Please do not overuse Google translate and you are highly encouraged to apply topic 1 vocabulary and grammar in your writing. Please submit your reflection to Padlet. 

Here are some questions to help guide your reflection: 

Useful phrases:

我们上课时候提起过韩国人怎么打招呼。 看完之后，我觉得韩国文化的打招呼方法比中国人和西方人更不亲。 因为在韩国文化有很多规则。所以，如果韩国人想随便根长辈打招呼，他们的文化规则会阻止他们。

通过与中国朋友的交流我发现通常的对话长度也要看话题的目的。在我们的口语练习活动里，跟叔叔聊天比跟陌生人会跟长一点。我们求叔叔帮我们找工作的时候，他问了我们有什么技能和过去的经验，也问了我们的成绩最近怎么样。问陌生人帮我们找方向的时候，她就直接说了可以。

这差别一方面是因为关系熟不熟，另一方面是因为谈话的目标不同。

 

1. Do you or your family celebrate any of these Chinese holidays? If so, what are some of the activities that you do?
2. Have you learnt anything new about Chinese holidays after this event? Did you know of any holiday traditions or related stories prior to the event? Were there any rituals or traditions 
that you found interesting?
3. What are some similarities or differences between Chinese festivals and western festivals like Thanksgiving and Christmas? Are there holidays in the Chinese tradition that you do not find equivalences to in Western traditions? Why 
do you think that is?

Useful phrases:
● 中国传统节日 （Traditional Chinese holidays）
● 西方传统节日 （Traditional Western holidays）
● 我 认为/觉得 … 
● 我原来以为……后来发现……
● 相较之下(xiang1jiao4 zhi1xia4, by contrast)，A 比 B +Adj. or B 不如 A + adj. 

活动结束后，我学到了很多事中国节日的新知识。我只知道年兽的故事；我们要贴春联和穿红色是因为年兽害怕这个颜色。我觉得很多故事有意思。例如，我现在知道端午节的时候，我们要吃粽子是为了纪念屈原。还有，我们过中秋节的时候要赏月是因为嫦娥飞向月球牺牲了自己。

中国传统节日有很多的习俗、不同吃的东西和每个节日有很有意义的故事。西方传统节日没有特别过节日的菜。例如，圣诞节和感恩节有一样的菜。中国传统节日也比西方传统节日多。中国有端午节、中秋节、清明节和春节。我觉得当中国人过节日，他们会全力以赴。相较之下，西方传统节日比中国传统节日安静的。中秋节和感恩节有一点一样的意义。两个节日都就是人们在表示感谢。别的中国传统节日和西方传统节日有很不一样的意义、习俗和吃的食物。

我的家人也庆祝西方节日，因为我在加拿大长大,可是我比较喜欢中国的传统节日，因为过西方节日我父母都不明白有什么意义。但是，如果我不明白中国的节日他们能告诉我有什么传统，也能叫我怎么做过节的食物。

一个节日我觉得很有意思是清明节。过这个节日的时候，人们会打扫墓和纪念祖先。清明节是一个国立的节日，是农历四月五号过的。这天，人会出去春游、放风筝和吃青团。吃青团是因为以前青团是崇拜祖先的象征。做青团的时候平常用糯米粉和艾草做皮，可是艾草只在早春可以吃的，所以青团只能在早春吃的。

我的家人没过清明节和元宵节。这个是因为我们在菲律宾出生和长大的，所以我们都不知道很多的中国节日。不过，我觉得明节很元宵节很有意思因为我发现中国人有很多的传统。在我看来，中国人的节日跟西方国家的节日有时候有异同。这是因为西方国家的圣诞节和感恩节也要常常跟家人，亲戚和朋友吃饭和聊天。不过我觉得西方国家跟中国人的元宵节没有同样因为西方国家的人没有春节。

就个人而言，除了新年外，我没有发现中西节日之间有很多相似之处，其中迎接来年的基本概念是相同的。我发现许多西方节日（例如复活节和圣诞节）都具有象征性的特征，例如复活节兔子或圣诞老人，而中国的假期都有自己的目的。我也认为中国的庆祝活动包括更多的传统活动。

在所有情况，我觉得第四个情况。这是因为我不知道怎么用中文去新娘的家做客。我也不知道要跟他受什么，所以跟她说话的时候，我很不好意思。

 

此外，加拿大人和中国人接收和回应赞美的方式不一样。中国人觉得其他人知道他们接收赞美没有礼貌。所以，你赞美中国人的时候他们会回答“哪里？” 或者“不是！你做得更好！”。你赞美加拿大人的时候，加拿大人会说， “谢谢你”才有礼貌。

在我看来，中/西方都要有礼貌，一定要记得感谢他们对您的招待。

我觉得不管在外国人的家做客或者中国人的家做客，客人得称赞主人的家里。不过，中国人对别人的称赞会很客气；举个例子，我去我阿姨的家做客，我会称赞她的绘画有中国特色。这样给称赞会让我阿姨很开心。加拿大人和中国人接收和回应赞美的方式一样。加拿大人和中国人都想有礼貌。

在我看来，中过和西方的待客之道还有这些相同之处。他们都需要送礼物、称赞主人的家和有礼貌。

中国人送礼物有很多迷信说法。送礼物也要看你和主人的关系。最多的中国人喜欢客人送白酒或者送菜。送礼物的时候要避免数字四。四是一个不幸运的数字。到中国人家也最好不要送白色的花，这是因为百花是葬礼的时候用的话。

我觉得外国人和中国人都喜欢客人送水果。这是一个西方和东方的传统。

然后，我也观察中国人对别人的称赞跟加拿大人一样。比方说中国人和加拿大人都喜欢称朋友家人的衣服、用物或是用工。但是我觉得加拿大人和中国人接受和回应赞美是不同的。这是因为人们给称赞的时候，加拿大人平常说 “啊！谢谢你”，但是中国人常常说，“啊！真的吗？” 或者换话题。

再说，Oral Practice 完了，我觉得跟奶奶去做客是很难的，因为送奶奶很好的礼物也是难。我们觉得长辈平常喜欢喝茶，所以我们给奶奶茶叶。我发现去奶奶家做客的时候，你需要知道跟她打招呼和给她夸奖。在我看来，中方的待客之道是很热情。他们希望客人感到宾至如归，所以他们平常做客人喜欢的菜也要准很多食物。

First and foremost, I’m not claiming to speak for all Chinese immigrants and children of Chinese immigrants. This essay is merely a depiction of my own personal opinion, based on the perspectives of both relating too much to parts of this movie and yet feeling deeply alienated by other portions. 

“The Joy Luck Club” is a movie that caters very deeply to stereotypical elements of what “Westerners” consider to be Chinese. Each of the mothers have escaped their own personal hellscape in China and have arrived in America, a place that seemingly values the “American Dream” as simultaneously being welcoming and the ultimate goal. This depiction of China is roughly strewn together, a mixing-pot of tribulation after tribulation. Out of the four women, not one has had a happy experience in their homeland .Consequently, all the mothers are scarred from their experiences in China, which reflects onto their daughters who fall into new issues.

 Immediately, this panders to this Western/Outsider perspective of China in a deeply negative life. Why is it that immigration must be symbolized as escapism from the most abject of conditions? Is this an accurate portrayal? Personally, I don’t believe so. Certainly there are many immigrants who leave their homeland for better conditions, but to paint immigration as a picture of taking refuge, as almost quasi-refuge figures, is to shame generations upon generations of natural movement in an increasingly international scope. This narrative also seeks to reinforce this concept of Westerners seeing immigrants as needing to be grateful for reaching a new land. 

The men in this movie are also portrayed in a deeply negative light. The men back in China are abusive and rapist husbands who commit adultery and abuse. The one Chinese daughter who marries an Asian man, ends up unhappy because he is cheap and “worthless.” The only happiness seems to come from marriage to American men who, despite their ignorance and bumbling, come across as being well-intentioned. 

To me, this movie makes me feel like an outsider. I can certainly relate to aspects of the film, such as filial piety, but the reinforcement and celebration of negative stereotypes, stereotypes that I’ve fought so hard against for much of my life, hinders the whole point of the movie. I thoroughly acknowledge that this movie is a product of its time, having premiered in 1993. But nevertheless, this is not an excuse for pandering to orientalism and exoticism. Nor should this movie ever be considered an accurate depiction of Chinese-American culture.  

-   What are some of the differences and similarities of gift-giving and gift-receiving in Chinese, Canadian and another culture? 

 

-   What are some of the differences and similarities of making and returning a compliment in Chinese, Canadian and another culture?   

 

-   Out of the different scenarios, which one want the most surprising or difficult to navigate?

 

-   How do you feel about Chinese hospitality after this event?