Similarities And Differences Between Japan And China Cultural Studies Essay

Custom is a significant part of human life. Different places have different culture. To know some cultural backgrounds about every aspect can help us easily to have a good understand of every country. If we learn more about the difference and similarities of China and Japan’s culture, it can promote the friendship between China and Japan. Some aspects of culture in china and Japan are similar and some are different. For example, eating and drinking, manner of conduct in relation to others, and language, character and the fashion of nation.

Firstly, according to the location of China and Japan, we all know both of them are Asian. If you were born with black eyes, black hair and yellow skin, that is to say you belong to the yellow race. Also in language, religion, some custom between these two countries is similar. On surface that has in countless ways are similar, such as, the eating style in Japan. Traditionally the Japanese have a healthy and well-balanced diet and it is usual to have several small portions of food prepared in different ways; something boiled, something fried, something pickled, something raw etc., all as part of the same meal. In contrast, the various ethnic minority groups in China differ widely in their folkways and custom. They have different modes of production and life styles. Though customs and the kinds of food eaten vary according to region, it is most common for Chinese families to gather for three meals a day. Japan is very similar. Not only the eating and drinking are similar, but also the tools that use to dine are totally similar. Both Chinese and Japanese manipulate the chopsticks to dining. In most of time, they don’t need the knife and fork. They only need a pair of chopsticks, a flat-bottomed soupspoon and a saucer.

Secondly, the business of giving and receiving is not just important to the Japanese, as same as Chinese. In simplistic terms, Gifts are exchanged much more frequently in Japan and China than other western countries. Families, friends and work colleagues will buy gifts for each other not just on the occasions they do, even in travelling on business, they will buy some gifts for their friends when they came back, especially is on a special day, such as Valentine’s Day or Christmas day and so on.

Finally, the obvious difference between China and Japan is social character. In Japan, they practice capitalism to the hilt. However, China is building socialism. In the early years after the founding of the People’s Republic of China, China could not find the way to develop the market economy, and experience indicates that China only can develop under socialism. In contrast, thirty years ago, the war shattered the economy of Japan, but today the Japanese Gross National Product is exceeds the combined total of Britain and France. According to the data, we know the recovery of the Japanese economy after the war surprised many people. In addition, the language of China and Japan is different. The language of Japan is Japanese, while the language in China is Chinese. However, the most characters are from Chinese. Both Japanese and Chinese languages are interesting to learn, and the history, though undefined in some ways, are none the less rich for them. These are languages of beauty and of many complexities. Other area of difference between Japan and China is the religions. Shinto and Buddhism are Japan’s two major religions. Christianity is very much a minority religion in Japan with Christians making up less than one per cent of the population. The religions of Japan is both theologically and institutional, which quite different from those of the western world. China is a country with a great diversity of religious beliefs. The main religions are Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Catholicism and Protestantism. Citizens of China may freely to choose and express their religious beliefs, and make clear their religious affiliations. But some of Chinese are lack of belied or faith because they are believed in Science. Moreover, the clothing of style between the China and Japan is also different. Japanese clothing is exotic in style and nature. The traditional Japanese clothing is the kimono which has been an international favorite since long ago. However, in the early years after the founding of the People’s Republic of China, China was a pool country, so most of people always wore a cotton dress and a Chinese black cotton shoes. But as the day pass by, Chinese fashion has drastically changed over time.

In conclusion, there are many similarities of these two countries, such as, the style of eating and drinking and the manner of receiving gifts. The reason why the culture of Japan is similarity with China is that Japan is the first country to have been greatly influenced by Chinese culture. And the differences between them are the languages, regions and characters. Knowing the differences and similarities is very important for us, especially important for business people. If people can learn more about the culture between two difference places, they will get the common cultural heritage of East Asia.