...Symmetry in Chinese Arts Done by: Group 3 Lim Li Yan Yip Lixia, Sabrina Lee Weitian, Ivan Zhong Shengmin Goh Yoon Keong 1 CONTENTS • Introduction • Symmetry in Chinese Literature • Chinese Paper Cuttings • Symmetry in Chinese buildings • Chinese Music • Conclusion • Bibliography 2 Introduction “The use of the geometric principles of symmetry for the description and understanding of decorated forms represents the union of two normally separate disciplines – mathematics and design.” (Washburn et al., 1988) Symmetry has been used in countless contexts, and with diverse shades of meaning. Coming from the Greek symmetros, for "measured together," this word is most familiar to us as a description of the similarity between the two halves of any form separated by a dividing line or plane. The concept is not limited to science, of course. It has been, for example, a mainstay of aesthetics from the beginning. Thus we speak of the symmetry of the human face, we can all understand what it is and how it looks. Its influence in the arts is pervasive. In music, we hear the symmetry of exposition and recapitulation in the so-called sonata form, where virtually the same music is played and played again. The creation of identities or equivalents is at the heart of the principle of symmetry in music, as in the other arts. It is an emblem of the human predilection for just proportion in all things, and the longing for rational comprehension of anything encountered. In the...
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...opinions. Then, reflection for each topic will be also discussed to see what individual can learn from these processes. The purpose of this paper is to display the personal reflection after comparing individual responses and group responses with five objectives. The first objective is reflection 1 analyzes organizational ethics and the influence of Eastern cultures on choosing the best candidate; the second is reflection 2 describes culture differences, self – awareness, and the techniques to match, and to manage the cross – cultures; third is reflection 3 discusses about work and life balance that might help each manager manage well both in work places and at home; the forth is determining the approach to foster the creative problem solving which bases on the preserving problems in the library; and the last is reflection 5 applies the assessment model to solve the conflict in construction engineering company. These five assessments are surely very important for every manager. According to Rockefeller (2003), there are two most important aspects which CEO must care are creativity and social norms. He also mentioned, “It is very important to operate the firms within the framework of cultural, social, and economic values held by the people who will benefit from these operations” (p. 6). It means that a good manager not only has to concern about profit, but understands more about people with all hidden inside for a stable business. Therefore, this reflection report will focus...
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...Reflections Important Questions Q.1 Why is it insular for European historians to term the centuries after the fall of the Roman Empire “The Dark Ages”? Ans. Although the term “The Dark Ages” is generally applied to the early medieval period of Western European history, specifically, it refers to the time (476-800) when there was no Holy Roman Emperor, or the time (500-1500) when there were frequent warfare and a virtual disappearance of urban life. In either case, it was only the Christened Europe which was going through a period of intellectual darkness and barbarity. The Muslim world, as well as Spain, and the Chinese Empire were both culturally brilliant and geographically extensive. Thus, Bertrand Russell in the chapter ‘Reflections of the Re-awakening East’ says that it is the narrow outlook of the Europeans to term this period “The Dark Ages”. Q.2 On what grounds does the author argue that Communism is the “most modern and virulent form of Western Imperialism”? Ans. In the chapter ‘Reflections on the Re-awakening East’ Bertrand Russell argues that Communism is the most modern and bitterly hostile form of Western policy to establish their political and economic hegemony over other nations. He says that although Communism is not widely recognized in either the East or the West, it is wiping out the ancient and glorious traditions of civilization in Asia. He also says that China has been greatly affected by it and advises the other Asian countries that re-awakening...
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...Cross-Cultural Management: Reflection Part. 1 of 2: Traditional Aboriginal Culture and Traditional Chinese Culture This reflective report will attempt to compare and contrast between Traditional Australian Aboriginal Culture and Traditional Chinese Culture. Ferraro & Briody (2013) defines culture as the shared perceptions among group of two or more people, their beliefs, values and behavioural patterns, which ultimately shape their way of life. I will analyse the two cultures around Hodstede’s cultural dimensions, Collectivism. Collectivism determines the degree of close-knit characteristic of the group (Hofstede n.d.). The insight this framework provides could be use as a guide in managing organisations’ and nationals’ cultural difference. The traditional Chinese live off small area of land, mainly used for cultivation of rice. In order to maximise yield, seeding and harvesting period are heavily depends on friends and relatives to help get the job done (Gladwell 2008). This interdependent behaviour is found not only at the family level but also at community level. Chinese society follows the teaching of Confucius, which promotes interdependence and social harmony (Chuang & Su 2009). To avoid potential social conflicts and encourages cohesiveness, Chinese are more likely to compromise their own needs and coordinate their behaviour with the situation (Nisbatt & Masuda 2003). It is common for Chinese to live with their married son. Family structure becomes more...
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... A. Marriage B. Family IV. Social and Political Organization A. Religion B. Race C. Culture V. Conclusion Singapore: The Cultural Aspects Within The Singapore Culture consists of various ethnic backgrounds. They are alike in some ways and different in others. The culture consists of different organizations that describe the many aspects related to its culture. I hope to learn more as I continue my research of the Singapore culture. I think that I will find it quite similar to that of the American culture. Singapore was a part of the British Malaya for many centuries. The British came to an island and set up a port and colony, in the year 1918. For over two centuries the British ruled Singapore and its port. During this time Singapore attracted many migrants. Singapore became a republic, independent nation, after World War II. It remains the same today. The Singapore Population is made up of Chinese, Malays, Indians, Caucasians, and Eurasians. Singaporean culture is best described as a melting pot of mainly Chinese, British, Malay, Indian cultures; A reflection of its immigrant history. Despite rapid industrialization, the majority of Singaporeans celebrate the major festivals associated with their respective religions. The variety of religions found in Singapore is a direct reflection of the diversity of races living there. The Chinese are predominantly followers of Buddhism and Taoism (deity worship), though some are Christians. Malays are...
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...CULTURAL SELF-PORTRAIT AND REFLECTION By Manuel Chong Filipino-Chinese. That is what I am. The term “Filipino-Chinese” simply refers to a Chinese descent born and bred in the Philippines. Being a third generation Chinese in the Philippines, I did not grow up in a culture that is purely Chinese nor is it purely Filipino. The older generation of Filipino-Chinese is trying their best to pass on to the younger ones the traditional Chinese teachings which they acquired and learned from their ancestors. They wanted to preserve every detail of Chinese tradition for the younger ones. However, this appears to be a difficult task as time passes as my generation and the coming generations are more liberal and open to Filipino, Western and other cultures. This is the reason why the older generation frowns upon and show less favorable inclination to the younger generation’s present lifestyle. It is very undesirable for them that our generation of Filipino-Chinese yield towards integration. I, on the other hand, am more integrated into the mainstream of Philippine society. I’m able to better articulate the local language, attitudes and conformities. Although my parents put me in a Chinese school, as most parents do, in order for me to learn the Chinese Mandarin language, however, the mindset at that time was that the language is of no use in my country of birth. Who would have known that, after 20 years, the Chinese language became important, in an economic sense. As a result of...
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...approximately three months’ hard battle, Shanghai fell in November in 1937. Imperial Japanese Army then marched into Nanjing and started a ruthless slaughter of around 300, 000 Chinese civilians on December 13th, 1937. Countless Chinese were killed in cruel ways while women, even girls were raped. It is a symbolic event of the Asian-Pacific war. As important factors of analyzing and evaluating the history, success and failure are both shown through the Nanking Massacre. It is a success of national spirits and united international community but a failure of humanity and political structures. With a comparatively weak army, Chinese fought with courage and determination. Their spirits should be respected and passed...
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...build a good relationship and be a friend, for example, when I work with a multi-culture team in language school, my classmates also become my friends. Team leadership Work in a multi-culture team, the important technique is people need to respect each other, and try to understand everyone’s culture diversity (Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner, 1998, p.60-61). Also have different organizational structure to adapt different culture, so leader is important, because this person might influence this team work is successful or not (Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner, 1998, p.64-66). As a good team leader, have a correct organization can make team operation more effective, and it also depend on different culture background and team constitution, for instance, which countries are team members from (Robert, Mansour, Paul and Peter, 2002). Conclusion In recent years more people face of multi-culture work, owing to increase globalization business, so it is essential to understand different culture and how to operate and work with different background’s people. However it cannot avoid conflict and people have different opinion, but in the process respect and good communication and help members solve problems (Richard and Tim, 2009). Reference Lee, K. and Carter, S. (2012), Global Marketing Management. (Third Edition), Oxford: Oxford University. Guirdham, M. (2005), communicating across cultures at work. (Second Edition), London: Palgrave Macmillan. Dicken ,P. (2007), Global...
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...Questioning vs. Acceptance, Truth vs. Balance: A Comparison of East and West Canyon Law Western cultures have historically differed greatly from their far Eastern counterparts in several ways, be it in lifestyle, government, or worldview. These noticeable differences can be attributed to the West’s and East’s own unique philosophical backgrounds. While Western philosophers such as Locke, John Stuart Mill, and Socrates put large emphasis on the ideals of questioning authority in the search for truth, Eastern dogma—as reflected by Daoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism—assert very different, conflicting values focused on acceptance and obedience of superiors. Because of this disparity of thought process, East and West subscribe to very different schools of thought with regards to individualism, rationalism, and democracy. Jon Stuart Mill, in his book On Liberty, promotes the importance of constant debate of ideas. He argues that all opinions must be heard, whether they are from the majority or a minority of beliefs. He states that, “Judgment is given to men that they may use it… To prohibit what they think pernicious is not claiming from error, but fulfilling the duty incumbent on them, although fallible, of acting on their conscientious conviction. If we were never to act on our opinions, because those opinions may be wrong, we should leave all our interests uncared for, and all our duties underperformed.” (p. 18). In this passage, Mill argues that “judgment,” in this case the...
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...Institute, which has a history of nearly 60 years. However, considering the essence of foreign language teaching and media organizations and the effect of the language and culture dissemination, rapid growth of number does not necessarily mean effective cultural transmission. This is actually the concern of study of foreign languages and media organizations, on which all similar institutions should focus. It is of great importance to analyze, compare and indicate the effect of cultural transmission, so as to come up with solutions to improve the process. From the operating level, Confucius Institute mainly focuses on the teaching of entry-level Chinese, complemented by coaching tai chi and other activities of interest in traditional Chinese culture. Considering the large number of Confucius Institute around the world, Confucius Institute has made contributions to promoting Chinese worldwide, even though its activities are limited to this. Language, as the basic element and carrier of culture, is the first step to access culture. Language shapes our world and the way we think. In the process of learning a language, we develop our beliefs, values and norms. As language is the foundation of values, behavior and norms, and as a tool of communication and thinking behavior, the global dissemination of a culture depends...
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...Table of contents II. Introduction III. A module providing a greater understanding of culture self-awareness, through the process of cultural pluralism IV. Reflecting on the political rights of women in France and Saudi Arabia across the concept of masculine societies V. Cultural Shock: a concept perceived as a disease, or a learning process of cultural differences? VI. Difficulties to demonstrate high and low context from you culture, but a strong relation with other cultural patterns to help. VII. The importance of rituals, symbols, beliefs when negotiating with the Chinese culture, as example: the meaning of a gift VIII. Cross cultural management: the relationship between managers and employees in France compare to Australia. IX. Conclusion X. References INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION According to Schön (1983), reflective practice enables people to involve in a process of continuous learning, by learning from experiences. This reflective report is important for personal development and improvement, by choosing six topics, I will bring together theories/concepts and practice within cultural differences and people management (McBrien, 2007). The main goal was to reflect on the theories/concepts that we have covered during the module, and apply them to personal experiences/thinking, to show what we learned about culture...
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...The reflection on the death of a dolphin Recently a dolphin who died in the southern chinese city of Sanya has sparked nationwide anger because of the unreasonable behaviour of the tourists who just held the injured dolphin and took pictures to show off on the weibo. Some people think it shows us that a large part of chinese people are in lack of moral values and they’re indifferent to the death of animals even though such animals are as intelligent as human and see us as faithful friends.We face too many betrayals nowadays and most of time we use the same crucial way to protect ourselves ignoring the principle or others’ feelings.What’s more,another opinion says that the restriction of the current law system make the non-endangered species can’t get protection and raise public awareness which will finally cause them on the fringe of extinction.The report also revealed the dirty trade in the bear paws to satisfy the large amount of nutritive food in the traditional chinese culture.There is also one point that I strongly support is that the distorted style of traveling in china,for example people travel with their cameras to show off at any time and they buy luxuries at no allowance which makes china become one of the crazy luxury fashion market in the world as a developing country.This perception of traveling is not a kind of way to relax yourselves but to satisfy people’s vanity. Actually this event reminds me of the movie THE COVE, it is a documentary film that analyzes...
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...Monica Ellis Ethics Reflection Paper Instructor Brian Rowland December 22, 2014 STR/581 Ethics Reflection Business administrators are faced with the enormous encounter of assessing the pursuit of shareholder earnings with a high ethical code. . Concentrating too much on one solitary region will affect the other one to grieve. Computer technology has made it easy for information about companies to flow freely and ethical failures are quick to be identified by the public. Weakening to run an ethical business could lead to instant brand decline through negative community exposure. The following paper will scrutinize the issues of ethics and shared responsibility as they interconnect to strategic management. The strategic choices of a large international establishment have the potential to influence millions of individuals across the world. Failing to distinguish the extensive effects of these choices could result in adverse effects on shareholders, surrounding communities, and the environment. Producing a well-documented code of ethics gives firms a proposal on how their conclusions should affect society. Four categories of manager's duties: economic, legal, ethical, and discretionary. These groups classified in order of importance based on the existence of the business (Wheelen 2010). First, economic considerations are those that result in the maximization of profits for the firm. The most important factor in the company must be financially viable in order to exist over...
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...by the name of “The Journey” was released. According to the lunar calendar of the Chinese culture, the released date is the eve of Chinese New year. Chiu Keng Guan, who directed this Malaysian Chinese production has received a number of feedback from the audience. The plot of this film is based on Malaysian culture which consists of multiple race of Malaysia and intercultural relation. The Journey tells a story where the main actress, Joanne Yew (Bee) returns home after further educating studies at England returns home to her widower father, Frankie Lee Sai Peng (Uncle Chuan) with her fiancé Ben Pfeifer (Benji) seeking for her father’s blessing. This movie tells a story of how Benji and Uncle Chuan encounter language barriers and also cultural differences. Despite that Uncle Chuan had reluctantly allowing them to get married, the remarkable journey of how both of them hand-deliver wedding card invitation to Uncle Chuan’s childhood friends throughout the peninsular Malaysia. From this movie, the first portrayal of a strong culture comes from Uncle Chuan, an Asian Chinese father despite being strict, unable to express their feelings and so on. As to Benji, raised in England with a different culture and also a childish behavior making it hard for Uncle Chuan to accept a different culture. In this movie, Chinese traditions and the cultures is strongly portrayed. For example, according to the culture, hand-delivering wedding invitation cards to friends and relatives brings out the...
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...International Business Country Factors Analysis on China After a long reflection, my partners and I concluded to conduct our business in China. For that same perspective we are trying to understand some factors that are essential to know before going in adventure in China. After a deep research, I know that doing business in China is not obvious but could be at the same time very fruitful if you have an clear understanding of their political and legal factor, then know their culture and beliefs and finally their economical and the rise and fall of their currency. The most populous country in the world, the people Republic of China is today emerging as one of the major global economies. China is known as a country of etiquette and ceremonies. The unique character of the Chinese is built on the strong sense of pride in their ancient history and culture. I believe in this day that we need to understand the basic Chinese cultural, ethical and the business values is paramount to any organization wanting to conduct business in today’s very quickly progressing China. Communism China is really deepened in the communism since their leader Mao Zedong. Mao taught the Chinese people the notion of equality of everyone throughout the whole country. Communism kept on progressing gradually from the 1911 revolution to Now. Mao was influenced by the philosophy of Karl Marx and at the same time the Chinese population was experiencing poverty, starvation and mass killings. All those...
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