Tanjin

Day Five: Lecture by Dahui Li, Dumpling Lunch, Free Time
Today was our first day meeting the other Chinese students. Dahui Li did a get job at introducing us to the Chinese culture differences. He had us ask certain questions about there culture and we told them about our culture in America. The one question the really stood out to me was about being a collectivist or individualist culture. I knew that China was a collectivist culture and that America was more an individualist culture but what I didn't know is how much control Chinese parents have over their children. The Chinese student that I was talking to told us that her parents choose her major and her college. She could not decide. Also she wanted to start working because she just recently graduated but her father wanted her to do more schooling so she is getting her masters. I found this to be so odd. My parents definantly wanted me to go to college and would have been upset if I didn't, but they never said anything about my major. I really don't know one American student were their parents choose their major. Sometimes you hear about what parents wanted you to do; for example; if their dad was an engineer they want there son to be an engineer, but I have never heard of them forcing them to do a certain degree. I think both cultures can learn a lot from each other. I took a lot from this presentation. Even in the business aspect I like like Chinese people have their guest sit by the CEO or most important person in the room and then the second most important person sits across from them. I think that this makes the guest feel honored and the power distance is decreased between the CEO and the guests.