Chinese Perception of Face (Mianzi) and Its Influence on Communicating with the Japanese

Abstract

This paper has two purposes: 1. to explore cultural differences in the perception of face (mianzi) between Chinese (from the People's Republic of China) and Japanese; and 2. to analyze how these differences affect communication between people from the two cultures. To tackle qualitative differences in the perception of face in the two cultures, in-depth interviews were conducted in an academic setting. The interviewees were: 1. five Japanese who lived in China; 2. eight Chinese living in Japan; 3. two Japanese who have been teaching Chinese students for over ten years; and 4. an American who lived in China and now lives in Japan. The data were analyzed through the KJ method.