cultural differences between china and german

Running Head: CUTURAL DIFIERENCES BETWEEN CHINA AND GERMANY

Cultural differences between China and German

Han Yaxi

FH-SWF BBA 1st Semester Group 2

CURTURAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CHINA AND GERMANY 16

Content

Content 2

1. Abstract 3

2. Introduction 4

3. Definition of culture 4

4. Different presentations for different cultures5

4.1 People’s character 5

4.2 Politeness 6

4.2.1 Greeting 6

4.2.2 Modesty 7

4.3 Communication style 7

4.4 Food 8

4.5 Festival 9

5. Different cultural highlights 10

5.1 German cultural highlights 10

5.1.1 Standardization 10

5.1.2 Car culture 11

5.1.3 A Country of Museums 12

5.2 Chinese cultural highlights 12

5.2.1 Dining etiquettee 12

5.2.2 Kung Fu 13

5.2.3 Beijing Opera 14

6. The influence of cultural differences for students 14

7. conclusion 15

8. Reference 16


1. Abstract

In recent years, as the frequency between the Chinese and German intercultural activity day

by day, the significance of knowing each cultures has become more and more important. Under

this background, people should improve the ability of intercultural communication and

understand different culture phenomenon and cultural content, and form cross-cultural

awareness consciously. Avoids the cultural conflicts, let the social communication becoming

more free and relaxed between China and German. This paper describes different cultural

presentations of Germany and China, different cultural highlights of both countries and the

influence of different cultures for students.

Key Word

Cultural differences, Cultural highlight, German and Chinese cultures


2. IntroductionSince the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1972, German has become China's most

important trade, technology and investment partner in Europe. Along with the more and more

frequent economic exchange between China and Germany, the cultural exchange also develops

rapidly. All in all, cultural communication becomes so frequent and is avoidable.

In this context, the cultural exchange is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it can lead to a

whole host of benefits, including healthier communities; increased international, national, and

local commerce; and personal growth through increased tale. On the other hand we can see the

conflicts and the problems: many German businessman come to China to do business but left

with complaint; the teachers comes from German say that Chinese students do not cooperate

with them; some Chinese student go to Germany to study but finally they give up and come

back to China…

Without doubt, it is of great practical significance to paying close attention to cultural

differences between China and Germany so that people can better communicate with each other

and avoid the cultural conflicts.

3. Definition of culture

Spencer-Oatey (2012) writes, “Culture is a notoriously difficult term to define. In 1952, the

American anthropologists, Kroeber and Kluckhohn, critically reviewed concepts and definitions

of culture, and compiled a list of 164 different definitions.” As we can see, culture is really

difficult to define because it is a large and inclusive concept. But what all of these concepts have

in common is that culture is like the water a fish swims in. Culture is everything and everywhere.

4. Different presentations for different cultures


A world traveler who speaks ten languages, British linguist Lewis (2000) plots countries

in relation to three categories: linear-active, multi-active and reactive. Germans are in the group

of linear-active those who plan, schedule, organize, pursue action chains, and do one thing at a

time. Chinese is a typical example of reactive group those cultures that prioritize courtesy and

respect, listening quietly and calmly to their interlocutors and reacting carefully to the other

side's proposals. This model indicates different degrees of difficulty typically encountered when

they interact with each other. As we can see, the culture models of China and Germany are quite

different. Based on this model, there are many different presentations of both German and

Chinese cultures, what follows are just a few.

4.1 People’s character

If people review the Chinese race and try to picture their national characters they may

find the following traits of characters: sanity, patience, frugality, pacifism, filial piety... Perhaps

the most striking quality of the Chinese people is "old-roguery". The best-known quality of

Chinese is conservatism. As what Yutang (1931) said, Conservatism is a form of pride and rests

on a feeling of satisfaction with present and is really a sign of inward richness, a gift rather to be

envied. So not only the society but also Chinese people themselves try to carry on the excellent

national tradition.

The best-known quality and, in particularly, of the German people is their punctuality.

High value has been settled on time and they make elaborate plans for the time arrangement.

They have developed the habit to attend meeting or come to date on time. In German, if people

want to visit someone, they should make an appointment with him in advance and explain what

they are going to talk and also the detailed time, place. If they discuss about it and agree, people


can then make it out. The punctuality is also showed up in traffic. Trains and buses run daily

over regular routes with timetable precision. However, Chinese people may be more optional on

the time and things will not going as strict as the plans.

In the interpersonal context, according to the model of “Peach and Coconut” (Heather

Robinson , 2004), German is characterized as being like the coconut. As we all know, coconut is

hard and hairy on the outside, has crunchy, chewy meat and in the center is liquid and sweet.

This metaphor is very appropriate. German seems inaccessible or cold. In fact, they are reserved

and need time to warm up with strangers. Chinese may be characterized as being like the apple.

As the old saying goes, an apple a day keeps the doctor away. Apple is a kind of ordinary and

widespread fruit. But there are many kinds of apple. Just like Chinese, it’s difficult to define how

typical Chinese is even if Chinese people are all around word.

4.2 Politeness

4.2.1 Greeting

Greetings as a significant aspect of politeness phenomenon exist globally. As Brown and

Levinson (1987) claim, greetings occur in all languages. They provide the means for opening

conversations appropriately and for establishing and maintaining social relationships. For

example, such greetings as “Hello!” “How are you!” frequently occur in Germany. Chinese on

the other hand are quite used to greetings like “Have you eaten?” “Where are you going?” or

“What are you busy with?” Obviously, people in German culture as well as in Chinese culture

attach great importance to speaking politely. Yet some German people may find Chinese

greetings unacceptable or even offensive for these greetings seem to be concerned about personal

matters. However, they are quite appropriate and friendly in Chinese culture.


4.2.2 Modesty

According to one of the “Politeness Principle” (Leech, 1983), “modesty Maxim” means

minimize praise of speaker and maximize dispraise of speaker, by which Chinese can be aptly

described. Chinese prefer modesty and keeping a low profile both in regard to their own

achievements and status as well as their interactions with others. Traditionally in the course of

polite conversation Chinese people will downplay their own positions and achievements while

emphasizing those of others. For example, Chinese may respond to a greeting “You look so

pretty today!” as “No, I’m not pretty at all. Yours are better.” or to “You speak English quite

well!” as “No, my English is poor.” On the contrast, German may accept compliments willingly.

We can see from it, the Germans are “straight forward”; the Chinese take pride in “modesty”. In

the response to compliments, Chinese are tends to efface themselves, although they do feel

comfortable about the compliments.

4.3 Communication style

Let ’s see a typical example: A German businessman goes to China three times a month

to do a business. Every time he comes to China, he is welcomed and treated very well. Chinese

businessman also shows interests on the item but he always doesn’t give an exact response.

Finally, the German lose his patient and left with complaint.

Obviously, they stand their own cultural perspective to look at the problem, and both of

them don’t realize the cultural differences. From German point of view, Chinese delay to give an

answer, which seems impolite and dishonest. From Chinese point of view, they don’t want to be

impolite by rejecting directly even they don’t have much interests on that. In practice, Chinese


people like to use a number of “filler-answers” to either buy time or to put off saying no directly,

such as “perhaps”, “maybe”, “possibly,” and “I understand.” (Sean Upton-McLaughlin, 2013)

While German people may at times be vague and indirect, this is not the norm and usually

clashes with society’s concepts regarding honesty and the truth. Chinese society is the opposite.

To the Chinese, being vague and indirect is a part of everyday life and it not only colors they

way they offer refusals, but also how they communicate in general.

4.4 Food

There is a saying that “Food is eating well-deserved for human life”, so food is an

indispensable condition for the survival and development of human beings. But what people eat,

how they eat differ greatly because of different culture.

Chinese people consider the rice, steamed buns and noodles as the staple food. They often

have eggs and soybean milk or congee as breakfast. But for lunch and dinner, food varies with

eight main streams of Chinese cuisines. In general, Chinese people prefer hot food and

vegetables and like to have tea and soup in their daily life. Germans tend to eat heavy and hearty

meals that include ample portions of meat and bread. Pork is the most commonly consumed

meat, though various sorts of wurst, or sausage, are often eaten in lieu of meat. Potatoes and

bread are the staple food, and each region has its own favorite ways of preparing them. Fruit

(instead of vegetables) is often combined with meat dishes to add a sweet and sour taste to the

meal (foodbycountry, 2012).

In addition, Chinese people don’t use much tableware, which are only bowl, dishes,

chopsticks and spoons. On the contrary, Germans use much tableware with different kinds and


sizes. For example there are different kinds of names for glasses such as wine glass, cherry glass,

brandy glass, beer glass, and high bowl.

4.5 Festival

The festival is a part of culture. It is both a reflection of culture and a symbol of cultural

identity. It reflects the traditional beliefs of different nations and countries, as well as the

communication between heterogeneous cultures.

The most important festival for the Chinese people is Spring Festival. It falls on the 1st

day of the 1st lunar month, often one month later than the Gregorian calendar. Many customs

accompany the Spring Festival. Before the New Year comes, people completely clean the their

homes as well as their clothes, bedclothes and all their utensils. Then people begin decorating

their clean rooms featuring an atmosphere of rejoicing and festivity. All the door panels will be

pasted with Spring Festival couplets. On Spring Festival Eve, all family members eat dinner

together and stay up to see the New Year in. Waking up on New Year, everybody dresses up.

First they extend greetings to their parents. Then each child will get money as a New Year gift,

wrapped up in red paper. People will eat dumplings because the shape of the dumpling is like

gold ingot from ancient China and also burn fireworks. The lively atmosphere not only fills

every household, but also permeates to streets and lanes. A series of activities such as lion

dancing, dragon lantern dancing, lantern festivals and temple fairs will be held for days. The

Spring Festival then comes to an end when the Lantern Festival is finished.

German festivals are world-famous, ranging from Munich’s famous Oktoberfest to a

multitude of funfairs, commonly known as Kirmes, with their diverse stalls and rides. The

Oktoberfest is known as the Largest Volksfest (People's Fair) in the World (USA Today, 2010).


It is a 16-day festival running from late September to the first weekend in October with more

than 6 million people from around the world attending the event every year.

The best known of all the traditional festivals in Germany is the Carnival, which is held

each year in spring, especially in the strongholds of Cologne, Düsseldorf, and Mainz. The

rigorous Germans are crazy on this day. The "crazy days" of Carnival are celebrated with parties

on the streets, in public squares and in pubs. People wear fancy dress and watch the parade

where they will get candies and followers.

A national festival is a platform that shows the culture. It cannot only reflect a nation's

diet, entertainment and customs, but also its spiritual beliefs and ethics. By comparing Chinese

and German festival, people can identify and gain some insights into each culture.

5. Different cultural highlights

Physical characteristics are features about something that can be seen on the outside. For

a human it could be their hair, face, the way they walk or talk. Based on that, a cultural trait, or

highlight, is an identifiable part of a particular culture. It is also not comparable since every

culture is different.

5.1 German cultural highlight

5.1.1 Standardization

There is a very pervasive catchphrase in German “(Alles) In Ordnung” which means

everything is in order. German regard standard and order as their life, which can be seen in

everywhere. For example, there are more than 1774 thousands German articles on Wikipedia. It

is the second highest number of articles, but there are only approximately 120 million native


speakers of German in the world (Wikipedia). Their intense desire to make things orderly can be

easily seen from this example. Another typical example is that they are strict with garbage

classification. In Germany, if people want to throw old furniture away, they must follow the rule

or they will be fined. The rigorousness can also be seen in German industry. The standard

defines the pitch of stairs was created by German. The standard defines A4 was first introduced

as a DIN standard (DIN 476) in Germany in 1922 (Wikipedia). DIN (the German Institute for

Standardization) is the German national organization for standardization. There are currently

around thirty thousand DIN Standards, covering nearly every field of technology (Wikipedia).

We can say that German is the headstream of world industrial standardization.

5.1.2 Car culture

According to the statistik, Germany's population is about 82 millions and the number of car

is about 53 millions (statistik-portal, 2014), which means car is a irreplaceable and significant

tool for Germans. German car is one of the leading automobile havens in the world (Amondson,

2014). German is a country that has produced many firsts among others, like the automobile

invented by Carl Benz in 1886 and also a country that is famous for its cars such as BMW,

Volkswagen, Porsche, and Mercedes. The car industry of Germany is one of the industris which

have most close connection with German socierty, economy and culture. Under this background,

Germans have a “people-oriented” driving style. For example, when a person cross the road

without traffic lights, the driver will give a sign to the person and let the person go first. As we

can see from it, the car culture reflects people’s way of life.Without doubt, it is the culture that

best highlight the tradition and wisdom of a nation; it is the car culture that best highlight the

tradition and wisdom of the German culture.


5.1.3 A Country of Museums

A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of

scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing

through exhibits (Edward Porter Alexander, 2008). Museum provides a visual form to reflect the

importance of national treatment of culture. There is no doubt that German is a country of

museums. Every year, around 18 million tickets are sold to Germany’s more than 6,000

museums. The German Museum in Munich alone boasts ticket sales of 1.44 million – not even

football stadiums can compete (Deutschland.de, 2014). From art museums to science centers –

the German museum scene is diverse and attractive. Museums can be seen as an identifiable part

of German culture, which is one of the most important cultural highlights.

5.2 Chinese cultural highlights

5.2.1 Dining etiquette

China is a country with a long history of ritual and etiquette, and eating is highly

important feature of China's culture, so naturally dining etiquette has developed to a high degree.

In China, the act of dining is a channel for conducting business deals, building relationships, and

showing respect. It may be strange or unknown to the most Germans, but it is one of the most

important Chinese cultural highlights and can be divided into three parts: seating arrangement;

ordering and eating; drinking and toasting.

First of all, the seating arrangements serve the purpose of denoting where a particular

person exists in a hierarchy (business, society, family, or friends) and also clearly defines how

much respect that particular person is due. When dining at a round table, the seat directly facing

the door is generally reserved for the most important attendee. From there the seating hierarchy


will continue outward from the seat of the highest level attendee, with left taking precedence

over right when distance is equal.

Secondly, ordering dishes is reserved for the host for both Chinese and German people.

Chinese cuisine is composed of meat and vegetarian dishes, as well as hot and cold dishes, with

cold dishes being served before the hot. An average of one dish per attendee is usual; when

mostly people are in attendance, more dishes can be ordered and with a larger percentage of

meat. Eating usually commences with a signal from the host and can be accompanied by a short

speech. It is more common in China to use personal chopsticks to serve oneself, even at formal

banquets. This does not violate any rules of etiquette.

Furthermore, drinking during meals is common throughout Chinese dinners and has deep

roots in Chinese history as a method of demonstrating respect. People toast everyone at least

once, starting with the highest ranking attendees and moving down. When delivering a toast, it is

customary to stand and use both hands to hold glass or cup. Usually, a toast is accompanied by a

few words.

5.2.2 Kung Fu

Chinese kung fu, also known as Chinese martial arts, is one of the most well known

examples of traditional Chinese culture. Chinese kung fu is a large system of theory and practice.

It combines techniques of self-defense and health keeping. The theory of kung fu is based upon

classical Chinese philosophy. Over its long history it has developed as a unique combination of

exercise, practical self-defense, self-discipline, and art (chinahighlights). Kong fu is not only in

the film but also in people’s life. In China, most high school use Taiji, a kind of kong fu, as their

broadcast exercises.


5.2.3 Beijing Opera

Beijing Opera of China is a national treasure with a history of 200 years. It is a synthesis

of stylized action, singing, dialogue and mime, acrobatic fighting and dancing to represent a

story or depict different characters and their feelings (Goldstein, 2007). The characters may be

loyal or treacherous, beautiful or ugly, good or bad, their images being vividly manifested.

Beijing Opera features four main types of performers. With their elaborate and colorful

costumes, performers are the only focal points on Beijing Opera’s characteristically sparse stage.

Culture is learned

6. The influence of cultural differences for students

To better know the influence of cultural differences for students, I made a questionnaire

about cultural identity for 20 students who come from China and study in Germany within three

months. They are required to answer the following questions.

1. I find my life in German is boring, without much fun.

A. Agree 7 35% B. Neutral 9 45% C. Disagree 4 20%

2. I am not interested in the topics when talking to my German friends.


3. When walking along the streets, I am always aware that I am a foreigner.


4. It’s difficult for me to accept some of the customs and ways of life of German.


5. I don’t gain some insights into German culture.



According to the result of this questionnaire, most of students do not know much about

German culture. More than half of the students believe that they are foreigners and not used to

the ways of life in Germany. Some of them are socially awkward and they have trouble making

friends. It is obvious that Chinese students who study in German with short times are facing

problems. Students should improve the ability of intercultural communication and understand

different culture phenomenon and cultural content, forming cross-cultural awareness

consciously.

7. Conclusion

By the text from this thesis, we can easily find that there exist various differences

between Chinese and German cultures. China and German cultures are quite different, not better

or worse, but simply different. People should treat the differences between cultures correctly

instead of prejudice, disoriented and making mistakes. Furthermore, each country should focus

more on how to assimilate advantages of the other countries’ culture, abandon its shortcoming,

and how to transform and make it localized.


8. Reference

1. Amondson, B. (2014). gogermany. Retrieved from http://gogermany.about.com/od/historyandculture/tp/Car-Guide-Germany.htm

2. Brown, P. a. (1987). Politeness: Some universals in language usage. Cambridge University.3. chinahighlights. (n.d.). Retrieved 11 20, 2014, from

http://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/kungfu/4. Deutschland.de. (2014). Deutschland. Retrieved from

https://www.deutschland.de/en/topic/culture/arts-architecture/germany-a-country-of-museums

5. Edward Porter Alexander, M. A. (2008). Museums in Motion: An Introduction to the History and Functions of Museum.

6. foodbycountry. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.foodbycountry.com/Germany-to-Japan/Germany.html#ixzz3K78tGBLT

7. Goldstein, J. S. (2007). Drama Kings: Players and Publics in the Re-creation of Peking Opera.

8. Leech, G. N. (1983). Principles of Pragmatic. 9. Lewis, R. D. (2000). Cross Culture The Lewis Model. 10. Robinson, H. (2004). sietar-europa. Retrieved from

http://www.sietar-europa.org/about_us/Newsletter/Mar04/Peach&CoconutCommunicate.html

11. Sean Upton-McLaughlin. (2013). learnchinesebusiness. Retrieved from http://learnchinesebusiness.com/2013/06/05/%E7%B4%A0%E8%B4%A8-in-china-proper-behavior-character-matters/

12. Spencer-Oatey, H. (2012). What is culture? A compilation of quotations. 13. statistik-portal. (2014). Retrieved from

http://www.statistik-portal.de/Statistik-Portal/de_jb16_jahrtab37.asp14. USA Today. (2010). How to enjoy Oktoberfest like a local.15. Wikipedia. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germans16. Wikipedia. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_216 17. Wikipedia. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deutsches_Institut_f

%C3%BCr_Normung 18. Yutang, L. (1931). My Country and My People.

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