Behind Cultural Identity: Communication Patterns of Chinese Descent

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Behind Cultural Identity Communication Patterns
of Chinese Descent

• AN Ran, Ph.D
• South China University of Technology
• Email sieanran_at_scut.edu.cn

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• Abstract
• This paper
• presents the dynamic character of the cultural
  identity of Chinese descent.
• explores their communication patterns.
• shows that due to the inner feelings towards
  Chinese identity, these Chinese descent try to be
  flexible and adapt themselves to life in China.
• emphasizes that the sense of multiculturalism
  should be obtained by Chinese staff and students.

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• Introduction
• Sun Yi-shan considered Chinese descent as an
  important element in his thoughts (Meng, 2007).
• Chinese President, Hu Jing-tao, also points out
  that all internationally dispersed Chinese
  descent are the active promoters of Chinese
  civilization, and the good communicators between
  China and other countries (Meng, 2007).
• Lin (2007) points out that China should try its
  best to stimulate Chinese descent to connect with
  China in all possible ways.

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• However, literature review in Chinese academic
  journals appears while China promotes and opens
  its door to allow Chinese descent entry into
  China, it pays little attention to their
  psychological adjustment, communication patterns
  and the feelings towards their Chinese identity.
  This requires further effort and understanding.

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None of the paper is about Chinese descent as
international students in China
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Some relative papers, such as---Identity
conflict in overseas Chinese in American (Lin,
2007)---The acquisition of cultural values in
Japanese returnee students (Sasagawa et al
2005)---The relationship between international
students and Japanese host students (Shigemasu
Ikeda, 2005).
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• Challenge from methodology
• Halualani (2008) argues that research in
  intercultural adaptation in universities has been
  limited by its methodology. That is, researchers
  normally define what intercultural interaction is
  in their imagined ideal state, and use
  questionnaires and statistical analysis to arrive
  at their conclusions. This kind of
  questionnaires limitations include
• 1) Students from different geographical areas are
  usually treated in the same way
• 2) Mistakenly assuming that only different
  countries have intercultural problems and
  ignoring the differences of ethnic and
  nationality groups within countries.

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• My prior research
• There is no significant correlation between
  Chinese identity and having Chinese friends (An,
  2008).
• Aim of this research
• Try to discover the communication patterns of
  Chinese descent behind their recognition of
  cultural identity. Whom do they normally
  communicate with? What drives for these
  communication patterns? What are the result and
  implication by choosing these different patterns?
• Research method
• Data were collected by both questionnaire and
  interview. Analyses were mainly based on the
  interview.

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• Research method and process
• Initially, a questionnaire collected demographic
  information from 91 respondents at SCUT. The
  information is as follows

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Six students were chosen for interview. These
students had stayed in China for an extended
period of time and were used to the university
life in China. The information on these 6
students is as follows
Note G Gender MMale, FFemale
GenerationGeneration of descent since forbears
departed China.
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• All interviews were open-ended and
  semi-structured. Each interview lasted around 30
  minutes. After getting permission, interviews
  were tape-recorded and transcribed into a word
  document. Then all interviews were categorized
  and analyzed. The framework questions for the
  interview were
• 1) What is the background of your family?
• 2) Why did you choose to study in China? Was it
  your parents or your decision?
• 3) Do you find any communication difficult with
  Chinese students?
• 4) Do you feel any difference in
  cultural value?
• 5) Which kind of students do you like to
  communicate with? Who are your best friends?
• 6) What gives you most difficulty in your life
  and study here? Give examples.

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• Results
• Issue of Chinese identity.
• From questionnaire to interview, the data shows
  clearly that students acknowledge that I am a
  Chinese if their parents are of Chinese origin.
  However there are different degrees of
  recognition. Some think I am half Chinese. If
  one parent is Chinese, the other is not, a
  student might think he is not Chinese at all.
  According to the data collected, almost all
  students identify they are Chinese. See the
  following quotes

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• Interviewer Do you feel that you are a New
  Zealander?
• Ma No, I am a Chinese.
• Interviewer You think you are a Chinese but how
  about your classmates (Chinese students) view? Do
  they feel you are the same as them?
• Ma No, my classmates think I am an international
  student, not the same as them. They dont know
  how to deal with me. But I dont feel any
  difference with them. I speak Chinese, like
  Chinese song and singer.
• Interviewer Do you feel you are Chinese or
  Vietnamese?
• Zhou My parents always joke that I am half
  Chinese and half Vietnamese.
• Interviewer Whats your opinion?
• Zhou I am half Chinese and half Vietnamese.

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Erikson (1950) is one of the earliest who
systematically studied the concept of cultural
identity and developed the theoretical frame for
it. Erikson placed cultural identity at the core
of both individual and the group culture.
According to Lustig Koester (2007), the process
of forming cultural identity has three phases,
which were also shown in interviews 1.
unexamined cultural identity My grandfather
said that my origin is Fujian. I am a Fujian
person. I am the third generation living in
Indonesia. 2. cultural identity search, For
example, if one (Japanese) has joined a group,
one should follow its rules. While Chinese think
in another way, they feel more free since the
group is theirs. Another example, the attitude
towards beauty, if it is snowing, Japanese will
clean the snow in front of their houses, they
create beauty by their efforts, Chinese seems to
wait until somebody else to do it. 3. cultural
identity achievement. I am half Vietnamese and
half Chinese since all habits at home are Chinese
but behavior at school and society are
Vietnamese.
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Students of Chinese descent showed four
communication patterns, which are linked to the
outcomes of their acculturation.
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• Analysis1 (with home students)
• Students have a predisposition to communicate
  with those coming from the same country and to
  return to their home-culture. While they
  recognize their Chinese identity in concept, they
  have not developed a strong affinity with Chinese
  people or Chinese culture yet. The following
  quote from a Vietnamese student of Chinese
  descent exemplifies this
• Zhou Knowing we are all Vietnamese, we are very
  happy, and speak Vietnamese, no matter whether
  they are Chinese descent or ethnic Vietnamese.
• Interviewer You mean you feel closer with
  Vietnamese?
• Zhou Yes, I dont have this feeling when I was
  in Vietnam.

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University staff need to appreciate the feelings
of these students towards their own country. It
is a sign of tolerance in Chinese cultural
characteristics. It is also the deep sign of the
multicultural heritage stamped in Chinese
culture. Understanding is the first step of
guidance. Promotion of Chinese culture must bear
in mind and respect other cultures. Ji (2007)
emphasizes his opinion of multiculturalism.
Actually it is not reasonable and wise to
expect the Chinese descent to assimilate fully to
Chinese culture. Recognizing the cultural
differences will involve in intercultural
communication competence training. Only if the
sense of multiculturalism was obtained, staff
could experience and appreciate the different
nature of culture (An, Zhang, et Hao, 2008).
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• Analysis 2 (with Chinese students, 25 of the
  answers)
• I dont like this, that they (Chinese students)
  only want to practice their English and do not
  want to say Chinese.
• This quote shows that Chinese students do not
  prepare well in cognition and accepting Chinese
  descent. Chinese students sense of getting
  benefit will influence Chinese descent
  acculturation. No doubt, it is related with the
  multicultural attitude of Chinese students, i.e.
  cognition of multiculturalism by host society and
  offering helps to the international students.
• Du (2008) emphasizes strong culture should own
  its strong capability in adaptation (p.68). It
  is very important to educate Chinese university
  students the sense of multiculturalism, openness
  and tolerance.
• No Chinese friend will be very sad is
  significantly correlated with really want to
  have Chinese friends. There is no significant
  correlation between Chinese identity and having
  Chinese friends (An, 2008).
• The fact of cultural identity wont bring the
  sense of belonging will lead these students turn
  back to their home culture and forget the real
  meaning of Chinese identity.

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• Analysis 3 (Communication with international
  students)
• This pattern will develop a sense of
  multiculturalism and competence of communication
  as multicultural person, so that to be vague in
  the concrete meaning of cultural identity.
• Interviewer How about your communication with
  your classmates?
• Li Very good. No matter they are black, brown,
  male or female.
• Interviewer Do you like to make friends with
  Chinese or international students?
• Li International students.
• Interviewer Who are your best friends here,
  Chinese or international students?
• Li Sri Lankan

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• Kim (2003, 2008) develops concept of
  intercultural personhood based on the whole is
  greater than the sum of its parts. Kim
  identifies intercultural identity, which displays
  openness, adjustability, and adaptiveness.
• Intercultural identity is no longer seen in
  terms of bicultural, multicultural, or
  multiethnic identity. Rather, intercultural
  identity surpasses one specific form of culture
  to form a meta-identity, cosmopolitan, or
  transcultural identity. This is the sense of no
  rigid cultural boundaries, surpassing the
  conventional social categories. It could
  represent both in individuation and
  universalization. It is the effect of different
  cultural elements mixing and elevating. Its
  realization is related with the determination of
  participating in intercultural adaptation.
• The competence of intercultural identity could be
  developed and realized through the model of
  stress-adaptation-growth dynamic. The
  communication of students of Chinese descent with
  other international
• students reflects this concept.

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• Analysis 4 (almost no communication with others,
  feel lonely)
• For those students who are unable to communicate
  across cultures, the situation might lead to
  serious and adverse changes in personality.
• Long periods without resolution of deep inside
  feelings of being marginalizing by the home
  culture and the host culture, the stress caused
  by this conflict of cultural identity can cause
  further communication difficulties and further
  dysfunction.
• Related research indicates the ability to
  recognize and deal with culturally generated and
  expressed emotions has been correlated with
  positive intercultural adjustment, and effective
  resolution of matters such as depression, social
  anxiety, academic achievement, competence, etc.
  (Izard, 2001 McKenzie, et al, 2000).

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• The problem of loneliness, is exemplified in the
  following quote
• Ma When I was in New Zealand, my school is for
  girls. So we might be open in character. But
  here, the girls are not open compared with me. It
  seems the boys are shy and avoid to approach me.
• Interviewer How do you get rid of your
  loneliness?
• Ma Go to internet and shopping.
• Interviewer You mean you go shopping also by
  yourself?
• Ma Yes.
• Interviewer Do you want to make a friend?
• Ma I am trying. I have been by myself for a
  year. I cannot live like this for another two or
  three years. If I have more friends, it will help
  me in many ways. I know its not good without a
  friend. I am trying, no matter from this
  university or other universities. I am making
  friends in class, through MSN, and university
  network. First I have to step out and make
  contact with people.

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• According to Salovey, Caruso, Sitarenios
  (2001), emotional intelligence refers to one
  recognizing the meaning of emotions and the
  ability to identify the relationship among those
  emotions, also to use it as a basis in reasoning,
  problem solving and enhancing cognitive
  activities. The most important skill of emotional
  intelligence is emotion recognition. It is the
  threshold skill because only after the
  recognition can regulation occur and obtain its
  meaning. Students of Chinese descent recognize
  their difference with Chinese people and culture
  and adjust themselves consciously, which
  indicates that they are acting rationally. During
  the process of intercultural adjustment, they do
  not give up. Although sad and lonely sometimes,
  they actively and positively adjust themselves to
  meet the needs of environment.

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• Analysis 5
• Behind these communication patterns are inner
  feelings towards Chinese culture.
• Interviewer Was it your parents who asked you to
  learn Chinese?
• Li Yes, my parents said I must learn Chinese
  because I am Chinese. If I cannot read and write,
  that is not allowed.
• Interviewer Why do you choose to study in China?
• Gu There are two reasons. One is I want to learn
  something interesting, the other is my mothers
  relatives are all Taiwanese. I want to
  communicate with them, so I learn Chinese.
• Zhou When I was young, my parents told me we
  came from Chao Zhou. We speak Chao Zhou dialect
  at home. My parents do not allow us to speak
  Vietnamese at home, we must speak Chao Zhou
  dialect. My parents are very strict to us about
  language speaking at home. If I speak Vietnamese
  with my brother at home, we will get punished.

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• Students of Chinese descent displayed a deep and
  indelible identification towards China and
  Chinese cultural heritage. These connected
  feelings were passed to them by their parents and
  grandparents unconsciously or explicitly. Just
  like one poem describes something in your heart,
  which arouse your feelings, but you cannot
  describe it clearly. It is just like tearing up a
  piece of paper, it will form into another piece
  of paper in the wind, the flying shape is like a
  butterfly (An, 2008).
• The strong recognition of and commitment to
  Chinese identity by parents and grandparents
  influences the students, and leaves an impression
  in the descents mind. This impression, deep or
  shallow, conscious or subconscious, can be
  aroused by Chinese imagery and scenery, clearly
  shaped in the Chinese descents mind, mixing with
  their feelings, and become a standard for their
  judgment and behavior.
• For them, this Chinese identity is dynamic. As a
  more comprehensive understanding of Chinese
  culture develops, this recognition will deepen
  The conceptual identity will change into a
  practical behavior. This special and dynamic
  sense of identity is not only returning to their
  ancestors culture, but also is the integration
  of bi-culture and multiculture.

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• For these Chinese descent, the change of their
  cultural identity reflects and is the realization
  of their intercultural identity. It is especially
  influential in determining the form and
  effectiveness of an individuals interaction with
  other human beings. People can communicate
  effectively with another group of people when
  they obtain knowledge and experience of another
  culture.
• Because cultural identity is dynamic, complex,
  and evolving in nature, it changes as dynamic
  life change. It is very possible, after a certain
  period of time studying in China, the identity of
  I am a Chinese descendant of Indonesia will
  change into I am a Chinese.

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• Conclusion
• This paper stresses the importance of being
  aware of feelings of belonging towards China held
  by Chinese descent, which will increase the
  ability of self-monitoring and self control in
  the process of intercultural adaptation.
• It needs to address, in particular, how
  influencing the cognitive determinants of
  effective intercultural communication between
  Chinese staff and Chinese descent can improve the
  outcomes of multicultural education.
• In todays globalizing world, the intercultural
  adaptation process of Chinese descent not only
  reflects the principles of intercultural
  adaptation theories, but also have its own
  special characteristics (e.g. the recognition of
  Chinese identity), which provides a great
  potential for future research.

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Thank You!!