Our group learned about the cultural differences between Chinese and American values through the film “Gua Sha”.Through this film, we have deeply felt the troubles caused by the estrangement between different cultures to our lives.Therefore, understanding these contradictions and the reasons behind them is a necessary step in learning intercultural communication.Let’s experience this cultural collision together.

Understanding of Guasha

When Dennis had abdominal pain, Liu Datong’s father treated him with Guasha, but in the American hospital, it was determined that the Guasha marks on Dennis’s back were domestic violence.

This has a lot to do with the difference in medical philosophy between China and the United States.

In China, it is believed that the health of the body is closely related to the balance of yin and yang within the body, emphasizing wholeness, and the therapeutic effect is achieved from the internal adjustment of the body. As a kind of tenacity therapy in traditional Chinese medicine, Guasha regulates the balance of yin and yang in the body and improves the blood circulation by stimulating the meridians and acupuncture points, so as to achieve the goal of treating diseases.

In the United States, the concept of Western medicine focuses on the symptomatic treatment of diseases, emphasizes the observability of curative effect, and pays more attention to scientific basis and clinical trials. Traditional Chinese medicine remedies such as Guasha are not widely accepted in the United States, and some people even think they are “superstitions.”

Thoughts on maternity dystocia

At the hearing, the nurse who delivered Dennis accused Liu Datong of choosing to protect the adult when Jian Ning had a difficult birth, regardless of the child, and she believed that Liu Datong did not even give the child a chance to survive. And Liu Datong’s thought on this is: stay in Qingshan, even if there is no firewood. He thinks they can have children as long as his wife is alive.

This reflects the differences in the thinking of China and the United States on uncertainty avoidance.

The nurse takes a risk-taking approach to uncertainty, believing that babies should try if they have a chance to be born. If Dennis is born, it’s the best situation. Therefore, in the face of Liu Datong’s choice, she thought that it was murdering a baby.

Liu Datong takes a conservative attitude towards uncertainty, and he chooses to protect his wife when she has a difficult birth, and if Dennis is successfully born, it will be the best of both worlds. If both the mother and the child are damaged, it is the worst-case scenario. He couldn’t be sure that the first scenario actually happened, let alone accept the latter, so he remained conservative about it.

As for Liu Datong’s thoughts on whether he should protect his father and take responsibility for his crimes

Facing the children’s protection center’s questioning, Liu Datong blamed himself for the behavior of scraping Dennis in order to protect his father. On the contrary, after learning the fact that Liu Datong’s father gave Dennis Guasha, his boss thought that he should protect himself and said that it was his father who did the Guasha.

This has to do with the different ideas about social relations between China and the United States.

Liu Datong’s social relationship is the overall dimension, and he did not hesitate to take the blame in order to protect his father. This reflects the loyalty and sense of responsibility to the family in Chinese culture.Liu Datong’s boss’s social relationship is the personal dimension. He was puzzled by Liu Datong’s behavior and believed that he should be more rational about legal issues, instead of blindly protecting his family, and should pay attention to his personal rights and freedoms.

Views on the outcome of the hearing 

The lawyer hired by the director of the Child Protection Institute was so pleased with the success that he credited the director with winning the hearing. What the dean values is not whether the hearing is successful, but whether Liu Datong really loves Dennis.

This has to do with the notion that the two behave differently.

What lawyers value is the level of identity of behavioral concepts. He believes that as a lawyer, he should let his client win. He said at the hearing that Sun Wukong was cruel and tyrannical, but in fact he was very interested in Journey to the West.

 Different opinions on common sayings

Dennis’ grandfather said, ‘Beating is kissing, scolding is love.’ Liu Datong treated Dennis this way, but Dennis believed that he treated other children the same way. This reflects their different understandings of context. Liu Datong understood that this proverb was used by elders for children, so when Dennis made a mistake, he hit Dennis on the head as a lesson, which showed his deep fatherly love. 

Dennis mistakenly thought that this sentence could be applied to anyone. So the next day, he hit other children in kindergarten, but he still claimed that he loved him for hitting him.

Summary

The movie “Gua Sha” shows us the cultural differences between China and the United States by telling a series of events caused by Guasha, and these cultural differences made Liu Datong lose his son’s visitation rights. But fortunately, Liu Datong’s boss tried Guasha in Chinatown, and proved to the leaders of the welfare institute that Guasha was not domestic violence for Liu Datong, and Liu Datong’s family was reunited.

The film shows both the cultural differences between China and the United States, as well as the fusion of Chinese and American cultures. Liu Datong’s boss tries Guasha in Chinatown and understands that China’s Guasha culture is a cultural blend between China and the United States

The film shows both the cultural differences between China and the United States, as well as the fusion of Chinese and American cultures. Liu Datong’s boss tries Guasha in Chinatown and understands that China’s Guasha culture is a cultural blend between China and the United States.