| Title | : | The Chinese Mind: Understanding Traditional Chinese Beliefs and Their Influence on Contemporary Culture |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0804840113 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780804840118 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 192 |
| Publication | : | First published March 10, 2009 |
The Chinese Mind pinpoints areas of China's traditional values and behaviors that play a significant role in the business and social relationships of the Chinese. It also identifies key areas of Chinese culture that have changed as a result of the adoption of a market-based economy and other elements of Western civilization. It includes discussion topics and questions, along with an extensive selection of Chinese "code words" that explain the essence and role of critical elements of the traditional culture that have survived into modern times. Covering everything from the importance of Confucius, the great Chinese philosopher, to the influence of foreign fast food and video games, this book provides a wide-ranging glimpse into the seemingly opaque Chinese mind.
The Chinese Mind is an excellent overview of Chinese tradition, history, and culture that is perfect for the classroom, tourists or outsiders living or doing business in China. Some of the vital concepts explored here include:
Yin and Yang, the search for balance in all things
Mianji, the importance of face
Hong, looking at things holistically
De, the power of virtue
Guo cui, the national essence of the Chinese
Zhong fu, the pursuit of insight
Bi, unity the Chinese way
The Chinese Mind: Understanding Traditional Chinese Beliefs and Their Influence on Contemporary Culture Reviews
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I haven't been this disappointed in a book since I read Yu Dan's attempt at Confucius. I knew it was going to be light reading when I picked it up, but sometimes it's nice to whizz through a 'headline issues' book to check I am not missing anything blindingly obvious. But this was just taking the proverbial. The copy editing was bad, which was irritating, the use of pinyin systems was inconsistent, and some of the pronunciation indicators were just wrong. From the very beginning the book seemed to be very unclear whom it was for. Extremely shallow descriptions, consisting of barely two or three paragraphs, were followed by discussion questions which would require in-depth knowledge to even begin to explore properly. It would have been great to see an exploration in the book of some of these interesting questions, but there was nothing of any substance to latch on to. The questions seemed to appear out of nowhere - very provocative, but why were they there? Like me, the people who could try answering them would not find any useful reason to read this book. The last section of the book (the part I had browsed in the shop) was slightly redeeming, though only slightly. It ditched the questions format and went through some common words and concepts that shape Chinese thinking and ways of doing business. It was still not substantial, but it was at least interesting and familiar. The blurb was so promising - what a let down.
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I paid $30 in the Shanghai airport for this book, and finished it in just a couple of hours. It contains a lot of useful ideas. But it's a bit "fluffy", in that the author didn't take the time to provide examples of his thoughts. Yes, it's nice to learn that the Chinese view time in a circular fashion. But what does this MEAN? How does it impact everyday life, especially in business?
It felt like the author didn't really put that much effort into writing this, giving it the substance it might otherwise have had. So although I will use his ideas when giving lectures, I'll have to do further research to flesh out the ideas. -
De Mente has composed a book on Chinese culture that reads in parts like a sociology textbook. It has questions in the first part that are supposed to trigger discussions. The work contains valuable writing on terms key to understanding the history, economics and customs of the people of the PRC. However, I found his comments on Mao to be narrow to the point of biased against the revolutionary politician. There's some good advice for Westerners here who want to do business or academic work with the Chinese. Sages like Confucius, Sun Zu, Mencius and Lao Tzu are covered briefly. De Mente says even today they are revered by many citizens. Holistic thinking (in the East) is what makes inhabitants seem hard to read and cold to the linear-thinking Westerner. Concepts such as Fong Shay and Song are discussed.
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Det her er, trods bogen kun er cirka 200 sider lang, en grundig gennemgang af det kinesiske mindset og hvordan man som vesterlænding bedst har mulighed for at gebærde sig i blandt kinesere uden at rode sig ud i flere misforståelser og fadæser end højst nødvendigt. Det er omfattende og indholdsrigt, og der er meget at lære, - det er bestemt ikke noget man lærer udenad ved første gennemlæsning (i hvert fald ikke med en regulær hukommelse), og det kræver øvelse for alvor at få det ind under huden, men det er absolut spændende at beskæftige sig med hvor forskellige vore folkefærd kan være.
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The first part of the book is useful if you have never heard of China, don't watch the news and never used internet to research the country. It basically brings it down to this: "Chinese don't speak English, they actually have their own language and culture". The second part was more useful however I still would like more hands-on examples and deeper analysis. And hey, what's with the discussion topics at the end of each chapter?...
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Un libro generalista sobre China que aborda muchas realidades sociales y culturales. Interesante y fácil de leer
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I found this a very good (although perhaps a bit dry) book to understand China. Discussion topics are a good help for developing training.
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Incorrect pronounciation throughout along with multiple instances of incorrect pinyin. Xinjiang was also mispelled. Sweeping generalisations throughout and far too many comparisons with Japan when they are very very different.
