"Face" is different from Honour- Chip Tsao
“Face” means a lot to the Chinese and this is becoming more obvious to the world. They can give out money to strangers, forget their living or even die for their face.
The “face” of the Chinese is different from the dignity of the British gentleman or the honour of the Japanese #samurai. A person with dignity and honour values their image and status in others’ eyes. They finish what they promise; fulfill whatever contracts they sign. Be honest and never lie--that is their way of getting along with people. They would be ashamed of themselves if they are looked down upon due to their dishonesty.
However, the face of Chinese is totally different from the sense of shame, and different from the dignity and honour of the Western world or Japan.
Face is the pursuit of being honoured in that particular moment, even if it is superficial. The Chinese found that wealth and huge purchasing power could buy them the smiling face and polite greeting of the blond hotel manager in a tuxedo at the Dorchester Hotel in London. Or, the president of the country could stay over at the room next door to the US president’s bedroom in the White House after placing an order of 50 billion US dollars at Boeing Company in Seattle. Sadly, the culture of exchanging face with money is gaining more recognition among the 1.3 billion Chinese population and Hong Kong people.
“Caring about your image in others’ eyes” can be easily confused with the pursuit of face and the obsession with honour. Face is definitely not equivalent to dignity or honour, but one can surely gain face if they have their dignity and honour. However, very few Chinese understand this, no matter how educated they are.
Sun Yang, the Chinese swimmer, has been tested positive for using forbidden drugs numerous times by international sports organizations. As a result, contestants from all around the world refuse to take photos with him on the victory podium. This angered Sun Yang, and he accused the drug standards established by international sports organizations as an imperial act to interrupt the rise of the Chinese. He hollered at the British swimmer who refused to stand beside him, “You are a loser.”
The mental disability of Sun Yang is caused by the Chinese obsession of face. In the eyes of this “ultimate” Chinese, getting a gold medal, standing at the highest platform of the victory podium and watching the raising of the five-starred red flag is the face of the whole nation. On the other hand, the rest of the world values honour won through honesty and authentic ability, instead of face. They would rather lose the competition to retain their character.
Winning is an honour while losing is dignity. The Western world values this philosophical proposition while Japanese emphasize it. They encourage their people from a young age that this proposition is far more important than wealth and academic qualifications, and if you care about how others see you, you have to live by it.
However, from the Pattaya hotel in Thailand to the One Belt One Road Initiative, more and more #Chinese discoverd that others are only smiling at the banknotes behind their faces. Those like Sun Yang, however, being nonsensical as always, remain impossible to understand.
Source: Apple Daily
https://hk.lifestyle.appledaily.com/lifestyle/columnist/陶傑/daily/article/20190731/20740215
#Face #Honour #Dignity #ChipTsao
“Face” means a lot to the Chinese and this is becoming more obvious to the world. They can give out money to strangers, forget their living or even die for their face.
The “face” of the Chinese is different from the dignity of the British gentleman or the honour of the Japanese #samurai. A person with dignity and honour values their image and status in others’ eyes. They finish what they promise; fulfill whatever contracts they sign. Be honest and never lie--that is their way of getting along with people. They would be ashamed of themselves if they are looked down upon due to their dishonesty.
However, the face of Chinese is totally different from the sense of shame, and different from the dignity and honour of the Western world or Japan.
Face is the pursuit of being honoured in that particular moment, even if it is superficial. The Chinese found that wealth and huge purchasing power could buy them the smiling face and polite greeting of the blond hotel manager in a tuxedo at the Dorchester Hotel in London. Or, the president of the country could stay over at the room next door to the US president’s bedroom in the White House after placing an order of 50 billion US dollars at Boeing Company in Seattle. Sadly, the culture of exchanging face with money is gaining more recognition among the 1.3 billion Chinese population and Hong Kong people.
“Caring about your image in others’ eyes” can be easily confused with the pursuit of face and the obsession with honour. Face is definitely not equivalent to dignity or honour, but one can surely gain face if they have their dignity and honour. However, very few Chinese understand this, no matter how educated they are.
Sun Yang, the Chinese swimmer, has been tested positive for using forbidden drugs numerous times by international sports organizations. As a result, contestants from all around the world refuse to take photos with him on the victory podium. This angered Sun Yang, and he accused the drug standards established by international sports organizations as an imperial act to interrupt the rise of the Chinese. He hollered at the British swimmer who refused to stand beside him, “You are a loser.”
The mental disability of Sun Yang is caused by the Chinese obsession of face. In the eyes of this “ultimate” Chinese, getting a gold medal, standing at the highest platform of the victory podium and watching the raising of the five-starred red flag is the face of the whole nation. On the other hand, the rest of the world values honour won through honesty and authentic ability, instead of face. They would rather lose the competition to retain their character.
Winning is an honour while losing is dignity. The Western world values this philosophical proposition while Japanese emphasize it. They encourage their people from a young age that this proposition is far more important than wealth and academic qualifications, and if you care about how others see you, you have to live by it.
However, from the Pattaya hotel in Thailand to the One Belt One Road Initiative, more and more #Chinese discoverd that others are only smiling at the banknotes behind their faces. Those like Sun Yang, however, being nonsensical as always, remain impossible to understand.
Source: Apple Daily
https://hk.lifestyle.appledaily.com/lifestyle/columnist/陶傑/daily/article/20190731/20740215
#Face #Honour #Dignity #ChipTsao