Confucian Filial Piety In Taiwan

Chinese all over world are trying to be filial to fit the moral standard of Chinese society. In western world, when children grow up to eighteen-years-old, they are supposed to leave the family and are not required to take care of their parents. However, it is different in eastern Confucian ideology. In Taiwan, if children refused to take care of their old parents, they are considers guilty and it is a crime. The government even forced the youths to server their elders. Taiwan’s family law claimed that children have to respect parents filially. Most importantly, it is the children legal obligation to support their needy parents and parents-in-law. To be filial to patent is mandatory not only in Taiwan, but also in mainland China. According to the Chinese …show more content…
Her two sons did not take care of her properly. The court intervened and the two sons agreed to take full responsibility for her living and medical expense. This reflects a Chinese social value that is deeply rooted in a mainly Confucian culture. Under the influence of the Confucian filial piety, the Han-Chinese household pattern is three-generational cohabitation based. Having a son is a way to ensure the future welfare and care for the parents. In California, Chinese immigrants live with their old parents and try their best to take care of their parents. Paul Wang, a 60-year-old Chinese immigrant, hires in-home care worker just to take care of his old mother who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. The demand of in-home care worker is big, because many middle-class immigrant households are seeking for the care for aging parents. A Hong Kong physician once said that “as parents have taken care of the first half of their children’s life, the children should take care of the second half of their parents’ life” Parents gave their children all they could while the children were young. Children should obviously try their best to give back to their