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Since the establishment of diplomatic ties with the United States in 1972 and the policy of reform and opening in 1978, Chinese people have been far more curious about Americans than Americans have. Various theories and practices concerning family values appeared in China, such as Big Eyes for America, Comparative Study between Chinese and American Marital Status. Lawrence Stone, an Anglo-American historian, has made a comprehensive analysis and study of American family values from a historical angle. In American values, written by Chinese Scholar Zhu Yong Tao，through the contrast between Chinese and American family values, the differences between their behaviors and thoughts are analyzed comprehensively. Sociological research scholar Wei Zhang Ling’s Comparison of Family Values in China and in America focuses on the similarities and differences of Chinese and American family values as well as their social and cultural roots. Most articles studied only some aspects of family values. This paper systematically aims to analyze family values from three aspects of filial piety, marriage, family education, and tries to make Chinese and Americans understand each other’s differences of family values in the way of comparative analysis. There is a practical significance in the research of the differences of family values in Chinese and American cultures.
II. Definition of Family, Values and Family Values
2.1 Definition of Family
Traditionally speaking, family has been defined as a group of people to live together by bonds of blood, marriage or adoption to form economic ties, to bear and to bring up children. According to this idea, families form the continuation through child-rearing. “Family is the basic unit of a society; it is very much like a mirror, reflecting the society’s cultural characteristics, moral beliefs, economic and political relations and other social problems” (Mei 340).
However, someone explains that each letter of the word “family” has its meaning. The letter ‘F’ means father; the letter ‘A’ is and; the letter ‘M’ means mother; the letter ‘I’ means I; the letter ‘L’ is defined as love, and the last letter ‘Y’ means you. So the whole meaning is ‘Father and mother I love you’. Different cultural environments give birth to different views of family. Family values and cultural traditions vary from country to country. It is important to understand family cultures of different countries and avoid failures in communication.
2.2 Definition of Values
Values refer to one person’s overall evaluations and views of the meaning and importance of objective things around him. On one hand, values reflect value orientation, value pursuits, and finally turn into certain value goals; on the other hand, values body value measurements and principles and are the common standards to determine whether a things is valuable or not.
Values tell people what is good, important, beneficial, beautiful, preferable and applicable. They play a decisive role in what people do and why they do so. Furthermore, values are the essential spirits of national culture. Therefore, in order to understand people and characteristics and styles of their culture, we must know about the values that impel their behaviors.