Re-acculturation of Chinese Returnees after Study in Japan

抄録

This study aims to examine which aspects of Japanese culture Chinese individuals adopted during their stay overseas and if they retained these cultural qualities after their return. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five Chinese individuals who had stayed in Japan for one to eight years. Each interview lasted between 30 to 90 minutes and took place at X University in China, where returnees from Japan worked as academic staff. The results showed that the individuals acquired aspects of the Japanese culture in three main categories: rules or manners (observation of public rules), ways of communication (respecting other people's intentions), and philosophy of life (orientation toward co-existence with others). It appears that Chinese individuals firmly accepted and later internalized Japanese characteristics that they believed were admirable; therefore, it is believed that returnees retained these qualities even after returning to their original society.