Abstract

Hofstede, the famous social psychologist, developed the cultural dimensions theory, used widely as a crucial framework for cross-cultural communication. His theory describes six dimensions of culture, which are power distance, individualism vs collectivism, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity vs femininity, short-term vs long-term orientation, and indulgence vs self-restraint. Power distance, one branch of Hofstede's cultural dimensions theory, measures the extent to which the less powerful members of organizations and institutions accept and expect that power is distributed unequally.

Chinese culture and American culture are respectively regarded as the typical representatives of eastern and western cultures. Also, these two cultures can be manifested in terms of power distance. China is a high power distance country sharing 80 power distance index, while the USA is a low power distance country enjoying 40 on the cultural scale of Hofstede’s analysis.

Based on power distance, this paper will compare the differences between China and America through analyzing the films of Pushing Hands and The Wedding Banquet. Both these two films, the “Father Knows Best” trilogy, are directed by Ang Lee, each of them deals with conflicts between the traditional Chinese culture and American culture. Furthermore, the factors, which influence power distance, came into being respectively in China and America will be explored from three directions, and they are agriculture civilization vs business civilization, Confucian ethics vs Christian ethics, and official civilization vs citizen civilization. By analyzing the reasons of different power distance index, readers will have a better understanding of cultural differences.

Keywords: Power Distance; Hofstede's cultural dimensions theory; Pushing Hands; The Wedding Banquet

Contents

Abstract

摘要

1. Introduction-1

1.1 Research Background and Significance-1

1.2 Literature Review-1

1.3 Methodology-3

2. Theoretical Framework-4

2.1 General Introduction to Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions Theory-4

2.2 Detailed Description of Power Distance Index-4

3. The Films and the Power Distance Theory-5

3.1 The Main Content of Pushing Hands-5

3.2 The Main Content of The Wedding Banquet-5

3.3 Detailed Description of the Power Distance in the Films-6

3.3.1 Details Showing High Power Distance-6

3.3.2 Details Showing Low Power Distance-7

4. Reasons of Different Degrees of Power Distance-8

4.1 Agriculture Civilization & Business Civilization-8

4.2Confucian Ethics & Christian Ethics-9

4.3 Official Civilization & Citizen Civilization-11

5. Conclusion and Suggestions-12

References-14