Once one of my friend who is in a language school telling me that, you will easily notice all the students from different language department has a certain way of study, entertainments and life focus influenced by the language they study. In a word, we could say that when you learn a new language, it penetrates into our daily life and core values gradually.
In the West, there is a thirst to promote the individual. In Eastern cultures, respect lies in the community and family as a whole. In China, harmony is of utmost importance, whereas in the West, transformation is celebrated. China, in its tradition of harmony, has stayed stable for longer. However, as they embrace change, they are beginning to adapt and progress at a phenomenal rate. The West is curious about the harmony and spirituality which lies at the root of Eastern cultures, but this has not yet been fully adopted into Western culture just yet.
Here is a graph based on the difference between Eastern and Western's problem sloving.
The western way of problem-solving is usually fairly direct and focused. They articulate a problem and then define a solution with all the steps which are needed to be taken to reach the end goal. They also generally appreciate constructive criticism and embrace suggestions from anyone who has a good idea irregardless of their position within a hierarchy.
The Chinese seem to take a rather different approach. Instead of tackling a problem head-on we will talk around it in circle-like discussions until a mutually agreeable solution is found. This seems to be partly about maintaining “face” (Mianzi) and not upsetting anyone by being indirect whilst also allowing people to steer a conversation in a direction of their choosing.
I'm gonna finish today's blog with one of the Four books of Confucian philosophy called "ZhongYong" or Doctrine of the Mean. Here is a link with English subtitle, enjoy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1YwK2f4wmc
