案例分析及参考答案（三) Case 1 Identify problem that occurred in the cross-cultural encounter in the following case. Iris is an American and has married a Chinese scholar Ren Hua.They have a three-year old son Dave.One morning before breakfast,Iris kept asking Dave to choose between two different breakfast cereals and two different kinds of fruit juice.Dave was busy playing with a toy and didn't hear her.Then Ren Hua told Iris that it isn't necessary or proper to ask a child to choose the breakfast,it's better just give him what she thinks is best for him.Iris was puzzled,and argued that a child should be given the right to choose. Questions: 1.What's the problem? 2.Why are they disagreeing? Reference Iris and Ren Hua have different ways of educating their son based on their own culture. In individualist cultures like America,every person is encouraged to act independently and be responsible for his actions,so children are encouraged at early ages to start making decisions.This allows them to learn to express their individual desires and make choices.Sonia gave her son a choice for breakfast,which would allow him to eat what he preferred.Critical in this process is the parent's responsibility to only offer a child choices that are safe and in the child's best interest.Sonia was offering cereal and juice,both healthy for breakfast.The choices offered to the son were the flavors. The parent is responsible to only offer choices in a situation that the child can reasonably handle.Offering a child choices allows for the child's needs and desires to be met,but it must be paired with teaching that child about responsibility and accountability for the choice.This will teach independence and consideration
1 案例分析及参考答案（三） Case 1 Identify problem that occurred in the cross-cultural encounter in the following case. Iris is an American and has married a Chinese scholar Ren Hua. They have a three -year old son Dave. One morning before breakfast, Iris kept asking Dave to choose between two different breakfast cereals and two different kinds of fruit juice. Dave was busy playing with a toy and didn’t hear her. Then Ren Hua told Iris that it isn't necessary or proper to ask a child to choose the breakfast, it's better just give him what she thinks is best for him. Iris was puzzled, and argued that a child should be given the right to choose. Questions: 1. What’s the problem? 2. Why are they disagreeing? Reference Iris and Ren Hua have different ways of educating their son based on their own culture. In individualist cultures like America, every person is encouraged to act independently and be responsible for his actions, so children are encouraged at early ages to start making decisions. This allows them to learn to express their individual desires and make choices. Sonia gave her son a choice for breakfast, which would allow him to eat what he preferred. Critical in this process is the parent's responsibility to only offer a child choices that are safe and in the child's best interest. Sonia was offering cereal and juice, both healthy for breakfast. The choices offered to the son were the flavors. The parent is responsible to only offer choices in a situation that the child can reasonably handle. Offering a child choices allows for the child's needs and desires to be met, but it must be paired with teaching that child about responsibility and accountability for the choice. This will teach independence and consideration
In a culture or hierarchical society like China,the parent is more likely to make the decision for the child,and the children are not supposed to make their own decisions when they're young.In this case,the child is learning to accept what is given and to experience being part of a group in which others know best what he needs and therefore make decisions for him.So as a Chinese,Ren Hua was correct in asking his wife not to make the choice for Dave. This breakfast incident points out the differences in the cultural values for nurturing children.And neither Sonia nor Ren Hua may have realized the differences they would encounter while rearing a child. Case 2 Identify problems that occurred in the cross-cultural encounter in the following case. Zhang Qiang has just met a new American friend Manfred,who came to Hangzhou Normal College two months ago to learn Chinese.One day Zhang Qiang invited Manfred to go to dinner with him and two of his Chinese friends. It was a very nice meal with lots of dishes that Manfred hadn't eaten before.He kept finishing everything Zhang Qiang and his friends put on his plate,until he was ready to burst.Even when dinner was over,Manfred saw that there was still a lot of food left on the table,which surprised him since he had eaten so much. What was more of a surprise to Manfred was when it was time to pay the bill.Zhang Qiang and his friends fought over who would pay.At last,Zhang Qiang won.Manfred thought that because the meal was very expensive,and perhaps too much money for Zhang Qiang to pay for by himself,that they would all "go Dutch". Questions:
2 In a culture or hierarchical society like China, the parent is more likely to make the decision for the child, and the children are not supposed to make their own decisions when they're young. In this case, the child is learning to accept what is given and to experience being part of a group in which others know best what he needs and therefore make decisions for him. So as a Chinese, Ren Hua was correct in asking his wife not to make the choice for Dave. This breakfast incident points out the differences in the cultural values for nurturing children. And neither Sonia nor Ren Hua may have realized the differences they would encounter while rearing a child. Case 2 Identify problems that occurred in the cross-cultural encounter in the following case. Zhang Qiang has just met a new American friend Manfred, who came to Hangzhou Normal College two months ago to learn Chinese. One day Zhang Qiang invited Manfred to go to dinner with him and two of his Chinese friends. It was a very nice meal with lots of dishes that Manfred hadn’t eaten before. He kept finishing everything Zhang Qiang and his friends put on his plate, until he was ready to burst. Even when dinner was over, Manfred saw that there was still a lot of food left on the table, which surprised him since he had eaten so much. What was more of a surprise to Manfred was when it was time to pay the bill. Zhang Qiang and his friends fought over who would pay. At last, Zhang Qiang won. Manfred thought that because the meal was very expensive, and perhaps too much money for Zhang Qiang to pay for by himself, that they would all "go Dutch". Questions:
1.Why was Manfred surprised and puzzled? 2.How would you explain to Manfred about the Chinese way of entertaining friends as Zhang Qiang did? Reference 1.In America when people have dinner together,their individual plates are usually given to them with portions of food already placed onto each one.It's therefore not standard behavior to take food from someone else's individual plate.Also,it's common practice to eat everything on your plate,so as not to waste food.If the portions are too large or it's something you can't eat,you can certainly leave food on your plate. Many times students or young adults have limited incomes because they're just starting out in their work-life.In order to have enjoyable meals at restaurants,they will frequently "go Dutch",which means everyone pays his or her share of the bill.This sense of equality allows them to feel comfortable about "splitting the bill". As a newcomer to China,Manfred didn't understand the Chinese way of eating out with friends.What he found at the Chinese restaurant was quite different from the usual way it occurs in America,especially for students. 2.In China,when having dinner with friends,normally a new friend is treated very special by having more and more food placed on his or her plate.The guest need not finish the food if he or she really doesn't. The Chinese favor generosity.The more generous a person is,the more respectable he or she will be among friends.Therefore,in front of their friends,people try to be generous in order to save face,even though they may not have the money to be that generous.And it's quite common for friends to fight over who will pay the bill to show their generosity. Case 3 Li Na,a famous Chinese actress,married a German.One day when she was acting,her husband was watching there,saying again and again that she was the best actress.On 3
3 1. Why was Manfred surprised and puzzled? 2. How would you explain to Manfred about the Chinese way of entertaining friends as Zhang Qiang did? Reference 1. In America when people have dinner together, their individual plates are usually given to them with portions of food already placed onto each one. It's therefore not standard behavior to take food from someone else's individual plate. Also, it's common practice to eat everything on your plate, so as not to waste food. If the portions are too large or it's something you can't eat, you can certainly leave food on your plate. Many times students or young adults have limited incomes because they're just starting out in their work-life. In order to have enjoyable meals at restaurants, they will frequently "go Dutch", which means everyone pays his or her share of the bill. This sense of equality allows them to feel comfortable about "splitting the bill". As a newcomer to China, Manfred didn’t understand the Chinese way of eating out with friends. What he found at the Chinese restaurant was quite different from the usual way it occurs in America, especially for students. 2. In China, when having dinner with friends, normally a new friend is treated very special by having more and more food placed on his or her plate. The guest need not finish the food if he or she really doesn't. The Chinese favor generosity. The more generous a person is, the more respectable he or she will be among friends. Therefore, in front of their friends, people try to be generous in order to save face, even though they may not have the money to be that generous. And it's quite common for friends to fight over who will pay the bill to show their generosity. Case 3 Li Na, a famous Chinese actress, married a German. One day when she was acting, her husband was watching there, saying again and again that she was the best actress. On
knowing this,Li Na told her husband not to praise her like that in public.The German wondered what he had done wrong. Once Li Na and her husband were talking with their Chinese friends,Hong and his wife, at a party,the German praised the good looks of Hong's wife.Hong replied that his wife was moderately good-looking when young,but now she was old and no longer so. Hong's wife nodded in agreement with a smile.The German was surprised. Why was the German confused in the first situation and surprised in the second? Reference In either Western or Eastern culture,people compliment other people's intelligence, talents,performance,manners,clothes,houses,furniture,cars,and good personal qualities.However,cultural differences exist. The German was confused in the first situation because in Western culture it would be natural for family members to praise each other.And the one who I praised usually feels pleased.For example,it would not be unusual to hear a westerner talking about how hard his or her family members work and how much hey have accomplished.But the Chinese rarely praise members of their family in public. In the second situation,Li Na's husband was surprised because of the reason mentioned above,and also because in westemn culture saying that someone (even a family member) is old is inappropriate.Complimenting the good looks of a friend's wife by giving remarks as "You have a lovely wife"would be considered perfectly natural and even highly appreciated.But the same compliment would be regarded as indecent by many Chinese,especially by the older generation. 4
4 knowing this, Li Na told her husband not to praise her like that in public. The German wondered what he had done wrong. Once Li Na and her husband were talking with their Chinese friends, Hong and his wife, at a party, the German praised the good looks of Hong’s wife. Hong replied that his wife was moderately good-looking when young, but now she was old and no longer so. Hong’s wife nodded in agreement with a smile. The German was surprised. Why was the German confused in the first situation and surprised in the second? Reference In either Western or Eastern culture, people compliment other people’s intelligence, talents, performance, manners, clothes, houses, furniture, cars, and good personal qualities. However, cultural differences exist. The German was confused in the first situation because in Western culture it would be natural for family members to praise each other. And the one who I praised usually feels pleased. For example, it would not be unusual to hear a westerner talking about how hard his or her family members work and how much hey have accomplished. But the Chinese rarely praise members of their family in public. In the second situation, Li Na’s husband was surprised because of the reason mentioned above, and also because in western culture saying that someone (even a family member) is old is inappropriate. Complimenting the good looks of a friend’s wife by giving remarks as “You have a lovely wife” would be considered perfectly natural and even highly appreciated. But the same compliment would be regarded as indecent by many Chinese, especially by the older generation