A native culture concept that is unique to East Asian Cultures is Xiao (Filial Piety). Xiao is a Chinese ideology that originated from the teachings of Confucius and is still relevant today in East Asian Cultures (Laidlaw, Wang, Coelho & Power 2009). Xiao does not have a clear definition, because the term is fluid and changes over time. Although China is rapidly changing based on urbanization, the practice of Xiao still remains detrimental in Chinese households. A clear definition of Xiao is to display respect to parents and elders by taking care of them and providing them with emotional and financial support (Ng 2002). Majority of the time the oldest son is expected to take full responsibility of providing parents with emotional and financial
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One of the values that Xiao helped establish in East Asian culture is the importance of family unity. Family is the building block in majority of East Asian cultures. Everything that a son or daughter does reflect on their family. For instance, if a daughter is disobedient in school, then her parents look like they do not discipline their daughter appropriately and their “face” is reflected off badly (Jien). In addition, Xiao holds great importance to young people who are choosing potential mates. A research study was conducted by Susan l. Kline and Shuangyue Zhang (2004) to examine mate trait preferences in a cross cultural comparison of young adults from China and young adults from the United States. The results proved that Chinese young adults preferred a mate that displayed respect for their parents and would take care of them in the near future, compared to their United States peers. This demonstrates that Xiao is a fundamental concept that is deeply implanted in the youths mind. These young adults are less likely to marry someone, like an American, because they do not have the same values of Xiao.
In addition, Xiao is reflected in the daily behaviors of Chinese. These behaviors include daily maintenance (e.g., maintaining conduct, assisting with daily routines and finances), respect (accommodating and obeying), and sickness care (e.g., providing …show more content…
The reason for this outcome is because the elderly are viewed differently in the Western society. When someone thinks about getting old they began to get upset because youth is seen as positive, while old age is seen as negative. Americans will go out of their way to prevent themselves from aging. The western culture will create serums and face creams to eliminate wrinkles and hair dye to remove the grey hair from being spotted on their heads. In comparison to East Asian society they value their elders and do not look down upon them for their aging qualities. For example, in most Asian films there is always that elder that sits in the backroom and observes everything that is going on and is able to predict the outcomes of situation. This character is presented as wise and everyone in that society wants to one day be at the level of that elder. In American culture the elderly always plays the clueless fool. For instance, there was a show in the early seventies called Jefferson and Son. This show had a father and a son that worked together. The father would always be clumsy, and clueless .People would try to bribe them out of their money, and the father would fall for the trick, while the son would be wise and stop the father from being manipulated by other people. This example demonstrates how Xiao is not present in Western culture because Americans do not
One of the values that Xiao helped establish in East Asian culture is the importance of family unity. Family is the building block in majority of East Asian cultures. Everything that a son or daughter does reflect on their family. For instance, if a daughter is disobedient in school, then her parents look like they do not discipline their daughter appropriately and their “face” is reflected off badly (Jien). In addition, Xiao holds great importance to young people who are choosing potential mates. A research study was conducted by Susan l. Kline and Shuangyue Zhang (2004) to examine mate trait preferences in a cross cultural comparison of young adults from China and young adults from the United States. The results proved that Chinese young adults preferred a mate that displayed respect for their parents and would take care of them in the near future, compared to their United States peers. This demonstrates that Xiao is a fundamental concept that is deeply implanted in the youths mind. These young adults are less likely to marry someone, like an American, because they do not have the same values of Xiao.
In addition, Xiao is reflected in the daily behaviors of Chinese. These behaviors include daily maintenance (e.g., maintaining conduct, assisting with daily routines and finances), respect (accommodating and obeying), and sickness care (e.g., providing …show more content…
The reason for this outcome is because the elderly are viewed differently in the Western society. When someone thinks about getting old they began to get upset because youth is seen as positive, while old age is seen as negative. Americans will go out of their way to prevent themselves from aging. The western culture will create serums and face creams to eliminate wrinkles and hair dye to remove the grey hair from being spotted on their heads. In comparison to East Asian society they value their elders and do not look down upon them for their aging qualities. For example, in most Asian films there is always that elder that sits in the backroom and observes everything that is going on and is able to predict the outcomes of situation. This character is presented as wise and everyone in that society wants to one day be at the level of that elder. In American culture the elderly always plays the clueless fool. For instance, there was a show in the early seventies called Jefferson and Son. This show had a father and a son that worked together. The father would always be clumsy, and clueless .People would try to bribe them out of their money, and the father would fall for the trick, while the son would be wise and stop the father from being manipulated by other people. This example demonstrates how Xiao is not present in Western culture because Americans do not