List of Chinese Family Values
Chinese traditions date back thousands of years. In China, the interest of the family outweighs the interest of the individual, and decisions are made based on how they impact the group first and foremost. Family in China means not only mom, dad and kids. It includes all manner of extended family, including grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and in-laws. As a result, many of the values of Chinese culture revolve around family.
Commitment to Marriage
Marriage has always played an important part in China's culture. Marriage was so important that arranged marriages were typical for centuries. Such marriages were expected to endure for a lifetime. This important decision was not left to the young people, but was made by their elders. While that has changed today, marriage is still considered the desired state and the basis of the family. Even now, a couple typically requests the approval of their parents before marriage as a sign of respect for the knowledge and experience of their elders.
Respect for Elders
Unlike many western cultures that value youth, the Chinese revere their elders and respect the knowledge that is gained with age and experience. Chinese families typically take care of their aging family members, rather than leaving them to fend for themselves. Recent changes in society, however, have prompted the possibility of a law requiring children to visit and care for their parents in cases where the children fail to uphold a duty to support their parents.
Respect for the Dead
Ancestor worship is important within the Chinese family. The Chinese believe that the spirits of deceased family members continue to watch over them and influence the lives of those they've left behind. Remaining family members often create an altar in the home with candles, a photo of the relative and several items of offering. Articles the deceased may need in the great beyond are placed on the altar. Grooming items, favorite foods and money are commonly found on altars.
Importance of Education
Chinese families place a great value on education and Chinese children are expected to assume the same attitude without question. Students of both sexes spend considerable time studying and striving to excel in the subjects they take in school. Television, computer games, sports and playtime are often given low or no priority in favor of academic pursuits. Intense pressure and a competitive atmosphere prevail, as parents insist on nothing short of academic excellence in the hope of securing a good future for their children.
What Are Family Values
What exactly makes up a strong family that possesses good family values? A strong family is one that sustains its members "" that supports and nourishes the members throughout the span of that family .
What exactly makes up a strong family that possesses good family values? A family that sustains its members "" that supports and nourishes the members throughout the span of that family. A strong family unit creates a safe, positive and supportive place for all members to thrive. They are able to utilize resources and to live together in a fairly healthy manner.
The adults in a strong family set the tone. They are good role models that lead by example. They reach out to friends and community and teach their children the importance of doing the same -- and that becomes part of who the children are. They work together to solve problems, and they pass their skills on to the next generation. Some important elements of a strong family system are family cohesion, family flexibility and family communication.
Cohesion- In families cohesion would be defined as the feeling of being loved, of belonging to the group and being nurtured by it. Although closeness is good in a family unit, there must be a balance between being together and being separate. A person must be able to develop their individuality, while being supported and confident within the family. A few things that bring a family together are the commitment of other family members, and the spending of time together.
Flexibility- There must be a structure in a family or it will become chaotic and will not be a peaceful setting for a family. Conversely, there must be flexibility or the family becomes rigid and the authority figures become resented. We could compare a successful family to a democracy. There are leaders, but the whole group is involved in the decision making process. Although the leaders are in charge all members develop the ability to cope with stress, and at times lead. While the family works to avoid stressful situations they work together to solve problems, without blaming, criticizing and finding fault with each other. Families that tend to have a strong spiritual base seem to have a sense of well-being that facilitates this working together in times of stress.
Communication- Ever hear the saying, "What we have here is a failure to communicate?" A lack of communication can rip a family apart and destroy them. Things that facilitate communication are the things mentioned so far -- family closeness, flexibility, time spent together, spirituality. All members must feel a freedom within the group to express themselves freely.
Another very important factor is the relationship between the "head" couple. In a family that is parented by a happily married couple, people are able to express themselves more freely. What they might say isn't filtered through the problems of the "guardians." A happy marriage seems to set the tone in the house. It spills over from the family to the community and a healthy family will be reaching out to help others. They do not tend to isolate themselves from the rest of the world.
A very important thing for families to teach their children is how to make good decisions. If they have watched their parents making well thought out decisions over the years, they will tend to be good decision makers themselves.
A healthy, happy family benefits our whole society. Among the children of strong families their is less crime, less divorce and less emotional problems. They tend to go on and have strong, healthy families of their own, having learned from their folk's example.
