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CULTURAL ENVIRONMENT
IN CHINA & ASIA
Group 4 Kim Dae-yong
Park Moon-Su
Park Se-jin
Essaid

L/O/G/O
Contents

Introduction

What is Culture ?

Elements of Culture

Cultural Environment in Asia

Asian Business Etiquette

Conclusion
 Introduction
Asia is the world's largest and most populous
continent, located primarily in the eastern and
northern hemispheres. It covers 8.6% of the
Earth's total surface area (or 29.9% of its land
area) and with approximately 4 billion people, it
hosts 60% of the world's current human
population. During the 20th century Asia's
population nearly quadrupled
Eastern Asia
Central Asia
Western Asia
Southeastern Asia
Southern Asia
 WHAT IS CULTURE?

There are more than 160 definitions of



culture
•“Communicable knowledge, learned behavior
passed on from generation to generation”
•“ An Integrated system of learned behavior
patterns that are distinguishing
characteristic of the members of a given
society”
•“ The collective programming of the mind
which distinguishes the members of one
group or category from those of another”
•
•
WHAT IS CULTURE?
•But, of course, today’s focus is culture
•What is culture?
–Art, music, drama, religion …
–But also mundane practices and
consciousness, e.g. voting behavior,
views of authority, dine and wine, self-
adornment
–I.e. 衣食住行
 ELEMENT OF CULTURE

1)Language
2)Economy
3)Religion
4)Values and Attitudes
5)Manners/Customs
6)Material Elements
7)Aesthetics
8)Education
9)Social Institutions


•
 LANGUAGE

• Verbal
– How words are spoken
– Gestures made
– Body position assumed
– Degree of eye contact
• Local language capability’s
important role in international marketing
– Aids in information gathering and evaluation
– Provides access to local society
– Important to company communications
– Allows for interpretation of contexts
•
LANGUAGE
LANGUAGE
 NONVERBAL LANGUAGE

• Hidden language of cultures

– Time flexibility and sensibility
– Social acquaintance and rapport
– Personal physical space and personal
touching
– Non-verbal gestures and signaling
–
•
ECONOMIC GROWTH RATE IN ASIAN
ECONOMIC GROWTH RATE IN ASIAN
 RELIGION

• Christianity - 2.0 billion followers

• Islam - 1.2 billion followers
• Hinduism - 860 million followers
• Buddhism - 360 million followers
• Confucianism - 150 million followers
•
RELIGION
 VALUES AND ATTITUDES

• Values
– are shared beliefs or
– group norms that have
– been internalized by
– individuals.
• Attitudes
– are evaluations
of alternatives
based on these
values.
 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS

• Potential problem areas for marketers

arise from an insufficient understanding
of:
– different ways of thinking.
– the necessity of saving face.
– knowledge and understanding
of the host country.
– the decision-making process
and personal relations.
– the allocation of time
for negotiations.
 AESTHESTICS

• What is or is not acceptable as good taste

varies widely in cultures.
• The symbolism of colors, forms, and
music carries different meanings in
different cultures.
 SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS

• Kinship relationships
– immediate and extended family
• Social stratification
• Reference groups
– Primary reference groups
• family, coworkers
– Secondary reference groups
• professional associations,
trade organizations
 CULTURAL ENVIRONMENT IN
AISA
Western Asia – Saudi Arabia


•
 Sociological and Religious points of view of cultural
features of Saudi Society

1. Islam plays a large role in the people’s lives;

2. Large power distance and uncertainty avoidance
are the predominant characteristics for this
region;
3. The society is highly role-oriented with laws,
rules and regulations;
•
 Cultural Features of Saudi Society

1. Confrontation and conflict are to be avoided

“The concept of face is a fundamental issue
of Daily Life”;
2. Compromise, patience and self-control is a
means by which to safe face;
3. Dignity and respect are key elements in S.A.
culture.


•
 Cultural Features of Saudi Society

4. Islam as a religion has an extensive influence on Saudi society;

5. Arabian culture is often described as detail orientated;
6. Ethics and expected social behavior such as generosity, respect, and
solidarity are emphasized.


•
 Cultural Features of Saudi Society

7. Saudi Arabia is considered a high context

communication;
8. Saudi Arabia culture relies heavily on non-direct
communication cues such as body language
and eye-contact, tone of voice, facial cues,
and the use of silence.
•
 Cultural Features of Saudi Society

9. Understanding of Saudi etiquette and the personal manner in which

business is conducted is essential to success;
10.Business appointments, for example, is unique in S.A. appointments
should be scheduled in accordance with the five daily prayer
times and the religious holidays of Ramadan and Hajj;
11.It is customary to make advance appointments for times of day
rather than precise hours as the relaxed and hospitable nature
of Saudi business culture may cause delays in schedule.


•
 Cultural Features of Saudi Society

12 The Saudi working week begins on Saturday and ends on Wednesday.

Thursday and Friday are the official weekend;
13 Office hours tend to be 0900-1300 and 1600-2000 (Ramadan 2000-0100)
with some regional variation;
14 There exists a distinct dichotomy between subordinates and managers
within S.A. companies;
15 Age plays a significant part in the culture of S.A. greater respect must be
shown to elders and all times.


•
•
 Cultural Features of Saudi Society
16.Establishing trust is an essential part of Saudi business
culture;
17.Cultivating solid business relationships before entering
into business dealings is key to your success;
18.In a business setting, favors based on mutual benefit
trust are ways of enhancing these cultural values;
19.Due to the personal nature of business in Saudi Arabia,
family influence and personal connections often take
precedence over other governing factors.


•
 CULTURAL ENVIRONMENT IN
AISA
Central Asia - Kazakhstan


•
 Central Asia

• Central Asia is a large, compact, landlocked

region within the Eurasian landmass
• Until 1991, the region contained only two
countries, Mongolia and Afghanistan
• Soviet Union’s breakup added several more
independent countries to the region
• After September 11th , Central Asia became
more well-established on the map
• Historically, Central Asia has been weakly
integrated into international trade networks
•
 Central Asia

• Urbanization in Central Asia

• River valleys and oases have been
partially urbanized for millennia (e.g.,
Samarkand and Bukhara, Uzbekistan)
• Conquest of the region by the Russian
and Chinese empires started a new
period of urbanization
• Today, urbanization increasing northern
Kazakstan
• In some areas, cities remain few and far
between

Linguistic Geography of Central
Asia
 Central Asia

• Contemporary Linguistic and Ethnic Geography

• Turkish and Mongolian languages inhabit most
of Central Asia
– Tibetan
• In Sino-Tibetan Family
• 1.5 million speakers in Tibet and 3 million more
in western China
– Mongolian
• 5 million speakers
• Other dialects: Buryat, Kalmyk
– Turkish Languages
• The most widely spoken language group in the
region
• Include Uygur, Kazak, Azeri, Uzbek, Turkmen,
Kyrgyz
– Uzbek is the most widely spoken of the
Turkish languages

 Central Asia

• Geography of Religion
– Islam in Central Asia
• Pashtuns adopt a stricter interpretation of Islam
• Kazaks are more lax in their interpretation of
Islam
• Most of the region’s Muslims are Sunni
• Shiism dominant among the Hazaras and the
Azeris
• Communists in China, Soviet Union and
Mongolia discouraged all religions (including
Islam)
• Islamic revival underway as people return to their
cultural roots (former Soviet republics)
• Islamic fundamentalism is a powerful movement
in Afghanistan, parts of Tajikistan, and the
Fergana Valley
– Taliban in Afghanistan
» Extreme fundamentalist Islamic
organization
 Central Asia

• Geography of Religion (cont.)

– Tibetan (Lamaist) Buddhism
• Found in Mongolia and Tibet
– A blending of Buddhism and the
indigenous language Bon
– Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama
• Theocracy: religious state
– Tibet was theocracy with Dalai Lama both
the political and religious authority until
China conquered it
• Persecution of Tibetan Buddhists by the Chinese
– China invaded Tibet in 1959
– Dalai Lama went into exile – Panchen
Lama a puppet
– 6,000 monasteries destroyed, thousands
of monks killed

 Central Asian Culture

• Central Asian Culture in International and

Global Context
• Western Central Asia’s closest external
cultural relations are with Russia
– Relations of eastern Central Asian
countries are with China
• Migration of Han Chinese into the
eastern part of the region is a major
issue
• Russian influence is diminishing in the
West
– Russian was once the lingua
franca in western Central Asia,
but its use is declining
• Increasing use of English and influence
of U.S. culture

 CULTURAL ENVIRONMENT IN
AISA
Indian sub-continent - India


•
 India : Trade Routes

• Central Asian Trade route

• Arabian Sea (below SRI LANKA)
• Gulf of Aden, Red Sea, and Nile River.
• Eastern ports
– Bay of Bengal
– Andaman
– Nicobar Islands
•Arakan
•Sumatra
•Java

Religions
 Indian Culture
• India's culture is marked by a high degree of syncretism
[151] and cultural pluralism.[152] It has managed to

preserve established traditions while absorbing new

customs, traditions, and ideas from invaders and
immigrants and spreading its cultural influence to
other parts of Asia, mainly South East and East Asia.
Traditional Indian society is defined by relatively strict
social hierarchy. The Indian caste system describes
the social stratification and social restrictions in the
Indian subcontinent, in which social classes are
defined by thousands of endogamous hereditary
groups, often termed as jātis or castes
Indian Culture
Modern India
 Indonesia

• Indonesia has around 300 ethnic groups, each with

cultural differences developed over centuries, and influenced by
Indian, Arabic, Chinese, Malay, and European sources.
• Traditional Javanese and Balinese dances, for example, contain
aspects of Hindu culture and mythology, as do wayang kulit
(shadow puppet) performances. Textiles such as batik, ikat and
songket are created across Indonesia in styles that vary by
region.
• The most dominant influences on Indonesian architecture have
traditionally been Indian; however, Chinese, Arab, and European
architectural influences have been significant.
Indonesia
 Indonesia

• The national population from the 2000 national census is 206 million, and
the Indonesian Central Statistics Bureau and Statistics Indonesia
estimate a population of 222 million for 2006.
• 130 million people live on the island of Java, the world's most populous
island. Despite a fairly effective family planning program that has been in
place since the 1960s, the population is expected to grow to around 254
million by 2020 and 288 million by 2050
 CULTURAL ENVIRONMENT
IN CHINA


中
國
 SYMBOL AND FLAG

CHINA COAT OF

CHINA
ARMS FLAG
INTRODUCTION

• Capital : Beijing
• Official name: Peoples republic of China
• Currency: Yuan
• Languages: Chinese,Mandarin
• Other Languges: Cantonese,Hakka
• Religion: Confucianism,Taoism, and Buddhism
• Climate : Extremes - from North to South
•
•
MAP OF CHINA
MAP OF CHINA
MAP OF CHINA
RELIGION OF CHINA
 LANGUAGE OF CHINA

Percentage of the
World ’ s Population for
Whom This Is a First
Language Source : Hill ,
C . W . ( 2005 ), p 107
LANGUAGE OF CHINA
LANGUAGE OF CHINA
 HEALTH AND EDUCATION
Life expectancy at birth:


• total population: 73.47 years

l literacy:
china: 90%


l primary school enrollment = 98.58%

l Completion rate = 75%
Education expenditures:

• 1.9% of GDP (1999)

•
Total fertility rate:

• 1.79 children born/woman (2009 est.)

• School life expectancy
 (primary to tertiary education):
• total: 11 years
• male: 11 years
• female: 11 years (2008)
l
•
 CULTURE OF CHINA

• It is a nation which is 'cultured'. Dating back to

 5000 years and more.


• China boasts of one of the richest and the most

 diverse heritage.


• The Culture of China is a consolidated phrase.



• For such a large nation, the Chinese have proved

 quite a united race.


•
 CULTURE OF CHINA
• They have shared the same language.


• The art of calligraphy is also an important

part of
 the culture of China.
•
• every one across the planet has had a
taste of the sumptuous Chinese cuisine.
•
 GEOGRAPHY OF CHINA
vChina is a very diverse land including deserts, mountains and
fertile river basins.

vWestern China is mountains with the

Himalaya, Tian and Pamir ranges.

vWestern China also has a large desert.

Central China consists of mountainous
regions.
v
vRivers also play a major role
in China, both for transportation
and for irrigation
v
 GEOGRAPHY OF CHINA
Location:


• Eastern Asia, bordering the East China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow Sea, and
South China Sea, between North Korea and Vietnam
•
Land boundaries:


• total: 22,117 km
• border countries: Afghanistan 76 km, Bhutan 470 km, Burma 2,185 km, India
3,380 km, Kazakhstan 1,533 km, North Korea 1,416 km, Kyrgyzstan 858
km, Laos 423 km, Mongolia 4,677 km, Nepal 1,236 km, Pakistan 523 km,
Russia (northeast) 3,605 km, Russia (northwest) 40 km, Tajikistan 414
km, Vietnam 1,281 km
• regional borders: Hong Kong 30 km, Macau 0.34 km


Climate:


• extremely diverse; tropical in south to subarctic in north

•
 GEOGRAPHY OF CHINA
Natural resources:


• coal, iron ore, petroleum, natural gas, mercury, tin, tungsten, antimony,
manganese, molybdenum, vanadium, magnetite, aluminum, lead, zinc,
uranium, hydropower potential (world's largest)
•
Land use:


• arable land: 14.86%

• permanent crops: 1.27%
• other: 83.87% (2005)
•
Irrigated land:


• 545,960 sq km (2003)
 GEOGRAPHY OF CHINA

Total renewable water resources:



• 2,829.6 cu km (1999)
•
Area:


• total: 9,596,961 sq km
• country comparison to the world: 4
• land: 9,569,901 sq km
• water: 27,060 sq km
PEOPLE OF CHINA
Population:


• 1,338,612,968 (July 2009 est.)

•
•
 Population growth rate:
• 0.655% (2009 est.)
•
•
Age structure:


• 0-14 years: 19.8% (male 140,877,745/female 124,290,090)

• 15-64 years: 72.1% (male 495,724,889/female 469,182,087)
• 65 years and over: 8.1% (male 51,774,115/female 56,764,042) (2009 est.)
•
•
 PEOPLE OF CHINA

Birth rate:


• 14 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)

•
 Death rate:
• 7.06 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
•
Urbanization:


• urban population: 43% of total population (2008)

• rate of urbanization: 2.7% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
•
 PEOPLE OF CHINA
Religions:


• Daoist (Taoist), Buddhist, Christian 3%-4%, Muslim 1%-2%

• note: officially atheist (2002 est.)
•
Languages:


• Standard Chinese or Mandarin (Putonghua, based on the Beijing

dialect), Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghainese), Minbei
(Fuzhou), Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka
dialects, minority languages (see Ethnic groups entry)
•
Literacy:


• definition: age 15 and over can read and write

• total population: 90.9%
• male: 95.1%
• female: 86.5% (2000 census)
 PEOPLE OF CHINA
Education expenditures:


• 1.9% of GDP (1999)

• country comparison to the world: 170
 food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and
typhoid fever
• vectorborne diseases: Japanese encephalitis and dengue fever
 soil contact disease: hantaviral hemorrhagic fever with renal
syndrome (HFRS)
• animal contact disease: rabies
 GOVERNMENT OF CHINA
Country name:


• conventional long form: People's Republic of China

• conventional short form: China
•
Government type:

• Communist state
•
Administrative divisions:

• 23 provinces
• 5 autonomous regions
• 4 municipalities
 GOVERNMENT OF CHINA
 National holiday:
• Anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, 1 October
 (1949)


 Constitution:
• most recent promulgation 4 December 1982 with amendments in 1988 and
 1993


 Legal system:
• based on civil law system; derived from Soviet and continental civil code
legal principles; legislature retains power to interpret statutes; constitution
ambiguous on judicial review of legislation; has not accepted compulsory
ICJ
 jurisdiction
 PSYCHOGRAPHICS OF CHINA
• Business people prefer developing friendships and long term
relationships


• Hofsted:
– China high context society
– High Power Distance
– Collectivist rather than individualistic.
–
• Other cultural differences that must be understood (for
example, where building entrance is, marketing material
that works, and other cultural details.
 TRANSPORTATION OF CHINA
• Air-- over two hundred airports. Service available from both local domestic carriers
and most international airlines.
•
• Ocean-- Large number of ports and harbors handling booming export trade. Served
by most international shippers.
•
• Inland Waterways-- Well travelled by almost every kind of boat imaginable.
•
• Roads and Highways-- Of 1.2m kilometers, about 80% are unpaved. Most
 highways less than modern and in need of major investment.
•
• Rail-- A major means of transportation with over 62500kilometers of track, mostly
 standard gage.
•
• Subway-- exists in the largest cities. Generally, insufficient to handle current and
 future population.

MAJOR INDUSTRIES

vMajor crops include wheat and rice. Fishing is also a

major industry along the coasts.
v
v
vChina has considerable natural resources
including coal, lead, zinc, copper, tungsten and
gold.
v
v
vChina also has considerable oil reserves
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