The United States and China

The United States and China

The United States and China vary in culture, moral values, social structure, food, business relations, and infrastructure.

Geographic and demographic factors of the two countries greatly vary whereby to the east, we have China, whereas to the west, we have the United States.

Though greatly populated, China boasts a higher population of 1, 379,302,771 people, whereas the United States has 326,625,791 citizens.

A major differentiating factor can be the individualism and freedom aspect. Chinese culture emphasizes more on collectivism. American culture tends to emphasize individualism. Individualism in the United States is paramount, contrary to China, where individualism is viewed as strange and dangerous.

United States culture tends to be laid back while Chinese society places a high value on their people’s morals. In Chinese society, marriage is not encouraged until the late twenties, while dating is discouraged in a young’s adult life, and proprieties are expected to be held up. In an American family, independence is highly regarded where children are encouraged to mature and leave the house as soon as possible. In contrast, children who stay longer than their late teen years are seen as lazy and mooching off.

Time sensitivity is another factor in differentiating the two countries. Americans tend to be time-sensitive when it comes to meetings and deadlines. The Chinese tend to view time as more of a suggestion than an absolute.

Feeding time in the two countries varies about ingredients, mode of eating, and even flavors. In most settings, Chinese food is eaten from communal dishes, whereas the American s love their food served up in individual portions. Chinese dishes tend to contain sliced and diced ingredients to facilitate the use of chopsticks while feeding, whereas the average American his meal prepared in such a way as to facilitate the use of a fork and knife. A Chinese wants his meal flavored with dried and cut whole chili peppers, while an American tends to go slow on the spices preferring manufactured chili sauce.

The Social structure differences are Chinese culture tends to be more classist, whereby their structure tends to be more formal and hierarchical. You know where you fit in the structure, and you abide by the rules there. Americans tend to be more respectful of workers who are serving them. It is not uncommon to find various social classes socializing and knowing each other, a norm that is unlikely in the Chinese culture.

In infrastructure matters, especially in the transport and communication sector, both countries boast of an effective system. However, China tends to have a more funded metro system, which facilitates quick movement of its vast working population.

Since both countries tend to have some cultural background, which translates into how they handle things, the only way the two global giants can sincerely appreciate their differences is learning from each other.