Family In Chinese Culture - Hierarchy, Harmony, Communication

The Role of the Family in Chinese Culture

Scene from the Song Dynasty Illustrations
of the Classic of Filial Piety (detail),
depicting a son kneeling before his parents.
(source)

It is fundamental for Western people to understand the importance that family has in Chinese society. The family was for centuries the pillar of the Chinese state, and we can still observe its centrality in shaping the economic, social and  moral horizon of the Chinese people. However, we should be very careful not to interpret or judge Chinese society assuming that language can be a guidance. Instead, language is more likely to confuse us.

Communication is a process that requires a positioning of the parties involved, both toward each other and toward the cultural narratives that implicitly and unconsciously influence their thinking (see Yin / Hall 2002, p. 199). Only to mention one example: the word 'marriage' can be understood by different speakers in different ways, depending on their own cultural background and personal opinions, which are often not openly explained in conversation. The simple word 'marriage' does not reveal what the speakers associate with the idea of marriage. 

A Westerner, for instance, may think of marriage in terms of a relationship between two individuals; a Chinese, on the contrary, may see it as a matter between two families. In this case, if a Westerner and a Chinese talk about marriage, the notions that are hidden behind the simple words marriage will not come to the surface unless the participants decide to discuss it openly.

In order to understand the impact of the family in Chinese thinking, we must first of all comprehend that in old China, the family was the nucleus of the society. Traditional Chinese society is best understood by referring to the triad ruler-father-husband. This triad represented the formal order of Chinese society. Its opposite was luan, chaos or disorder. For society to function properly, the three relationships (husband-wife, father-son, ruler-subject) had to be strictly hierarchic. These relationships were unequal, that is, the superior demanded obedience from the inferior, while the superior was supposed to exercise his power benignly. (see Swartz 2002, pp. 120-124).

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