Relatively speaking, the continental European region is narrow and has many islands。 Just as the Chinese people rely on land for agriculture, the Europeans live with the ocean。 They are fisheries-based, supplemented by handicrafts, and are engaged in trade activities extensively。 Handicrafts and trade activities improve people’s contacts, and fisheries increase people’s love of marine culture。 The expansion of the ocean cultivates the consciousness of the natives here -- exploring and conquering the natural environment。 Naturally, cultures between China and America have obvious differences in the relationship of human and nature, values, behaviors, and ways of thinking。
The continuous development of globalization makes people feel like living in the global village, although they are close to each other, but there exist extravagant long distances in their hearts。 Film, as an important carrier of art and culture, has played an increasingly significant role in daily life。 The film art has brought leisure and entertainment for the majority of the audience, and gradually become the effective tool for the dissemination of Chinese and American culture。
Grandson from America is a film directed by Qu Jiangtao, conveying the theme that cultural integration between China and America is the needs of the times。 The film, starred by Luo Jingmin and Liu Tianzuo, was released on February 2 in 2012 in mainland China。 In the film, when Brooks’ parents worked as volunteers to Tibet to participate the Tibetan antelope protecting action, the old Yang was commissioned to take care of Brooks。 During the period, cultural conflicts arose in many aspects such as lifestyle, language, behavior and values between the old Yang and Brooks。 Fortunately, the old Yang and Brooks became best friends in the end after the tortuous process of cultural conflicts and integration。
This thesis explores how the two civilizations completing the process of conflicts and integration from the perspective of language, daily diet and values, then analyzes the possibility and inevitability of cultural integration between China and America, in order to express the theme that the ultimate cultural integration between China and America is the needs of the times, aiming to promote international exchanges and cross-cultural communication。
2。 Literature Review论文网
2。1 Definitions of cultural conflicts and integration
In 2002 UNESCO described culture as follows: “Culture should be regarded as the set of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features of society or a social group, and that it encompasses, in addition to art and literature, lifestyles, ways of living together, value systems, traditions and beliefs” (Ma 3)。 Therefore, cultural conflicts can be defined as a kind of conflict that occurs when different cultural beliefs and values clash。
Cultural integration is a process during which one culture gaining new ideas, products and technologies from another culture without losing its own characteristics。 The process may be long and tortuous。 Integration may occur in many fields including food, language, values and emotions。
2。2 Previous studies on cultural conflicts and integration
Since the 1990s, the comparative study of cultural conflicts between China and the United States is in the ascendant, and the study has been deepened in many different angles and perspectives。 In recent years, domestic research on Chinese and American cultural conflicts has also been published in succession, which laid the foundation for further study of cultural conflicts between China and the United States。 Research has been made in etiquette culture, diet, custom, religious belief and language。 Sino-American Culture and Communication, written by Li Qingyuan and Wei Xiaohong, has made an objective, systematic and in-depth analysis of traditional culture, national spirit and respective development trends between China and America。 It is helpful to deepen the correct understanding of the culture of China and America。 In 2005, Jonathan H。 Turner defines cultural conflict as a conflict that caused by “differences in cultural values and beliefs, which places people at odds with one another”。 (Turner 87)In 2013, Michelle LeBaron describes different cultures as “underground rivers that run through people’s lives and relationships, which give them messages that is helpful to shape their attributions, perceptions, and judgments。” (LeBaron 135)