A2 Travel Blog #3

---

What does the familial structure look like in China? How do families interact in this country? How does this differ from familial structures in the United States?

Resources:
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90782/8112762.html
http://family.lovetoknow.com/chinese-family-values
http://www.ehow.com/info_8081429_list-chinese-family-values.html
https://www.boundless.com/sociology/understanding-family/family/family-structures/

Family in China has been considered the base of Chinese society. Although Western lifestyles have been adopted in modern China, the traditional family structure and values are still a must. In the traditional family structure, elders are respected and honored because the elders are revered for their wisdom. The father is in charge of protecting the family, has the decision making for the whole family, and paying for his children. The mother is the one who usually stays home to take care of the family members;in addition, they also have careers, but rely on the husband for financial support at some point in their lives. Young children are the focus of the family because all the older family members want the best for them in the future. Grandparents, who take care of their grandchildren, value more of their life because the grandchildren are very special and basically shape the lifestyle of the grandparents. Families in China interacted to each other though family values that are crucial in everyone's lifetime such as: commitment to marriage, respect for elders, respect for the dead, and the importance of education. Familial structures in China is different from familial structures in the United States by that the family structure in China is more focused on values and only has one ideal of what a traditional family looks like, while the family structure in the United States is more focused on relationships and has many ideals of what a family looks like such as: Nuclear Family, Single Parent, Step Families, and Extended Families.

According to the article, Chinese family structure and values hard to shake, Pang, the deputy president of Beijing Huilongguan Hospital which is a leading mental institute in the capital, said: "Studies show that between 55 to 66, those who relocate to take care of grandchildren usually have a good self-image and confidence, and are unlikely to have mental difficulties relocating, especially if they feel their new lives have purpose"(Zhihua 1). The grandparents value their lives because their lives are devoted onto the grandchildren and they act as role models toward the grandchildren that they hope the grandchildren would share their experiences that illustrate a positive behavior to their children when they become adolescences. China's family structure have values to maintain a healthy relationship between other family members and prevent a family from becoming a single parent family or step family. China's family structure also benefits younger children in a long run because when they become adolescences, they will have a positive and disciplined behavior in the future. Therefore, Chinese family structure has traditional cultures being passed on from generation to generation.

---