Chinese Migrants: Problems, Language Barrier and Cultural Diversity

Chinese parents have a very important part to play in the family as providers for all. While the elders were always at the controlling end for reasons of respect, the next generation married and had children as young as possible and then worked as hard as possible to provide for both their parents and children.

Chinese children had no authority over their own life and decisions were always made for them. Youngsters were always at the receiving end of family decisions. They were rigorously trained and prepared to serve their elders. In traditional families, all children are expected to obey their parents without discussion and parents could legally kill their children if they disobeyed them. In modern China, both girls and boys are usually treated equally. However, many Chinese parents are strict, since the choices of the children reflect on the parents. This comes down to the family being seen as a unit rather than individual people. Elders are supposed to be respected and followed unquestioningly. In Chinese culture, elders are viewed as a source of wisdom and spirituality. They are respected to the extent that even questioning their authority is considered offensive.

Education is most highly esteemed in Chinese society.  This value can be traced to the Confucian concept that “he who excels in learning can be an official.”  Students attend school six days per week and often study late into the night. They consider this their duty to show honour to the parents and family.

Lifestyle and Cultural Differences in Comparison to Australia

In Australia, most individuals like to get up very early, and go for a swim at the beach or they like go outdoors quite often. However, the vast majority of people in China have a more urban lifestyle and few people like to go outdoors.

In China, all students sit and just listen to the teachers, they do not normally give any feedback in class. However, in Australia, students can ask questions directly to the teacher when they don’t understand something. Also, at many Universities the provision of casual sofas and other facilities are convenient and useful because you can lay down at any time if you are studying for a long time and feel tired. This is very different to Chinese libraries where these facilities are hardly available.

When elders die, they are traditionally honoured by ancestor altars in homes, featuring candles, photographs and favourite items of the deceased. However, it has been noted that in urbanized areas this is starting to break down. In a journal article on China’s rapidly changing population it is shown that the concept of filial piety is starting to erode, bringing with it the potential concern of a lack of care for the elderly.

Chinese usually eat communally and share their dishes with others. Westerners usually enjoy individual servings. Chinese cooks chop everything into bite size pieces, meaning people don't need knives to cut it and just pick up their food with chopsticks. Westerners cook food in big pieces and serve it with knives and forks for cutting it up. Chinese always cook vegetables: frying, stewing, boiling, and steaming, sometimes with soy sauce, ginger, and garlic. Western salads or just boiling vegetables in water are virtually unknown in China.

The importance of finding other families and their cultural groups connected to their country. When moving to Australia from China, it is important for Chinese people to stay connected to other families and cultural groups connected to their country.  Being with people from the same country as you in a foreign country can be very comforting. Chinese people are able to communicate in their native language (Mandarin) with other Chinese people around them. They are able to help each other with administrative tasks such as filling in centre link forms, going to the doctor and banking. The most important part of this is that they have the opportunity to socialise with people that have very similar traditions and beliefs to them. They can exchange recipes and have dinner with traditional Chinese food such as sweet and sour pork, wontons, dumplings, etc. They are able to celebrate traditional Chinese celebrations together, such as Chinese New Year and the Yuan Xiao Festival. It is important for them to be around people similar to them like it is for all of us. It is easy to get along with people with the same belief system and common interests and knowledge as us to give us comfort and security.

The language barrier can be a major problem with significant implications for migrants' written and oral communication, specifically in China where their native language shares nothing in common with the English language. A strong accent is another problem which in many cases prevents immigrants being able to get jobs. Racism is another major barrier faced by migrants in finding a job or starting a new business. In many cases racism deprives migrants of training and education opportunities. Discrimination in accessing employment certainly exists on the basis of ethnicity, cultural customs and unrealistic English language requirements.

Cultural barriers also hold another issue with being able to adapt to Australia. Being a mature age migrant, cultural barriers pose a very serious threat to the possibility of finding work. Different religious beliefs, different ways of thinking and behaving and having different attitudes make their lives, at times, very traumatic. The job selection procedures for finding a job and the red tape involved in starting a new business in this society are new experiences for these mature age newcomers. Many will have difficulty familiarising themselves with the legal, accounting and industrial rules and regulations of Australia.

Another issue when moving to Australia that Chinese people may face is identifying which services are offered in their new location. The three biggest challenges they may face include securing access to health care, legal advice and social services.

Conclusion

In conclusion, there are many lifestyle, traditional celebrations and cultural differences between Australians and Chinese migrants. Chinese people face many difficulties when immigrating to Australia such as cultural differences, settlement, language barriers and racism. It is important to them that they stay connected to cultural groups connected to their country as it gives them comfort. There are many support services available to help Chinese migrants with things such as learning English, health care, finding jobs and settlement.

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