Infographics by Yang Liu on China and Western cultural differences
I recently discovered these infographics by Yang Liu (hat-tip to Global Voices, OneManBandwidth, and Adino Chang). Sorry if you have already seen these, but I’m going to zhuanzai (repost) them anyway!
Sense of Time
We posted about this topic earlier on a CN Reviews Mind the Gap post about Chinese and Western attitudes toward time. I think unreliable transit and unpredictable traffic are more important reasons for why people are late. Availability of low cost labor is another reason why time (especially other’s time!) is less precious.
Queues
I love this diagram! We also posted on Chinese and Western attitudes toward queues earlier. Tip: when in line to pay for something at the cashier’s window, follow the diagram on the right, and hold the correct amount of cash firmly in your hand and shove it into the cashiers window. Wait patiently but do not yield until the cashier takes your money and hands you the change and your receipt.
Parties
I guess this represents the difference between a cocktail party and a Chinese banquet. I personally find the blue diagram more efficient even though I am really an introvert at heart. Also, the idea of a “power lunch” is different in the West vs. China. For example, in the Silicon Valley scene, you might eat at Il Fornaio, Buck’s Woodside, University Cafe, and “see and be seen.” But in China, the equivalent might be getting a private room with a lounge at a well known restaurant, and eating with business partners in privacy!
Opinions
This is a stereotype that may be more true in some areas than in others. When I met with my company’s engineers in Beijing, I thought they were pretty blunt and direct. I did not know whether to be blunt and direct back, so I opted for the more indirect approach. So its dangerous to apply this stereotype with all people. China is changing!
Way of Life
This may be a general pattern, but I’ve found Chinese in the generations born in the 70s and 80s to be extremely individualistic and diverse. So I would like to learn more to see if Chinese society is moving closer to the West.
Contacts
Hmm. I think the insight here is that there may be more types of relationships in play in Chinese society. Its widely recognized that you do best working with people that you trust, especially when you are in a less predictable legal and institutional framework. You would rather work with the person you trust than the person that is “best” at whatever you need done. This results in the diagram to the right! Example #1: I invested in a friend’s company, and the partnered with his wife on a consulting project. Example #2: Our chief search architect’s niece is running our Beijing office. Not something that is as common in the West.
Handling Problems
Does anyone else see differences toward the approach of problem solving? Is it true that Western people confront problems directly while Chinese people avoid (or circumnavigate) problems? And which approach is better in what situation?
Transportation
The private automotive industry in China is just getting started, and the car represents freedom, independence, individuality, and progress. We wrote about zijiache, or self-driving, which is a new trend in China. Meanwhile, environmentalists like Al Gore are winning the Nobel Peace Prize and American neoconservatives are advocating “energy independence” as an alternative to restructuring the Middle East. So this picture is pretty accurate, don’t you think?
The Boss
We just posted on the topic of authority in China vs. the West. The question for Western-trained leaders is: how do you adapt your leadership style to fit the expectations of your employees? Is a consultative, egalitarian leadership style viewed as weak and ineffective?
The Child
I’d love to talk to my friends who were born after the One-Child Policy and ask, “Were you surrounded by your 2 grandparents or even your 4 grandparents? ” Maybe the picture needs to be corrected: a child surrounded by 4 grandparents and 2 parents. For more of these infographics, check out the original post at Adino Chang or Yang Liu’s website.
3 Responses to “Infographics by Yang Liu on China and Western cultural differences”
Mind the Gap!
Excellent graphics. Here’s what David Feng is about:
• Time: Blue (right now, though, at times it’s Red)
• Queues: Blue
• Parties: Both
• Opinions: Blue with friends and allies, Red with the public
• Way of Life: Blue with a propensity in some regards towards Red
• Contacts: Red
• Handling Problems: Blue
• Transportation: Red
• The Boss: Blue
• The Child: Red (as the child is the carrier of the generation and of thought, so the child is at the center of attention)
Brilliant post!
Very interesting to read your comment for each of the infographics, elliott. I don’t really understand the “Way of life” one, does it mean “living indepedently v.s. relying on each other” or what?
For the “Contact” image, I think the red one wants to emphasize the “guanxi” (关系), which is usually a very complicated net. But isn’t it right that SNSes like LinkIN are built on this kind of concept.
Agree with you that “China is change”. And China is a big “forest” and there are countless kinds of “birds”. 林子大了，什么鸟都有。
I showed this to a German-Chinese couple we know the other day, and they both thought it described their spouse perfectly!
I think though, that for some of my students from wealthy one-child families, the Chinese interconnectedness is giving way to China’s own Me Generation.