Face in Chinese culture: just us Chinese?
We’ve looked at a lot of stuff about ‘face’ in Chinese culture. And not just Chinese – ‘face’ also plays a big role in Korean and Japanese societies as well!
And we’ve seen that ‘face’ can be so important that it becomes an idol for us. We consider our own ‘face’ more important than God’s. We are prepared to put the preservation of our ‘face’ over and above the good of other people and relationships. It overrides the concern for truth – and sometimes even of life itself! And such a preoccupation with ‘face’ can become ungodly.
But face consciousness is not just an Asian thing… To a lesser extent, the concept of face also occurs in non-Asian cultures as well! In his article on face, David Ho notes the Western phenomenon of keeping up with the Joneses, gentlemen fighting gun duels they know they will lose, and codes of honour in elitist groups in society.
How strange that such powerful factors can be at play in the Western world to make people spend unnecessarily, and even face certain death! Especially in the Western world, which is so much in the grip of individualism!
And that’s because cultures are never purely one thing or another…
Yes, people in the East may be mostly driven by collectivism – but they aren’t bees! there is still an element of individualism in the culture. And on the whole, people in the West can be characterised by individualism – but there is still a significant element of collectivisim still there. It may be unacknowledged, and even denied. Especially so since, in the West, the ideal person is the self-sufficient individual, and to admit to following others is to be less than a complete person! Yet there is an element of face consciousness in the behaviour of Western people.
Consider:
- You invite a group of your friends to a lunctime Christian meeting. You know for a fact that one of them is interested in Christianity – but the others are definitely closed to it. Your Aussie friend, influenced by his mates, decides not to come.
- Your colleague – more senior than you – realises that he was wrong. But instead of apologising, he says nothing. Everyone around understands that it’s just to do with pride and reputation – and tell you not to worry about it.
- An important client comes to the office – and, in a meeting, accidentally… breaks wind. All your colleagues look away, and pretend not to have heard it, in order to preserve his dignity. It’s just good manners.
This is not to say that Western cultures are face conscious in the same way, or to the same extent as Chinese cultures are. No! But there is a concern for what others think, and for one’s own reputation and dignity, that cannot simply be explained by Western Individualism. It may have different names (such as pride, or common decency, or good manners) – but at its core is a kind of collectivism. It’s not just a Chinese thing! In fact at the end of his article David Ho writes that,
"Face is distinctively human … While it is true that the conceptualisation of what constitutes face and the rules governing face behaviour vary considerably across cultures, the concern for face is invariant."
David Ho, "On the Concept of Face"
Yes, face consciousness is a massively significant element in the workings of Chinese social groups – and instead of being ignored or protected, it must be brought under the Lordship of Christ, when Chinese people come to the gospel.
But we musn’t also lose sight of the fact that face consciousness also plays a role in the social behaviour of Westerners…
[ PS: any last thoughts about face from you? ]
Categories: Chinese culture
