Today, I shall reflect on the lessons I had last year, as well as what I would like to learn for this year.
All in all, I learnt a lot in the differences between the perceptions of Chinese and America over self last year. I enjoyed the presentation made by my friends as well.
First is the Chinese perception of self. The Chinese perception of self is based on Confucianism. The basics of Confucianism are benevolence, order, righteousness and more. People to show respect to those of a higher status, such as child to parent and employee to employer. The Chinese perception of self is that contributing to the society is more important than contributing to oneself.
Next, is the Western perception of self. It is about the need to attain one's individual rights and liberties. The right to speak, the right to protect self, the right to their property are examples of individual rights.
Also, we learnt about the dichotomy between China and America. Some see America is individualistic, where higher value is placed on personal freedom and liberties. I feel that the Chinese government adopted the Confucian ideology so as to have better control its people, with harmony and respect. This can be seen in corporate culture, where Chinese employees follow orders without asking and are not encouraged to voice out their own opinion to their employers, while in America, employees are encouraged to voice their own opinion or ideas to increase innovation.
Last but no least, we discussed the synthesis of Western and Confucian ideologies in today’s society, of different countries such as Taiwan and Singapore. Singapore is a great example of a Confucian society that adopted Western ideologies. An example inclides in school, where students have to obey their teachers without question, such as handing in of work on time. This shows the Chinese perception of self where students are supposed to respect someone who is older than you. However, students also have personal rights, such as the right to talk. This shows the Western perception of self.
This year, we will be learning more about the evolution of the role of women in the east and west, youth trends, American and Chinese leadership, as well as China's and the US's education system. I hope that this semester will be fruitful and enriching!
