The Chinese Culture

The Chinese Culture

With the growing number of non American people moving to the United States, it is important for everyone to learn and respect the beliefs and values of other cultures. The knowledge of different cultures and cultural practices is very important for those working in the health care field. When a client of a different nationality comes into a hospital, it is important for the nurse to know how to communicate, verbally and nonverbally, to the client in order to care for his or her needs as quickly as possible. Also, the cultural beliefs of the client may conflict with the beliefs of the nurse. Therefore, the health care provider must have some knowledge of the various cultures living within their area of work and the willingness to temporarily adapt to accommodate these clients.

Culture is defined as a complex, integrated system that includes knowledge, beliefs, skills, art, morals, law, customs, and any other acquired habits and capabilities of a group of people. Culture is normally stable, but can also be changed or reformed throughout the years (Barkauskas, Baumann, & Darling-Fisher, 2002). Culture includes the beliefs of a group of people. These beliefs include ideas about the use of medications, organ transplants, and blood transfusions needed to save a person's life. It is the duty of the nurse to relate to their client in a way he or she can fully understand the importance of the different medications or procedures needed to treat their disease or illness.

An Asian culture that is of interest to many employees within the health profession is the Chinese. China has half of the world's population. Therefore, it is very important for health care providers to be able to communicate with this culture. Additionally, the makeup of the medical field is projected to be greatly integrated by people of the Chinese culture during the next few years. To understand a culture, one must understand the group's values, beliefs, patterns of behavior, and physical characteristics.

It is difficult to explain the values of a culture without comparing it to another culture and most of these comparisons with the Chinese have been with Americans. The Chinese see themselves as friendly, hardworking, trustworthy and obedient. They are not as sports oriented and believe that sport activities are a waste of time and energy. However, we know that martial arts is a big type of "sport" in this culture but it is not as much for physical strength as it is for concentration and skill. This is the reason that the Chinese perform better academically than people in many other cultures (Lee, McCauley, & Draguns, 1999).

The Chinese are apologetic. They may begin a conversation by thanking their audience for taking the time and trouble to aid and help them. This shows that they are modest and humble. They believe that a modest personality will cause more people to like them. They are situation centered or group oriented, whereas Americans are more individual centered. The Chinese are also more homogeneous and dependent (Lee et al., 1999).

The beliefs of a person include their opinions, faith, and knowledge regarding different ideas of the world. The Chinese culture has been greatly influenced by their beliefs in Ying and Yang, good and evil. Everything to the Chinese, including health and life, is a balance between good and evil. Their belief is that whatever food is eaten influences their life either for good or for bad. They are correct in the sense that what we eat does affect our body systems to maintain or destroy our health (Lee et al., 1999).

Health, to the Chinese, is viewed as a condition of bodily equilibrium at a point in between the two extremes of hot and cold. Traditionally, the vital force for the Chinese of life is chi, which is related to energy and breath. In order to maintain health, chi must flow freely within body and blood must be strengthened through nourishment. The Chinese believe that a disease occurs when there is an imbalance between hot and cold states, and hence the flow of chi is impeded. Factors such as food intake can aid in restoring this imbalance. Hot, or yang, conditions, such as cold sore and hypotension, can be treated by consuming foods with a cold, or yin, quality. Examples of yin foods include bland and boiled foods and most types of vegetables. Similarly, consuming hot, or yang, foods treat illnesses caused by an excess of yin. Foods exhibiting hot properties include fried foods and fatty meats. Understanding the Chinese's traditional dietary beliefs of yin and yang are also very important to the health care provider (Liou & Contento, 2004).

Also, many studies have been conducted on small Chinese children. In one study, infants were more easily consoled and another study revealed that they were less irritable; however, they also showed less motor activity. One of the reasons for low irritability could be that Chinese mothers spend more time in physical contact with their small children, which tends to soothe them better (Lee et al., 1999).

The health care provider must be knowledgeable of the Chinese understanding of the use of medicine and herbs and their interactions. Most Chinese only take medicine as long as symptoms exist. In order to stress the fact that all medications must be taken for them to become well again good communication with Chinese patients and knowledge of their beliefs with medicines is very important. Traditional Chinese medicine, which includes herbs, is not considered to be a drug. A prescription for antihypertension should be monitored closely if the patient is using Ginsing. Another widely used herb is Dong-Quai. It suppresses menstruation, cleanses the blood, and protects the liver from toxins; however, large doses can cause dermatitis. Ginger has long been used by the Chinese to treat burns, but it can cause central nervous system depression and heart irregularities (Andrews, 2003).

Some Chinese expect the health care provider to know what their problem is the minute they walk through the door. For this reason, they may be shocked when the provider asks a simple question about their problem. The nodding or smiling does not mean agreement or understanding, but an expression of appreciation for what the provider is doing for them (Andrews, 2003). The health care provider should be careful and considerate in asking questions and should also give clear responses to the patient's questions (Barkauska et al., 2002).

Another sensitive area is eye contact. Some Asians consider eye contact to be impolite. Closely related to this is the issue of touching. This can be a major problem in dealing with children since Americans are prone to patting and touching babies and small children. Touching the top of a patient's head is a