Family values and relationships and the respect of the family name is extremely important in Chinese culture and has influenced Chinese customs.
The respect and obedience that a child is expected to show to his or her parents, especially to his father, is called filial piety, and this is considered the first and most important virtue of Chinese culture. This respect for parents is extended to respect for the elderly and also to ancestors, who are highly valued in Chinese society.
In a traditional Western society like Australia, individuals are responsible for their own debts and for any misconduct. However, in the traditional Chinese family, privileges and liabilities, and honor and shame, are not limited to individuals, but are shared with the family. So if one member of the family does something wrong, then shame is brought to the whole family and upon the family name. In the same way, an individual’s debt is shared by the family, as is an individuals success. This Chinese custom of sharing debt means that if a Chinese person finds themselves in financial trouble, they will not go first to a bank or to a government agency, and they would not go bankrupt (like some in Western countries might), but instead the first place that they will go is to their family, who will almost always help them.
Although many traditional Chinese customs have changed over the years due to the influence of Western society, customs relating to family values remain strong. This is seen with Chinese immigrants. When Europeans come to Australia they use the opportunity to take care of themselves only. However, when Chinese come to Australia, they will take care of not only themselves and their immediate family, but of their extended family which might include many relatives.
2. Dining Customs:
To Chinese people, dining is a very traditional experience. It involves several customs that must be followed.
Eating always begins in order of seniority, with the oldest person starting first, and continues one after the other to the youngest. Children are taught to eat equally from each dish, and must never show that they prefer a particular food by eating more of it.
Chinese people eat soup by sipping from the spoon while breathing in. They do this to cool the soup a bit and to better spread the flavor in their mouth. However, eating soup this way produces a slurping noise which Australians would think is very rude. To eat rice, Chinese people raise the bowl to their lips and push the grains into their mouth with chopsticks. This is the easiest way to eat it and the Chinese believe it shows proper enjoyment - eating rice from a bowl left sitting on the table suggests that the person isn’t happy with the food. They must finish all the rice - to leave even a single grain is considered a lack of respect for the cook, and very bad manners.
Meat and vegetable dishes are laid out all at once in the middle of the table, and everyone eats straight from the communal plates using their chopsticks. Soup is also eaten from the common bowl. Therefore plates aren’t used for your own meal like they are in Australia. In Chinese dining, plates are used only for bones and shells, or for resting a large portion that needs more than one bite. In our culture it is very rude to reach in front of another person without excusing
To Chinese people, dining is a very traditional experience. It involves several customs that must be followed.
Eating always begins in order of seniority, with the oldest person starting first, and continues one after the other to the youngest. Children are taught to eat equally from each dish, and must never show that they prefer a particular food by eating more of it.
Chinese people eat soup by sipping from the spoon while breathing in. They do this to cool the soup a bit and to better spread the flavor in their mouth. However, eating soup this way produces a slurping noise which Australians would think is very rude. To eat rice, Chinese people raise the bowl to their lips and push the grains into their mouth with chopsticks. This is the easiest way to eat it and the Chinese believe it shows proper enjoyment - eating rice from a bowl left sitting on the table suggests that the person isn’t happy with the food. They must finish all the rice - to leave even a single grain is considered a lack of respect for the cook, and very bad manners.
Meat and vegetable dishes are laid out all at once in the middle of the table, and everyone eats straight from the communal plates using their chopsticks. Soup is also eaten from the common bowl. Therefore plates aren’t used for your own meal like they are in Australia. In Chinese dining, plates are used only for bones and shells, or for resting a large portion that needs more than one bite. In our culture it is very rude to reach in front of another person without excusing
yourself, but this is not rude at all in Chinese culture.
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