The Chinese attitude towards life is an important part that you need to understand if you want to grasp the essence of Chinese culture. Compared with most of the European countries, a different approach to dealing with some common problems can be observed in China. We will be examining four aspects in this article.
Content:
Plans for the future
Chinese people believe that a person should have a clear idea of what he or she wants in order to achieve great success in the future. The so-called “live in the present” is not considered a sensible way of life. Therefore, if you are asked to create a five-year career plan, you will be expected to state clearly what you want to achieve in the next five years. And how you are going to achieve your goals. Career planning is a typical question that you are supposed to answer during job interviews. But planning-related topics are widely discussed in Chinese people’s daily life. Especially when it comes to long-term planning. In China, people who don’t care about what they would like to achieve in, let’s say, the next three to five years are said to be “shortsighted”.
Saving money
People from countries with well-developed social welfare systems don’t see anything wrong in spending almost all of their salaries before the next payday. However, saving money has become part of Chinese people’s life. It’s not because they want to save money. It’s because they have to. As housing prices in China have skyrocketed over the last decade, owning a flat is what many young people can only dream about. Some Chinese parents save money for more than 20 years just to help their children buy an apartment. In addition, leading a thrifty life has long been considered a virtue in China from a cultural point of view.
Finding a job
Unlike people from western countries, when a Chinese is looking for a job, salary plays a more important role than the fact of whether or not the job matches his or her areas of interest. On one hand, a high-paid job is what Chinese people like to brag about in front of their friends and relatives. On the other hand, Chinese people tend to be practical when it comes to job-hunting. Many Chinese people believe that a prestigious job is a prerequisite for a man to establish a successful family.
Marriage
In China, marriage is not just between two people, but between two families. For Chinese people, their parents’ advice or opinions have a direct influence on their final decisions as to whether or not to marry a person. In addition, the relationship between a Chinese girl and her mother-in-law can sometimes put her husband in an awkward situation. As he wouldn’t want either of them to feel offended. In China, it’s important for a married woman to build a good relationship with her mother-in-law. Just because what she can benefit from it could be more than what she can benefit from her marriage.
What do you think of the Chinese attitude towards life?
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