| I don't know if it's fair to denigrate Japanese individualism-- in Japan, after all, the pop stars and the fashion trendmakers are probably among the most individualistic and innovative in the world. That said, I think there's a special streak of individualism in China that derives from an awareness simultaneously of China's great and ancient history and the promising future, and the prospects for Chinese people to offer up their own ideas, start their own businesses, and otherwise make it happen. In any case, I do think that China and Japan overall have far more similarities than differences. Despite the still ill feelings left over from WWII, they have far more to gain by embracing each other-- in culture as well as trade-- than by seeing each other as antagonists. They (and India, for that matter) all have ancient civilizations that have transformed themselves into functioning modern ones, and they should all be collaborating for their collective benefit. |
Cultural Differences Between China and America