Western Culture Interview Paper

Introduction

Asian culture has a lot of differences than the Western culture due to the geographical distinctions, contrasting political ideologies. For researching and understanding more cultural disparities, I interviewed Bo Wang, a female Chinese citizen who has lived in the United States for two months. She has lived in Shanghai, China for almost 40 years, and it was her first time living in the western world. This interview was conducted on the morning of Feb 14th, 2017, and the location was at a personal site, my apartment, because there would be more privacy. She shared a lot of useful information about China. Experiences about the U.S. and the comparison of family life between the U.S. and China are chosen to be discussed because they

In Los Angeles, driving is as common as sleeping. Ms. Wang said that she went on a road trip by driving on California State Route 1 for one week. The freeways are convenient and most importantly, most of them are toll-free, which help people save a lot of money. In contrast, the freeways in China always have tolls, so when Chinese people travel by cars during the holidays, their travel expenses can be very high. Another advantage about the freeways in the U.S. is the carpool line. It saved a lot of time when Ms. Wang traveled. Nonetheless, Ms. Wang thinks there is a downside of the freeways: their roughness. Some freeways are well-built and leveled, but others are uneven, and those cause discomfort and the feeling of bumping.

Moreover, Ms. Wang thinks the wild animal protection is great in the United States. When she went to the rookery near the Piedras Blancas Light Station, she saw a lot of Elephant Seals laid on the beach and enjoyed the sunlight. There were plenty of tourists that day to visit the seals, and nobody bothered them. People try their best to provide a safe and friendly environment to these creatures. Ms. Wang also thinks pets are respected and seen as the family members in America. She went to different pet stores, and it was hard for her to believe that there were relaxing necklaces for pregnant dogs. How people treat their pets in the U.S. impresses Ms. Wang.

Differences and Similarities Between

Wang figures that most American adult children don’t live with their parents. In China, multiple generations live in one family unit is a common way of family life. Xiaoyan Lei, John Strauss, Meng Tian, and Yaohui Zhao (2011) states that “half (50.8%) of all respondents are living with one or more adult children, which means that the other half (49.2%) are living alone by the conventional definition” (p. 11). Still, more than half of the families have more than one generation, and Chinese people think it’s a convenient way to take care of their parents or grandparents.

There are still some similarities of family life between the U.S. and China. Family is an important social unit in both countries. Also, wives still take more child care responsibilities in the family, and female relatives provide a lot of assistance. the marriage in both countries should be faithful, and forming a family and living in harmonious family life are important elements.