself or herself in relation to all other people. It has been described as ―social prestige‖or ―self-respect‖in China (张蓓and 韩江179). But what is the mean of ―face‖? The original meaning of ―face‖ is external body part, but to its extended meaning, "face" means status in the eyes of others. What’s more, Confucianism also has the impact on the ―face‖consumption. As is will known, the value of courtesy is the main representation of the core values of Confucianism. "Confucius is extremely concerned with establishing well-ordered families and a harmonious society" and "lists five primary human relationships: ruler and subject, parent and child, elder and younger, husband and wife, and friend and friend" (张蓓and 韩江179). So giving the face to others is an important means of maintaining harmonious interpersonal relationship. And family as the core of Chinese society, one's honor or disgrace is closely linked to the family. So most Chinese people think presenting gifts is the best way to keep the relationship with others. So as long as their relatives, friends or colleagues have events, they must take part in it. And one very important thing is that they must present the gifts or cash. This reflects the value of politeness. And usually they will present the gifts which don’t make them lose face, because they think that more valuable present is presented, much better ceremony and much larger face will be earned. At the same time, they will wear their best clothes and jewels. In this way, they will not be looked down upon by others and can give face to the owner. And the host of the banquet will also get ready the large ostentation and extravagance in order to earn ―face‖. Because putting up a show and displaying wealth are deeply rooted in Chinese heart and prevailing practice in Chinese life. For example, some young people will spend more than they can afford on marriage, for the wedding party and for the decoration and ornamentation of the wedding chamber. Why do they do this? Because they do not want lose face. In China, there is a strange phenomenon that some valuable things are only as the presents but do not be used by the buyer. It cannot be judged whether he or she is rich on this occasion. Thereby, ―face‖ consumption is common in China.

The American people, however, do not attach importance to the value of ―face‖ like Chinese. In the United States, individualism is often regarded as the most marked characteristic of Americans. They think that everyone is a free individual and nothing can change their ideas. It is more important to satisfy their own needs than others’, so they like

the things which can make them comfortable and convenient. They do not pay attention to keeping the relation with relatives, friends or colleagues as Chinese people, either. They also take part in the banquets when their friends have blessed events or unhappy things, but usually they do not wear ceremonious clothes and present articles of value. American people think a bunch of flowers or a card also can express their meanings well. The host of the banquets doesn’t make ready elaborate meals, either. Though they have lots of money, they do not like to do this. In the United States, we can also find lots of American people who use products which are made in China. But they do this not because it can make them have ―face‖, but because Chinese products are cheaper than their native goods.

3.3 Conformity vs. Individuality

The collective (group-oriented) nature of Chinese values is largely the product of thousands of years of living and working together on the land (Samovar, Porter and Stefani 117). Confucianism thinks that people should love others first, then love themselves. When the individual comes into conflict with the collective, people must neglect the individual. So in the opinion of Chinese people, the collective is much more important than the individual. This characteristic certainly influences the Chinese value of conformity. For example, if white is the most popular color this year, we will find lots of white things everywhere. In China, this is a very common phenomenon. In the marketplace, it is common to find that there are a lot of people who are scrambling to buy some merchandise. They do not consider that whether they need to buy those or not, whether the quality of merchandises is good or bad, or whether the price is reasonable or not. They just think that the quality of goods must be good and the price must be low because so many people buy those. It can be seen above that Chinese conformity deeply impacts on Chinese consumption concepts.

Compared with the collectivism and conformity of Chinese, the belief in the freedom of the individual is probably the most basic value in American life. The most important thing to understand about American is probably their devotion to ―individualism‖(狄艳华99). According to the book ―American Culture and Society‖, individualism and equality are often regarded as the most marked characteristics of American society. Whatever the case, these two values are widespread in the United States and held tenaciously by all Americans (王恩铭 290). Americans think that the individual is much more important than the collective and they must have their own ideas and control their own destiny by themselves. The value of individualism also reflected on consumption. American people like to purchase novelty goods, because they think that these novelty goods can show their distinctive eye and taste. They like to see changes in cars, clothing, and products for the home. In the United States, it is difficult to find two same upholsteries, because

upholsteries are according to the fancy and feelings of owners. In the United States, everyone is an independent individual, so they do not like what others like. Maybe Chinese people will appear uneasy when others pay attention to them, for they think that there must be something strange about them. On the contrary, American people will feel happy when they attract others’ attention. Consequently, the value of individualism has deep impact on American consumption concept.

3.4 Conservatism vs. Adventurism

As is known to all, Confucianism advocates the values of middle road and conservatism, so conservatism is one important characteristic of Chinese cultural spirit. Chinese people like to deposit the money, because they think this action can guarantee their lives. Chinese people attach importance to the experience but do not like to change and adventure, so they are rare to buy new and different things. They think the new things which have not been used by them can not give them the sense of safety. Hence, Chinese people almost buy the things which they have bought and go to the shop where they have been. There is another common phenomenon which shows Chinese conservatism on consumption. Usually, Chinese people do not dare to make the decision by themselves, because they do not believe their own eye and feeling. In their opinion, the individual must obey the collective. If the individual comes into conflict with the collective, people must neglect the individual. When they go shopping, they are rare to show which thing they like better of which thing they dislike. When they want to buy something, usually they will ask others’ opinion. If the other people show different view, usually they will give up their own ideas and obey others'. When one does not have the desire to buy that thing, but if his or her friend shows that the thing is good and fit for him or her, sometimes they will buy it. So the value of conservatism has deep impact on Chinese consumption concept, too.

On the contrary, the courage to try something new has been an American characteristic since colonial times, when the nation’s founding fathers started one of the greatest experiments of all times—the creation of American democracy. Most American people do not like to deposit the money in the bank, usually they spend more money than they earn. American people love having things which are new and different, because they like change and adventure. Perhaps this love of novelty comes from their pride in their inventiveness. Americans have always been interested in inventing new products and improving old ones. They like to see changes in cars, clothing, and house. In the United States, advertisements encourage people to try new products instead of old ones, whether old products still work or not. And if they cannot afford to buy something new, advertisers encourage consumers to use the credit card. On new things, they believe their own judgment and do not pay attention to the experience. They think that new things are better

than old ones because society is progressing all the time. Therefore, American people are always willing to accept new ideas and new products. What’s more, the more novel the products are, the more interesting they feel. And when they go shopping, they usually make decision by themselves and do not consider others’suggestion. At the same time, they usually do not like to help others make decision, because this is the individual freedom. As a result, the values of individualism and adventurism have great impact on American consumption concept.

4.Conclusion

As typical Eastern and Western countries, Chinese culture is different from American culture. Confucianism and Buddhism are both Chinese mainstream cultures which advocate benevolence, rules of propriety, righteousness, conservatism, forbearance, filial piety, frugality, temperance and collectivism; but American culture is influenced by Protestantism which advocates individualism, freedom, material wealth and adventure. Because of these two different cultural backgrounds, there are distinct differences between Chinese and American consumption concepts which are mainly reflected as follows: frugality vs. enjoyment of life, ―f ace‖ consumption vs. self-satisfaction, conformity vs. individuality, conservatism vs. adventurism. The purpose of this paper is to help people understand Chinese and American cultures and their consumption concepts more clearly. What’s more, it can provide people in business world with reference for marketing.