What are the differences between Eastern and Western cultures?
1. Differences between Chinese and Western cultures and their causes
(1) Differences between Chinese and Western cultures
Chinese and Western cultures originated in China and Europe respectively and belong to The cultures of different nationalities have certain similarities and obvious differences between them. This difference is the particularity that distinguishes this culture from that culture. The differences between Chinese and Western cultural traditions are reflected in many aspects, but they are mainly reflected in the following three aspects:
1. The relationship between man and nature. There are obvious differences between China and the West in their understanding of the relationship between man and nature. Traditional Chinese culture attaches great importance to "the way of heaven", stresses the spirit of the unity of nature and man, and emphasizes that human behavior must conform to the development trend of nature, which also leads to a natural constraint on the expansion of individual personality. This stereotyped production and lifestyle has made people accustomed to the way of life that is happy to know destiny and keep their own laws. Man and nature can easily reach a harmonious state. This has been the case for thousands of years, thus forming the Chinese people's moderate and peaceful national character. . The cultural spirit inherited by Western nations is based on the understanding of "the separation of nature and man", emphasizing the division and opposition between man and nature, emphasizing the struggle between man and nature, and believing that man must rely on knowledge to fully conquer nature. This natural orientation has contributed to Western nations have a strong sense of independence and challenge, which has shaped people's extroverted behavior such as efficiency, the courage to compete, and not being afraid of taking risks.
2. Relationships between people. In the Chinese cultural system that emphasizes ethics and morals, it pays more attention to interpersonal relationships. In order to downplay and alleviate interpersonal conflicts, there are ethical teachings such as "docility", "benevolence" and "propriety", emphasizing obedience and order, and advocating coordination and tolerance. . Contrary to traditional China, Western culture attaches great importance to human personality, pursues the priority of the individual, and has a strong color of individualism and obvious personality spirit. Influenced by this cultural characteristic, Westerners like in all aspects of social life. Be innovative and unique, and pursue self-independence and self-development.
3. Lifestyle. Chinese people believe that the true meaning of life lies in enjoying a simple and leisurely life, especially the joy of family life and the harmony of various social relationships. They are intoxicated with such an ideal of life, which makes Chinese people show a gentle and introverted attitude toward secular life. characteristics. Westerners also pursue pleasure, but they have a very strong sense of utilitarianism. People strive to pursue material wealth, transform and conquer nature, which stimulates Westerners' enthusiasm for work, acquisition and creation.
(2) The reasons for the differences between Chinese and Western cultures
Fundamentally speaking, the cultural characteristics of a nation are first determined by the natural environment in which it lives.
1. Natural ecological environment. The natural ecological environment is the eternal and indispensable material prerequisite for the existence and development of human society and nation. When a certain nation lives, works and lives in a certain area, it also creates a corresponding culture. The relevant natural and geographical conditions associated with this nation and the corresponding culture are what people call the ecological environment. Generally speaking, cultural differences initially come from differences in understanding of the natural world. Natural geographical conditions determine the initial direction of cultural development of various ethnic groups and regions. The relatively isolated geographical feature of three plateaus and one sea made ancient Chinese culture basically isolated from the outside world. However, this also provided unique conditions for the development of agricultural civilization, and based on this, an economy characterized by a small-scale peasant economy was formed. form. At the same time, the continental environment of the river and the self-sufficient natural economy caused by it made the Chinese people agree to give full play to the nature of things and follow the feelings of things, which firmly bound people to the land. The stability of agricultural society and the long-term security of family and friends Living together together has made the Chinese people attach great importance to farewell since ancient times. This has made the Chinese nation like one but not many, like similarities but not differences, like silence but not movement, and like stability but not change in terms of thoughts and emotions. The living source of Western culture is ancient Greek culture. Ancient Greek civilization originated in the Mediterranean. The marine environment in which it was located cultivated the original adventurous and extroverted national character of the Western nation. In their view, human power is small and fragile compared with the ocean. However, human beings have conquered the sea by relying on their own bravery, perseverance, and great fighting spirit. Therefore, human courage is greater than the ocean. All of this also shapes the It reflects the open and brave character of Western nations. Therefore, looking at the entire ancient social and cultural phenomenon, the West started with the individual, expanded outward, and constantly pursued, expanded, and innovated itself. China, on the other hand, has a closed and self-satisfied agricultural society, which shows a strong nostalgia for the countryside and a yearning for a peaceful life.
2. Humanistic and social environment. The humanistic and social environment mainly refers to the sum of social ideologies composed of systems, policies, regulations, etc. During the development of China's feudal society for thousands of years, wars and turmoil continued, but the ultra-stable agricultural production methods, social organization forms, and patriarchal ethical concepts have always maintained the tradition and survival of the Chinese nation. The centralized political system and the patriarchal system based on blood ties have caused the people to develop a social psychology that prefers quietness and dislikes movement and values hometown and blood ties. The ethical concept with filial piety as the core has restricted the Chinese people's exploration behavior. Confucius once pointed out that "when parents are present, if you don't travel far away, you must travel in the right way." However, due to the large mountainous area and limited plain area of Western peoples, they could only exchange for the food and other daily necessities they needed through maritime trade. This promoted the formation of the aggressive and adventurous national character of Westerners.
The democratic political system of ancient Greece made the concept of democracy and the awareness of the rule of law the common sense reached by all members of society. They believed that everyone has equal abilities, equal status, and freedom of action, and that more equality between people is reflected. an independent character. Under such a political background, the national spirit was greatly mobilized and an open, positive and enterprising national spirit was formed. It can be seen that because the same nation has the same language, the same region, the same economic life and the same historical origin, it has inherited a generally consistent cultural accumulation, and therefore has different characteristics. Different psychological qualities based on the same culture are the character and cultural expression of a nation.
2. The impact of cultural differences between China and the West on the demand for tourism products
(1) The impact of tourism psychology
The demand for tourism between China and the West due to cultural differences The psychological difference is mainly reflected in the obvious tendency of Chinese people to demand for singleness, while the strong sense of exploration of Western nations makes them not hesitate to take risks, conquer themselves, and express themselves, so as to satisfy their personal sense of accomplishment and reflect their personal competitiveness. Chinese traditional culture determines that Chinese people lack the spirit of adventure, have extremely limited pursuit of complexity and diversity in tourism activities, and even reject adventurous tourism activities. Western tourists are mostly proactive, enthusiastic, and fearless of hardships. They often like some very exciting travel projects to express their personality. This difference stems from the cultural soil in which each is rooted and the national differences derived from it. The dynamic nature of Western society makes their tourism demand psychology tend to be rapid and intense, while the static nature of Chinese society makes their tourism demand psychology tend to be rapid and intense. Soothing and restrained.
) Tourism aesthetic concepts
Chinese people advocate tranquility and believe that tranquility is the main form of all things. Therefore, observing tranquility has become an aesthetic activity and scope in China. It is related to people’s psychological experience. Combination, through tourism aesthetics to achieve the purpose of happy temperament, physical and mental pleasure, reflecting the aesthetic sentiment of human freedom. The extroverted character of Westerners makes them focus on dynamics when examining and experiencing beauty. Western tourism aesthetics are often expressed through overflowing excitement and excitement. Therefore, some thrill-seeking and terrifying tourism activities in Western tourism are not suitable for Easterners. There is no sense of beauty at all, but Westerners are devoted to it because of its horror and bloodiness, and enjoy it with relish. What they pursue is the enjoyment of formal beauty and realistic beauty.
(3) Tourism demand motivation
Generally speaking, Westerners have stronger travel motivations than Chinese people. At this point, the gap between the economic levels between China and the West cannot be ruled out. reasons, but it should be noted that this difference has more profound cultural reasons. The Chinese emphasize compliance with nature and the harmony between man and nature, and value ethical hierarchies, harmonious interpersonal relationships, and social balance and stability, which have hindered Chinese people’s motivation to travel. Western culture emphasizes controlling nature, transforming and conquering nature, focusing on individualism and pursuing pleasure, which has shaped the obvious outward character of Western nations. This makes Westerners more willing to travel and explore and understand the outside world than Chinese people. world.
(4) Selection of tourist destinations
Because Western tourists are extremely adventurous and influenced by personal liberalism, they often tend to choose tourist destinations that are off the beaten track. They like to be the first to come to these areas to enjoy new experiences and the joy of discovery. They like to be in contact with and eager to understand cultures and people they are unfamiliar with. Generally speaking, any destination with great characteristics or outstanding personality will often become the object of choice for Western tourists. The Chinese like some relatively peaceful or quiet landscapes, and generally choose destinations that are familiar, even well-known and well-planned and constructed, while some scenic spots that are not very mature in tourism development or are located in remote areas. But not interested. At the same time, Chinese people have a strong sense of group, are easily dominated by others, and have a serious herd mentality. When choosing destinations, it is easy to listen to the opinions of others and be influenced by others or social trends, which makes some well-known tourist destinations During the peak season, it reaches saturation or even overloading, while some tourist destinations with wonderful scenery are rarely visited by people.
3. Impact on the development of tourism products
(1) Understand the individual differences of Chinese and Western tourists and provide personalized services
Design and development of tourism products And marketing should be targeted. Today's international tourists have various travel motivations, which triggers the psychological needs of "personality, diversity, participation and self-help" in tourism. They have extremely strong requirements for diversity in life and like to take risks. I hope to use travel to realize my self-worth and try new and unique things. I also hope to be able to decide on travel products that suit me based on my own personality. Therefore, for the tourism industry, it is necessary to develop, operate and promote tourism products based on the characteristics of Chinese and Western tourists. First of all, we must constantly develop new products to attract tourists who seek new excitement and love adventure; secondly, we must use modern means and channels to enable them to quickly and conveniently learn about travel products that meet their individual needs and obtain travel information; At the same time, enterprises can discover the consumption values pursued by various types of tourism consumers through online questionnaire surveys, discover new tourism market spaces, and develop new tourism consumption hot spots.
(2) The design, development and marketing of tourism products should be highly targeted
Understand the individual differences between Chinese and Western tourists and provide personalized services. The tourism industry faces highly mobile tourism consumers who come from all over the world. Due to the influence of natural and social environments, various countries and nations have long formed unique styles in customs, habits, lifestyles, etc. These Style plays a huge role in the development of people's personality and psychology, making their characters have strong national and national colors. Therefore, tourism companies must understand the individual differences among tourists, conduct investigations and studies based on national and ethnic characteristics, understand their customs, customs, religious beliefs and lifestyle characteristics, and adopt different reception methods in a targeted manner. methods and service measures to provide them with personalized services. Cultural differences are the most attractive resource for attracting overseas tourists, and are also the fundamental reason for the different tourism consumption behaviors of Chinese and Western tourists. Therefore, maintaining this difference and highlighting the characteristics of its own culture has great guiding significance for the development of tourism in our country, especially the international tourism. Tourism enterprises should adjust development strategies in a timely manner according to the different needs of Chinese and Western tourists, develop marketable tourism products, and formulate new business methods and strategies to ensure the healthy and rapid development of the tourism industry.
(3) It is necessary to ensure the national cultural characteristics and enhance the tourist attraction.
It is necessary to ensure the national cultural characteristics and enhance the tourist attraction. Contemporary Western tourists have very strong demands for long-distance international travel alone. They want to find new ways to design their own routes and arrange activities according to their own unique wishes. Therefore, independent travel has become a trend for individual travelers, who can avoid the hustle and bustle of tourist spots. and various services, go deep into the lives and work of local residents to understand their customs, which gives them more opportunities to be exposed to the culture of the tourist destination, and at the same time they also have many impacts on the culture of the tourist destination, causing it to gradually lose The value and characteristics of traditional culture. Therefore, when developing tourism, tourist destinations must maintain their distinctive local and national characteristics, create an excellent humanistic environment, develop it scientifically and with high taste, carry forward the deep connotation of traditional national culture, and use its differences to To attract Chinese and Western tourists from different cultural backgrounds.