English report

A Comparative Study of Marriage BetweenAmerican and ChineseTeacher:Deng LeiClass:Industrial Engineering 01Student name:W ei MengStudent number:20112692A Comparative Study of Marriage Between American and ChineseThesis statement：This paper is intended to make a comparison between Chinese and America to see their differences and similarities towards marriage,and try to give a explanation though analysising the different culture in China and the American.Outline：1.Introduction2.Differences in Engagement between China and America3.Differences on marriage custom between China and America3.1 Wedding color3.2 Weddind place3.3 Dressing custom3.4 Wedding process3.5 Marriage characters4.Attitudes towards marriage between Chinese and America4.1 Love4.2 Position4.2 Sex4. 4 Family values4. 5 Wedding objective5.Attitudes towards divorce between Chinese and America6.Conclusion1.IntroductionDue to the geographical environment, historical background, developing process and other aspects of the different,Chinese and America have different attitudes towards pared to America who only has two hundred years of historical journey,China has more than five thousand years,so there will be a natural culture between China and the United States.This is what we must admit. And the different culture make everybody have their own attitudes towards all the things around us. As we all know, marria ge is more than simply two person‟s get together. We will all marry a family but not a wife or husband. The bond of marriage will combine two families and influence the couple in turn.this is the same in china and America .but we know American society pays attention to individual rights and freedom, “individuality"is what the need in their whole life.While Chinese society pays attention to moral life, and the interpersonal interdependence.According to this,unquestionable ,both Chinese and American will bring the culture in marriage ,and to show our own proud traditional culture to stress own habit and stick to their principles.There are many similarities in marriage cultures between China and America. Who all give a dinner in honour of relatives, husbands all have heavier pressure than wives, and they all love eachother very much under normal circumstances. The difference can be reflected from many aspects ,this paper is going to stress custom,attitudes,getting married and divorce.2.Differences in Engagement between China and AmericaBefore getting married, young people have to pay a formal visit to each other‟s parents.When visiting the girl‟s parents, the boy has to bring with him the betrothal gi fts in order to show sincerity.When the gifts are received, then both the boy and the girl are engaged. When the girl visits the boy‟s parents, the parents have to prepare a formal gift f or the future daughter-in-law.Traditionally, a young man asks the father of his sweetheart for permission to marry her. If the father agrees, the man latter proposes to her. Often he tries to surprise her by “popping the question” in a romantic way. Sometimes the couple just decides together that the time is right to get married. The man usually gives his fiancée a diamond ring as a symbol of their engagement. They may be engaged for weeks, months or even years. As the big day approaches, bridal showers and bachelor‟s parties provide many useful gifts. Today many couples also receive counseling during engagement. This prepares them for the challenges of married life.3.Differences on marriage custom between China and America3.1 W edding colorIn China, the main color in a wedding is red, which represents happiness,love and passion.this is because in our Chinese mind,red is the Chinese nation's favorite color, including the culture praise.Chinese red is Chinese soul,red is the bottom color of chinese culture. However, in America, the color is white, which represents purity and dignity.3.2 W eddind placeIn China, a wedding is usually arranged in a big hotel,invite the relatives to entertain with courtesy and warmth.while in America, a wedding is usually arranged in a church,all the relatives will send their wisher to the new couple. Chinese prefer their weddings more lively, so a big hotel is needed which can accommodate a large number of people and has a convenient traffic is the best choice. Most American believe in Christianity, so a church is the most place for a wedding.3.3 Dressing customThe tradit ional Chinese dressing are chaplet and official robes and “Zhuang Y uan Fu” whose main color is red. The American dressing is the white wedding dress.But now in china ,the bride will prepare a couple of clothes,the bride will wear white wedding dress then they are in celebration of marriage and change her clothes when she should to host the guest .3.4 W edding processThe wedding process is completely different. In China, the bridegroom goes to the bride‟s home with a flower ball and brings the bride to his own home. Next, the new couple bow to heaven and earth , then bow to the ancestors ,finally they bow each other. When the new couple bow to the parents and serve tea to the parents, the parents would give the couple red packets with money or something valuable. In America, the bride‟s father will bring his daughter to the church. Then, the minister will pray for the new couple and witness their wedding. After that, the new couple will exchange their wedding rings with each other and have a romantic kiss.3.5 Marriage charactersThere are some unique characters in both Chinese and American marriage custom. In traditional Chinese marriage, first, the bridegroom should go for the bride‟s house by himself tomarry the bride. The behavior shows the bridegroom‟s respect and protection t o the bride. Second, the bride always has a red cover over her head which will be finally opened by the bridegroom. Third, the bride and groom drink “cross-cupped wine” from one another's glasses. Fourth, the visitors tease the bride and the groom on the wedding night.American marriage can be summarized as “something old, something new, something borroed and something blue.” Something old means that the bride must wear the white veil that was used by her mum, which means she will always remember her parents and upbringings. On the contrary, the wedding dress must be new because it represents purity and virginity and also means that the bride will start a completely new life. The bride and broom must have something borrowed in their wedding day. The borrowed item should be something borrowed from a friend that is happily married. It is suggested that their happiness will rub off on the new couple and bring lasting happiness to their marriage. Wearing something blue dates back to biblical times when a blue wedding dress was worn to represent purity, fidelity and love. Over time this has changed from wearing a blue dress to wearing just a blue band around the bottom of the bride…s wedding dress to modern times where it is commonplace for the bride to wear a blue garter.4. Attitudes towards marriage Chinese and America4.1 LoveEither in the past or now Chinese marriage is conditional, but not completely because of love each other.You have the ability to support the family and the woman you married, you would like to give her a comfortable life.So China folk has a common saying "Marry and settle down".This sentence means that as a man ,they should start a family and then the business.No matter at what condition, this kind of marriage from the beginning is fraudulent enough. So a lot of people think that when they walk into the marriage,they walk into the grave. China‟s traditional concept of marriage is that happiness can give their life.In western eyes, love is love, is very simple.This is the American idea, since love each other, they should be together, everybody is very wise, maintain a no love family, who also can not get the real happiness. Because they believe that: marriage is purely private matter, no one can interfere at the same time the marriage does not belong moral issues. The right to choose a person and his / her favorite people to live together once found that the existing marriage is a mistake, he / she shall have a second choice. If one of the couple fell in love with a third party, by any party will not be condemned. In their view: forced two people who do not live together in love is cruel.4.2PositionChinese man basically can't marry women who are stronger than them, the so-called happy pairing is male strong and female weak. Under this circumstance,men can find their success and think highly of themselves.Choose a spouse from the start, the Chinese often becomes the buy then sell.While Americans will marriage as sell,buy.In China's marriage, we call that a man take a wife, the American marriage is the buying and selling two word upside down, men and women is the seller and the buyer,they are equal. There is no distinction or distinction on the basis of personality equality.4.3 SexThe Chinese attitude to premarital sexual behavior is conservative but premarital westerners life tends to human nature more.For example, you come of age, seventeen or eighteen years old, if you have some emotional or sexual demand, can be satisfied.4.4 Family valuesChinese people have a strong sense of family values. By contrast, American family relationships is much more relaxation. But they don't like multigenerational life. In order to fully enjoy independence and freedom, independent of drag, once the child adult, parents and children both sides are willing to live apart, show a kind of relatively thin the concept of family. On the other hand, for marriage,Americans have a special attention to love this premise. Emphasis on liberty and equality, emphasis on individual rights4.5 W edding ObjectiveIn the Chinese ancient times, the people thought that they wanted to get an heir through wedding and raise the clan‟s reputation. If a man wants to marriage with a woman, he must obey with his father and mother, because the wedding is an importan t thing for the man‟s family. Therefore, the man would get marriage with a woman, but he did not love her.In the western, the marriage is private thing. Man and Woman will marry, because they love each other.5. Attitudes towards divorce between Chinese and AmericaIn recent years China's divorce rate is also showing rising trend, but the majority of the Chinese people have divorce scruples.Even between each other has no feelings, most people will choose force to sustain the marriage, especially the child's women, is worth crash. Chinese pay special attention to history of marriage, there is a great marriage sensitive.The United States has been very high divorce rate, the divorce rate is high, because Americans from the personal independence and freedom, is love for marriage only determining factor. People to love and marriage, similarly, without love without marriage.The Americans on the history of marriage is not concerned, and even more willing to choose the one who have the history of marriage.They think, Divorced people have the strong sense of responsibility and family consciousness.But just according to the high divorce rate, Americans seem to be weak family values,in fact, Americans pay much attention to marriage and family.6.ConclusionAlthough there are so many differences between China and American marriage custom, they have one same character which is that wedding is pure and sacred. Nowadays, more and more Chinese choose western wedding while many westerners begin to try traditional Chinese wedding, which reflects the globalization of the culture.If the entire community can establish a concept:Love is the foundation of marriage, and marriage should be maintained and developed friendship, family, responsibilities, obligations, good-hearted, such as the Chinese culture of tolerance in good quality, if not love, would also enable the marriage become warm and happy, so that others lamented the marriage was full of romantic love.Indeed, as the social development and cultural integration of the exchanges and people of the United States recognize the marriage was also a certain subtle changes. However, the fundamental concepts remain unchanged, because a nation that wishes to live forever, not only have the ability to adapt to the trend of the times and with other ethnic coexistence and common prosperity mind and boldness of vision, but more important is to maintain their own culture and the fundamental, maintain their social characteristics.。