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Q: Is the culture gap between Chinese and Westerners one of the widest in the world?
You look at India, South America, etc. and you realize that many of these people grew up watching the same things as us, or at least sharing numerous cultural similarities in our upbringing. Do you think the cultural divide between Westerners and Chinese is one of the widest in the world? Does that explain why it's so much more difficult for westerners to make very good Chinese friends, and vice versa?
See, that's the problem, lumping the "westerners." What about the Koreans? I find it hard to believe that they are that different? Maybe there are some countries with cultures that are more similar, and those that are less similar. Of course cultures that are very different are going to have a wider gap than those that are more similar. I made some friends. I didn't have to try very hard. I was just myself, and if they were themselves, then we chilled and tried to communicate despite not speaking each others' languages. And I also made friends that speak English. Good friends come from having something in common with each other, when you're both willing to put something into the relationship. You should try to be more specific next time.
I have Chinese friends even though my Chinese is pathetic (at the moment). OK I met them via my wife, but I don't see the cultural divide as being huge, people are people and if you treat everyone as your equal I find I don't get any problems. Well apart from driving, but a part of that is me just being too aggressive when I'm driving and not 'making allowances', (but I suppose we all have our weak point(
).
I think the differences are large, but if you look for them they'll seem larger, if you look for similarities or common ground you'll likely find that too.
haha, by Westerners, you mean the rest of the world?
i think there is a big gap between western and eastern people
Pretty sure people in North Korea will have the biggest culture gap between the "modern/western" world.
The biggest difference I noticed was Chinese lying, basically I don't trust much I hear from a Chinese person.
First of all, why do you use the generalization "Westerners"? :( (Lumping us all together..how LAME! :( And disrespectful! :( Many Chinese,Koreans,Japanese,etc. are very xenophobic,ethnocentric,immature,ridiculous,backwards,etc. That's THEIR fault. And, when going to the West..what does one see? All kinds of Koreatowns,Chinatowns,etc. :( Do you see Americatowns or Canadatowns,etc. in Asia??
no two people are the same or will ever be(well may be in the robot dominated era)...India and South America??really?
I think, that it is more up to a person, not up to a region or culture where is that person from...
if You look on the culture differences... right.
but open mind breaks the limits 
______________
Btw.
LAR "First of all, why do you use the generalization "Westerners"?" in this sentence You blame for generalization, and in another one You use it by yourself "Many Chinese,Koreans,Japanese,etc.(...)", Keep coherent, man, You will be judged by the same rules, that You use to judge anothers ;)
How it was? "sliver in Your Brother eye?"? something like this...
I would say that the cultural gap between generations in China is the widest in the world. Look at your average student: affluent, University educated, technologically savvy. Then meet the grandparents who probably brought them up; many illiterate, drinking in the philosophy that 'The more you read the more stupid you become', burning books or being sent to re-education camps...and the parents probably born in the village or farm and clawing their way up to modern city life by any means possible...their lives, influences and societal imperatives are worlds apart.
I've lived in places in Papua New Guinea, Africa, Sri Lanka, the South Pacific, where people have never seen a telegraph pole or a tv set, a supermarket or a sedan car...so no, I don't think the cultural gap is particularly wide.
As to not making friends? It seems to me that whether you were brought up in the 'burbs or a disease-ridden valley human beings all want the same thing: happiness. Whether that comes from buying a late-model car or growing enough to be able to feed your family, once you tap into that common stream all people are the same and friendships grow.
