Cultural Differences between China and Western Countries

Cultural Differences between China and Western Countries in Proxemics (Body Distance)

Proxemics is the study of measurable distances between people as they interact. The term was introduced by anthropologist Edward T. Hall in 1966. Body spacing and posture, according to Hall, are unintentional reactions to sensory fluctuations or shifts, such as subtle changes in the sound and pitch of a person's voice (Don Snow, 2004: 15-16). Proxemics is a supplement of verbal communication and an important part in interpersonal communication. The meaning it conveys differs according to cultures. Being familiar with the Western proxemics is contributed to learn Western culture for us and behave better in cross-cultural communication.

In daily life, people tend to keep certain distance between each other, thus the closeness or farness deliver a soundless message, from which the degree of intimacy, social relationship and even social status of the speakers can be identified (Jiang Xueqing, 2008: 27). Different countries have different requirements in distances people should keep, and it also differs in social occasions. Cultural conflicts may occur if people ignore the influence proxemics has on interpersonal relationship. 1. Categories of Proxemics

In an investigation among American middle class, Hall discovered that people kept different distances according to their relationships and needs of communication. There are mainly four categories. Intimate Distance

It refers to embracing, touching, whispering or keeping a distance of 60cm. This case is often applied to lovers and intimae friends and especially if two males keep an intimate distance, it is likely that they are gay. Personal Distance

It includes close and far personal distances while the former is 6090cm, which is the most comfortable personal distance in party, and the latter is 1.5m, a distance not for private contact. Social Distance

Close social distance is 1.5m to 2.0m while the far one is 2.5m to 4.0m. The former is appropriate to public affairs and other social activities while the latter is to formal social or commercial activities (Richard E. Porter, 2004: 56-57). Public Distance

It is composed of close and far public distances. Close public distance is 4m to 8 m, which is in cases like a boss talks to his or her assistance or a teacher in the classroom. Far public distance is for political activities, such as a speech.

The above are distances Westerners keep according to occasions and intimacy. There has not been mature research result about the proxemics of Chinese until now. But it is accepted by scholars that body distance of Chinese is closer than that of Westerners.

2. Cultural Differences Leading to Differences in Proxemics

The body distance of Chinese is close while that of Westerners is far, the

difference of which embodies different ideas in generality and individuality on one hand or group and individual on the other hand. There are mainly two factors leading to the differences.

2.1 Differences in Social Values

Chinese civilization originates from the Yellow river, which irrigates the vast and fertile plain. The relationship between human and the earth is intimate, because a family and its neighbors rely on the local field to have a living after they settle down in one place. They seldom migrate except wars or natural disasters, so once people live in the same place for a long time, they tend to care for and help each other. Such an agricultural society in which people depend on each other is a guidance of ethic life for Chinese. Advocated in such an environment, the ethics of Confucius teach people to focus on the earth and ignore migration(许力生，2004: 38). As a result, the relationship between people is emotionally strong and permanent, thus their own social value collectivism is formed, which focuses on the interests of the whole group or community. Each one’s identity, status, responsibility and obligation is closely related to his or her group, community and family.

However, Westerners live near the sea, where the climate is abnormal and there are more mountains than plains. Consequently, they cannot live on farming like those near the Yellow river; instead they focus on fishing and herding without a settled place. They make use of all the possible means of living in nature and form a commercial society, in which the relationship between the life of businessman

and earth is not constant, so does the relationship of human beings. Businessmen take priority of their profit to interpersonal relationship. Besides, Geek culture formed in this commercial society stresses the admiration of human power and the idea of human-centered (徐华英, 2006:10-11). Westerners hold that individual interests cannot be infringed and take serious of privacy, so people are not intimate to each other. According to them, not only the body but also certain space out of it all belong to them, not allowing others to be close to them and once someone offend them, they will fight against the offender.

2.2 Differences in Mode of Thinking

Chinese think in an integrated way and the components of the whole object are related to each other and dependable. This way of thinking expressed in interpersonal relationship is that they seek harmony and steady, not having conflicts with others. For example, for a question of “Haven't you been to Beijing?”, the answer of Chinese is “是的，没去过”，which lacks the word “me”, while that of Westerners is “No, I haven’t.” . This example shows that Westerners take themselves as the standards, because in whichever way the question is asked, their answer is based on whether they have been there or not. Chinese, however, give the answer according to the way the question is asked and their situation. This shows that Chinese focus on the ethics and interpersonal relationship of the two speakers when talking, while Westerners focus on individual, independence and self-value, and take priority of individualism to collectivism.

3. Conclusion

Cultural differences between China and the West are unavoidable, but that does not mean people from the two cultures cannot enjoy harmonious communication. Proxemics is an important form of non-verbal communication and plays a significant role in cross-cultural communication. Therefore, when learn a language we also need to be familiar with the potential message its body language conveys to avoid cultural conflicts. Proxemics is a reflection of the national culture, which includes moral norms, behavior rule and ideology, so a study of it is indispensible. As the frequency of China and Western communication rises and understanding between the two peoples deepens, cultural conflicts caused by proxemics will decrease gradually and a harmonious interpersonal distance between people will be formed. Bibliography

[1] Don Snow, Encounters With Westerners: Improving Skills in English and

International Communication [M], Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press, 2004: 15-16.

[2] Jiang Xueqing, Culture Past and Present [M], Beijing: Peking Transportation

University Press, 2008: 27.

[3] Richard E. Porter, Communication Between Cultures [M], Beijing: Foreign

Language Teaching and Researching Press, 2004: 56-57.

[4] 许力生，跨文化交际英语教程[M]。上海：上海外语教育出版社，2004年：

38。

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