AContrastiveAnalysisofTableCultureBetweenChinaandWesternCountriesByHuangxiangA2012UndergraduateoftheSchoolofForeignLanguagesofTeachersCollegeSupervisor:HanRongMay7th,20122AContrastiveAnalysisofTableCultureBetweenChinaandWesternCountriesThesisstatement:TherearedifferencesoftableculturebetweenChinaandwesterncountries.OuttlliineI.Introduction:abriefaccountoftablecultureII.ThemajordifferencesoftableculturebetweenChinaandwesterncountriesA.SeatsarrangementB.Theuseoftableware1.TheuseoftablewareinChina2.TheuseoftablewareinwesterncountriesC.ThecontentofdietingD.DrinkingstyleE.Theconceptoftime.ReasonsforthedifferencesoftableculturebetweenChinaandwesterncountriesA.CulturalbackgroundB.EconomicbackgroundIV.TheattitudesthatweshouldholdtothedifferencesoftableculturebetweenChinaandwesterncountriesV.Conclusion3AContrastiveAnalysisofTableCultureBetweenChinaandWesternCountriesAuthor:XuHaiyanSupervisor:HanRongI.Introduction:abriefaccountoftablecultureItiswellknownthatcultureplaysanimportantroleinourdailylifeandalsoinoursociety.Wecantimaginewhatourlifewouldbelikewithoutculture.Inallkindsofcultures,tablecultureisoneofthemostinfluentialparts.Chinahasalonghistoryoftableculture.Accordingtotherecordeddocument,ChinahasformeditswayoftablecultureinZhoudynasty.Theseritualshasmaturedandimproved,andtheyplayedanimportantroleinancientsociety,eveninmodernsociety.Theyarethefundamentalcultureofpersonalrelationships,whichpromotethedevelopmentofhumansociety.Inthe20thcentury,theItalianculturewastakenintoFrance,thustablemannersandmenutermshavebecomemorerefinedandelegant.Etiquetteguidelineshavealsoemerged.Today,tablemannersstillcontinuetobepassedoninEuropeancountries.AsthewesternculturesareintroducedintoChinainalargescale,traditionalChineseetiquetteisconstantlyimpactedbyWesternone.TheprotectionoftraditionalChineseetiquetteandeffectiveintegrationwithwesternetiquettearemoreconducivetocross-culturalcommunicationwith4Westerncountries.DuetothedifferencesofnaturalenvironmentandlifestyleinChinaandwesterncountries,peoplehavemanydifferentkindsoftableculture,whichsomehowreflectthecustomsandhabitsbetweenChinaandwesterncountries.Whatsmore,comparingthedifferentandsametableculturewillhelpustolearnmoreaboutthemannerandcultureinwesterncountries.Asthesayinggoes,foodisthemostimportantforpeople.Itnotonlydealswithhungeratpresent,butalsocontainsmoreculturalmeanings.Thediningtableisoneofthemostvitalplaceswheregoodculturesaredisplayed.Elegantmannersatthetablemaybringfriendshipandevensuccess.Obviously,itisclearthateatinghasinfiltratedintoeveryaspectofsociallifegradually.InEnglish-speakingcountries,wealsohavesuchaproverbas“youarewhatyoueat”.Fromthissentence,wecantotallyunderstandwhateatingmeanstohumanbeings.Astheeconomydevelops,moreandmorebusinessesaresettledonthetable.Soitisquiteimportantforustogetagoodknowledgeofthetablecultures.Now,Chinaandwesterncountrieshavemoreandmoreexchanges.ComparingSino-WesterntableculturesandexploringthedifferencesbetweenSino-Westernculturesplayanimportantroleinimprovingourself-cultivation,aswellasenhancingfurthercooperationbetweenChinaandwesterncountries.II.ThemajordifferencesoftableculturebetweenChinaandwestern5countriesFromwhatwehavediscussedabove,wecanmovenaturallytothesecondpartofthethesis.Inthefollowinganalysis,emphasiswillbeputonthedetaileddifferencesoftableculturebetweenChinaandwesterncountries.Afteranalysis,wewouldgetadeeperunderstandingoftableculture.A.SeatsarrangementInChinesetableculture,theguestsareseatedingoodorder.Thearrangementofseatsembodiesrespectforguests.Whereaguestisseateddependsonhisage,socialstatusandsoon.“Takingtheleftforupper”isthetraditionalcustominChina.Itmeansthattheleftseatsarehigherthantherightones.Theguestofhonorshouldbearrangedontheleftofthehost.Inthepast,Chineseadvocatedsouth,eastandtheleft.Whenentering,theeldersandtheguestsarerequiredtositfromleftsideofthechair.Itisimportanttonotethatthemastershouldnotletguestssitinaseatneartheserving,whichisataboo.Astimepassedon,theviewofpositionhaschanged.Itnotonlyinheritsthetradition,butalsotakessomeviewsofWesterncountriesforreference.Theguestshouldbearrangedontherightofthehost.Atpresent,whenpeopleholdmeetingortakeagroupphoto,theyareaffectedbythisrule.Intradition,ChinesepeopleentertainguestsusingtheEight-Immortaltable.Theseatfacingtothedooristheseatofhonor,whileotherguests6areseatedaside.Theolder,theguestofhonor,orthehigher-levelisseatedattheupperseat,andthehostsitsatthelowerseat.Whentherearemorethanonetable,thehostandthehostesssittogetheratthemaintable.Thedistancefromthemaintabledeterminesthepositionofpeople.Theshorterthedistanceis,themoreimportanttheguestis.Themaintableisastandard.Therighttableishigherthantheleftone.However,inwesterncountries,afterthehostessannouncesthatdinnerisready,thehostshouldleadgueststositinturn.Theprincipleofgeneralseatingarrangementistositaccordingtothesegregationofthesexes.Themainmaleguestssitdownfirstlyattherightsideofthehostess.However,themainfemaleguestsareseatedontherightofthemainmaleguests.Theothercouplesareinthediagonalseats.B.TheuseoftablewareChopsticks,forkandknifearethebasicdifferencesbetweenChinaandwesterntablecultures.1.TheuseoftablewareinChinaFirstly,letstalkabouttheuseoftablewareinChina.a.Chopsticks.Chopsticksareconsideredasanextensionofonesfingers.Theyaretraditionallyheldintherighthand,evenbyleft-handedpeople.Althoughchopsticksmaynowbedeployedbyeitherhand,left-handedchopstickuseisconsideredimproper.Thispracticepreventsaleft-handed7chopstickuserfromaccidentallyelbowingaright-handeduserseatednearby.Attentionshouldbepaidtotheuseofchopsticks.Firstly,ifthereareremnantsonthechopsticks,dontlick.Usingthelickedchopstickstotakefoodupsetsotherpeoplesappetite.Secondly,weshouldputasidethechopstickswhiletalkingtoothers.Thirdly,donotinsertchopsticksverticallyonthefood,becauseit