Richard W. Garceau II Masters in Ed. Tech.

 The purpose of this study is to gain a better understanding of the Chinese culture.  China has been emerging and growing for the past 35 years.  China’s culture needs to be better understood by the rest of the worlds nations.  By understanding the Chinese culture, non- Chinese governments and multi-national corporations will improve their abilities to negotiate with this growing economic power.

 Philosophical background.  Chinese culture is based on three primary philosophies.  Philosophical leaders  Confucius  Han Fey Tzu  Lao Tzu  (Wong, 2001) mblr_lqsxhcmU141qapsqto1_128 0.jpg

 Confucian principles are based on five respectful relationships and five virtues.   Respectful Relationships  Emperor to Subject  Father to Son  Husband to Wife  Elder brother to Younger Brother  Friend to Friend  (Wang, 2008)

 Confucian principles are based on five respectful relationships and five virtues.  Five Confucian virtues  Ren (Humanity)  Ren is the virtue that all others are built off of.  Yi (Righteousness)  Li (Propriety)  Zhi (Wisdom)  Xin (Trustworthiness)  (Wong, 2001)

Beliefs of Confucius  People are basically good  You should strive for Complete ethical maturity.  (Wong, 2001) guide/

 Han Fey Tzu’s beliefs…  Tzu focused on the concept of Legalism  Government with strong laws and punishments should govern.  By their nature, humans are evil and selfish  Because of this, humans cannot be trusted  (Wah, 2003) opportunities-for-the-united-states/

 Humans are evil by nature and cannot be trusted.  Government must be created to maintain order  Strong laws  Harsh punishments  Leadership is justified by it’s ability to punish.  Punishment is used to set an example to prevent further unrest.  (Wah, 2003) massacre.html?image=21

 Lao Tzu’s philosophy takes a turn to allowing nature to dictate to people.  It is in ones interest to live in harmony with nature.  One should not force his will on the natural world  The natural world should dictate to people in a natural and harmonize way  (Wah, 2003)

 People in China traditionally live more with nature, under the Taoist belief.  This belief is challenged as pollution in China is a regular health hazard.  (Wah, 2003) china-gil-azouri/ -chinas-pollution-a-problem-for-t

 It is in a person’s best interest to live in harmony with nature.  Morning ritualized Tai Chi is a communal Martial Art practiced by thousands each day in keeping with Taoist beliefs.  (Wah, 2003)

 China’s school systems are test preparation centers.  Students spend their schooling preparing for the Gaokao test which will determine their educational advancement or delivery into the working world (Breach, 2011)

 Chinese students are some of the hardest working students in the world, working in preparation for the Gaokao (Liu and Wang, 2010).  14 Percent of the citizens of China live below the poverty line so Gaokao is important for economic advancement (CIA, 2012).  Class sizes average 65 students per room and teacher.  Memorization skills are encouraged.  Teachers have no time for critical thinking skills.

 China’s growing wealthy population is beginning to send their students to the United States and new private schools in China (Farland-Smith, 2009).  One of the most successful private Chinese schools is the New Oriental School  The New Oriental School has 55 schools across mainland China, but is private  Only the new Growing wealthy population can afford this type of education (Farland-Smith, 2009).

 My vision for China would be to bring the American style of school to the poorer classes of the Chinese.  This would be a state run school with…  Smaller class sizes, allowing for more individual attention  A focus on science and critical thinking skills.  An emphasis on speaking and articulating ideas.

 China’s future looked brighter just a few years ago but all hope is not lost.  Future concerns for China.  Current Chinese economic downturn  Increasing population and decreasing jobs  Widespread pollution with a decreasing agricultural output.  (Yifu, 2012)

 In our global economy, even the powerful Chinese economy is tied to the economic ebb and flow of the unstable world economy.  In the past few years, China is showing to be in the midst of an economic slow down.  If this is not reversed, with China’s large population, unemployment could become the downfall of a growing giant.  This could increase  The poverty rate  Poorer health factors  Increased pollution  (Yifu, 2012)

 With their shrinking economy, some Chinese observers are seeing a reluctance of China to remain a global economic partner.  China is moving away from  Economic trade negotiations.  Internal pollution controls  Human Rights protections  China will survive as a nation, pending it continues to be a proactive world partner and does not revert back to its previous closed society.  (Yifu, 2012)

 Breach, S. (2011). The Sad Truth of China’s Education. China Digital Times (CDT). Retrieved from china%E2%80%99s-education/  Central Intelligence Agency (2012). CIA - The World Factbook. Retrieved from Central Intelligence Agency (2012) Central Intelligence Agency (2011). CIA - The World Factbook. Retrieved from factbook/geos/ch.htmlCentral Intelligence Agency (2011). CIA - The World Factbook. Retrieved from factbook/geos/ch.html  Farland-Smith, D. (2009). How Does Culture Shape Students' Perceptions of Scientists? Cross-National Comparative Study of American and Chinese Elementary Students. Journal Of Elementary Science Education, 21 (4),  Liu, Y., & Wang, J. (2010). The Enlightenment of the Development of New Oriental School on Chinese Educational System.

 Wah, S. S. (2003). Philosophical review of the Chinese classical leadership. In C. T. Akarabornworn, A. M. Osman-Gani, & G. N. McLean (Eds.), Human resource development in Asia: National policy perspectives (57-1). Bangkok, Thailand: Academy of Human Resource Development and National Institute of Development Administration.  Wang, J. (2008). Leveraging Chinese Culture for Effective Organizational Leadership: The China Case.  Wong, K. (2001). Chinese culture and leadership. International Journal of Leadership in Education, 4 (4),  Yifu, L, J. (2012). The Future of China’s Growth. Project Syndicate. Retrieved from syndicate.org/commentary/the-future-of- china-s-growth