Collectivism is any philosophic, political, economic or social outlook that emphasizes the interdependence of every human in some collective group and the priority of group goals over individual goals. Collectivism in China means that an individual does not work to accumulate wealth for himself but rather for his family and for his community. In 1978, China decided to take a more individualistic road towards its future, and the government has slowly begun to reduce its grip on social and collectivist processes; New policies aid in creating a society in which capitalism serves as a leading social value: Personal wealth is becoming more important than other social values.
In general, wealthy western cultures emphasize the accumulation of wealth over work (with some exceptions). China is undergoing enormous changes towards obtaining a more “western” culture. A great example for this phenomenon, in my opinion, can be seen in the way that older people, compared with younger ones, spend their time. In city parks, hundreds of elderly people are engaging in many social and collectivist activities such as martial arts, gymnastics, singing, dancing, playing various board or card games, etc. Nevertheless, whether it is work or leisure, younger people possess a more individual outlook on life: They need to find jobs and to pay for their education themselves, whereas not long ago, it was the government who mandated these issues. Government policies have essentially changed the way people live their lives, and the younger generation, so it seems, is preoccupied with work and with the accumulation of personal wealth.
“不敢告劳” (bù gǎn gào láo) is a Chinese idiom meaning to be willing to work hard without complaint. This idiom represents a state of mind that was once prominent in China. However, as China is getting wealthier, material possessions are playing a more important role in modern society. The willingness to work hard is still evident, yet a reward is expected in the forms of increased wealth. Working hard without complaint (or without a “reward”) is more difficult, especially as the cost of living rises.
Another example can be seen in a new amendment to a 1996 law on rights of the elderly that might be considered by the National People’s Congress, China’s government-appointed legislature, when it conducts its annual session in March. The law mandates that adult children would be required to regularly visit their elderly parents. If they do not, parents can sue them. The New York Times writes that “The notion that adult children should care for their aged parents is deeply ingrained in Chinese society. Offspring who shirk their responsibilities are met with scorn — and sometimes legal judgments.”
As a foreigner, I envy the sanctity that Chinese people attribute to relationships in general and to 
the relationship one has with his/her family in particular. The situation in which the government needs to interfere, by law, and to force young adults to visit their parents can symbolize that young adults are over occupied with their own lives: As society ages and as younger people are getting older, the burden of supporting elderly parents is increasing. In addition, young adults are under a great deal of pressure to succeed at work, to support their children and to deal with rising prices of housing, food and clothing.
One might think that this law was created (it has yet to pass), because young adults have neglected their familial values. The truth, rather, might be that young adults spend long hours at work in order to support their parents financially and simply lack the time to visit them. Ironically, it is the time these adults spend at work to support their families financially that prevents them from offering other ways of support.
China is evidently influenced by western values, such as individualism, that are viewed by many in China as successful and necessary for future economic growth. Nevertheless, I worry that during the adoption process, China is losing some core cultural values that are unique solely to China. One can only hope that familial values will not be left behind on the expense of the accumulation of wealth.
Those who work hard to accumulate wealth should remember this quote: “I have long been of the opinion that if work were such a splendid thing the rich would have kept more of it for themselves.” – Bruce Grocott
Print
Lior Paritzky is the Editor in Chief and Manager of Laowaiblog, an internet platform that provides opinion and views about social phenomena in modern China. Look for Lior on Twitter: Liorpari 
Lior,
Interesting post. As a foreigner who has visited China, I completely understand what you mean. It seems that everyone is busy with work, but some don’t enjoy it. they just do it to get more and more money – without a real purpose. The only place I didn’t see this happening was the country side.
Do you really think that values will be diminished completely ?
Hi David,
Thank you for your comment. I think the main problem is that money is interfering with values. This is happening not just in China, but everywhere in the world. China needs to rise above it and to never neglect its cultural heritage. In the end, culture is what separates China from the rest of the world and makes it such a unique place to live in and to visit.
Lior
As an American-born Chinese at an American University, this blog post mirrors my own sentiments and concerns.
In Plato’s Republic, Socrates seriously advocates the implementation of state-institutionalized child-rearing; such a concept is profoundly alien and incompatible with Chinese culture. There is something to be said about the difference of Chinese family values and Western family values.
Having been raised by the sort of Chinese parents who have sacrificed so much for me, I have little doubt that I will be raising my own children the same way.
But perhaps I’ll only be doing it out of contrast. When I see my peers graduate while laden with tens of thousands in tuition debt, I begin to question the wisdom of their parents — some of whom have the means to pay, but refuse to do so out of perceived ethical boundaries. To become an adult in America means to become legally and socially ‘independent’ from one’s family. This distinct transformation from child to an adult morally absolved from familial duties does not exist for individuals of Chinese culture. We should hope that this remains the case.
I get the feeling that much of the younger population is suffering from materialism and the existential crises it instigates. Some are turning toward foreign religions and esoteric notions of arbitrary morality, but I hope that they can instead find meaning in the inherent values of family and empathy.
Hi Frank, First of all thank you for providing some of your own insight.
I agree with you. I think that there is a surge of younger people who are looking for guidance, and they sometimes find it in religion. Materialism has its way of distorting what is real for us: In many cases, it is family, friends and close environment. The challenge facing many young people is not to forget the core values on which they were raised, while trying to cope with many new difficulties
Lior
Yes – materialism is becoming prominent with the younger Chinese people. As an example, my 25 year old girl friend recently came home with a 5,000 RMB cell phone. Shortly after that, a 7,000 RMB mink coat. Her goal of course is acquire a new house (apartment in actuality) and a new car. All of this on a salary of 5,400 RMB per month. Needless to say, I am expected to contribute substantially to the two major purchases which will allow her to continue indulging in her wants.
As an American, I have seen the damages the excess consumerism can do to not only families, but society as a whole. I cringe every time that America encourages the Chinese government to encourage the Chinese to become better consumers. I fear that will lead to the downfall of Chinese society and the China that we know so well today.
Individualism has essentially ruined America. With individualism comes the concept of individual rights which are quite often counter productive to the interests of society. That is what has happened in America, and has subsequently created an extremely polarized society.
I no doubt will be long gone from this earth by the time that collectivism has died out in China. When that happens, it will signal the demise of a great culture and society.
Hi Old Codger,
I sympathy very much with what you have written, yet I would not be as pessimistic as you about China’s future. We must not forget that the culture in China is one of the most ancient cultures in the world, and it will take a long long time (if ever) until it reaches its demise.
I want to believe that the Chinese people will one day wake up and see what is important and what they are giving up.
Lior
Lior,
GOOD post.
I’m a college student in Southern China, and as a junior I’ve been thinking more and more about my near future. At this point, I think I’ve found my purpose in life. I want to realize my dream,doing what I love and living a life with fullfilment; I want to be a good citizen; I want to be a daughter who will make her parents happy not because she can bring home wads of RMB but because she is caring and supportive…and you know what, I feel it awkward to share such feelings with my peers, most of who have begun to work their way really hard to become ‘social elites’. I feel myself foreign among them.
Surely I’m not alone;but I doubt people like me are a large proportion nowadays in China…
With the new semester approaching and my school days becoming less and less, I’m still at a loss.
ps: Thanks for sharing your unique insights about China. Glad to be your reader. =)
Hi Tracy,
Thank you for your comment. I am happy to hear about your decisions. I think that in the end we all make our own decisions, but sometimes it might be hard with the pressure from all the people around us – family, spouse and friends.
I wish you the best of luck, and keep on reading
Lior
I think the problem lies not in individualism and not in collectivism.
We are human beings, and so we tend to think in extreme opposites. We are a new species.
So naturally we are learning on the way as we develop. We get an idea and we think voilà, that’s it. This must be it. But it’s just an idea. I think we need a balance between individualism and collectivism, the truth is always in the middle. I believe. America is the extreme of individualism.and now , China is the extreme of individualism. I think Europe is seeking a more balanced approach.
Hi Lior,
Really enjoying reading your blog recently, very interesting.
On this topic, I think I don’t exactly agree. If you compare individualism in China, and individualism in the West, I think its still quite a different concept. In China, people are still trying to work hard and earn money in order to support their parents, and this way be good children, isn’t that already a sign that their family values are still quite strong?Its hard for people to get a good job, and everyone needs to survive somehow, no matter how much time you’d actually like to spend with your family.
I have been living in China for the past year and a half, and the impression I get, actually, is that family values here are stronger than back at home.
In the West, people are not usually getting rich for someone else, but usually doing that for themselves. I think there is still a difference in the concept of individualism itself, and in the reasons why people are driven to spend such long hours working.
Hi Kat,
Thank you for your comment. I agree with you that familial values are much stronger in China than in some parts of the west (as an example, in the U.S children leave home at the age of 18 and in China they often live with their parents until they are married). Nevertheless, in China, because the quality of life is rising rapidly and goods are getting more expensive, it is more difficult for young adults to support their parents: I think that young adults want to support their parents; They simply cannot afford to do so.
Lior
Thanks, Lior! Nice and interesting article.
I agree with your point that individualizm from western culture has brought certain risk of dimishing China’s own culture and core value. But it seems not to happen within a small period of time since the majority of current younger generation called “after 80″ or “after 90″still follow the “collectivism in famility”: seeing themselves as a part of family and sacrifising for the good of their children and parent.
Interestingly, not every western country has strong culture of “Individualism”: I am living in Ireland. As I know, the irish people also has their own family culture which is quite smiliar with Chinese: the irish parents usually pay their children’s education, living with their son, even clean their room! And this culture doesn’t really exist in one country in Europe.
But for USA, situation is quite different: People usually like comic books of Super Hero which tell you that individual can change the world without collabration; the US graduates usually only care about their self-interest and self-achievement instead of their family’s wish when they select jobs, or create jobs ; and even the rise of Facebbok has stimulated people’s motivation of “self-fancy” and “hedonism”. Some people I knew who comes from US commonly spend over 6 hours in Facebbok only for Chatting, organizing party and “Sex Hunting”. Seriously, the US will be in huge danger if they keep their individualism.
Although many chinese people care about money too much now and start to become much more materailzed than the past. The major prupose of making money for majority is for their family. I would think this in a positive way like you: one day we will wake up and realize there is something more important in our life instead of money, only when we achieve the same standard of life-quality with western countries.
Speaking from the point of view of living in Japan:
1. As a general pattern of observations by the non-native, usually from a Western non-European culture I feel very comfortable with your comments about what you see happening in China. I sent a great, rare, out of print book, a memoir about a British observer of the same thing happening in Thailand during the last century, to a friend. The same is chronicled by the great Japanologist, Donald Keene, from his translation of various Japanese memoirs as they observed the same thing happening over the past 100 years, in title=”World Within Walls”. I think it is still in publication. I have heard numerous Americans who come here and express similar concern. So, from this i think we can say that culture is always changing, it is just the rate of change. You and I are experiencing what amounts to several generations of experience it in our life time just traveling from one country to another.
I predict that these concerns will “always” be with us. In China I am predicting that the country will eventually split into 3 parts sometime in the next century. The growing crisis of environmental degradation, contamination, and global shifts will make cultural concerns a lower order of concern. Ii will be a return to the survival mode/ outlook. In ancient times during a famine (according to real accounts) the elderly in a destitute village were taken by family members up to the mountain tops to sleep, by themselves. It was a case of willing self sacrifice. And it wasn’t massive numbers, I am sure. In this modern scenario, there are very few role models for these traditions, in most modern cultures I expect. The rise of democracy will mean an unavoidable rise of greed and selfishness. When I was an undergrad I specialized in East African studies, and as independence came about, and the British left. There was no blossoming of enlightenment. There was the explosion of built up resentments, tribal loyalties returned to the front. This continues now, but it is a necessary unavoidable step, in my opinion, without an educated foundation in the culture. Education that includes role models for the proper Demos ethos. China and Japan and Korea have the educated foundation, and probably the Confucian ethos will work in place of what worked in the US, esp. as these cultures are almost completely the same cultural background. So, I am an optomist about what you worry about, and a pessimist about the degredation of the environment and what this means for the quality of life of the families and cultures represented. Chinese, Japanese, Korean etc. cultures and traditions will survive but they will be a more streamlined version of what we see today. You and I won’t have to worry about that, though.
Hi Thomas,
Thank you for your comment. I agree with you that environmental costs will be severe and possibly deadly for China’s (and the rest of the world’s) future. The reason why this is happening is cultural: we, humans, disregard and contaminate our environment because our culture tells us that greed and exploitation of what is not “ours” (such as land or other natural resources) is OK. That is the cause of all evil, including the rise of selfishness and greed – as you rightfully said.
Lior
I want to follow up with 1 more thought, because in my advanced English discussion class for adults there is one small group that is devoted to “anything Chinese”. Usually this is an economic discussion. The issue of individuality and its effects on Chinese culture as more and more individuals are encouraged by the Western capitalist model to break out and be noticed as “individuals”by displaying their brand loyalties. I suspect that the posters here divide by generation on whether this is harmless or a sign of something more. You are in marketing and so you should be commenting about the power of market segmentation, another way of individualizatioin at a higher level, but the Internet technology (Google, Amazon.com, Facebook etc.) is continually striving to reach down to the individual level. So we are individual consumers “of something” that the Net or the social networks which we are creating with mobile phones is creating. We often don’t know what we exactly want, but we feed on the attention of our social networks to provide some kind of nourishment. Is this the individual of the future? I have my own answers to this characteristic which I see happening around me. but to express it is not yet appropriate, because it has to be in terms that are agreeable to the readers.
Lior,
(but it would put my daughters into debt). We are individuals. There is individuality from the moment we are born. This issue is more about how the current forms of economic activity exploit this sense of individuality. You know, many things are harmless or cute on a small scale. For example little boys in any country, but they seem more liberated here compared to girls, are cute when they are wild and run around yelling their heads off, but as they get older and bigger this behavior should be transformed or it will get them in trouble. Well, here in Japan they can be drugged into believing they will play professional soccer, or another sport, and thus they drop out of the society’s economic plans. Oh sorry for digressing. The power of individual striving is in our genes, I think. And competition does bring out the best. The fire will purify the metal. So what do we, as a community do in our collective wisdom to harness this power for the benefit of the greater community?
I will print off one of your posts and give to my students who sit at the “China table” tomorrow. Right now this issue of individualism and the collective culture that is represented by Japan and China is still gripping my mind. 0ooooooooh if I could do a Ph.D on this topic
Here I am again. In my belief system, the family is the most important building block of society. But this doesn’t mean that the Confucian model, or the Chinese model is the one that we should have for the family to benefit the future of society. We have to factor in the “equality of men and women” and how this will effect the family unity. So we are now in an era of worship of the individual, aided by marketing research to further individualize products and to get more and more individual information from social sites like Facebook, Mixim etc. I don’t see this power slowing down at all yet. IN the US it is pushing to the younger and younger ages, as younger and younger children get their own communication devices, to express “their” own opinions, wants, desires…. To refer to one of my earlier comments, if there is a natural disaster, the individual tends to seek shelter in their family, not their Facebook friends. It is who you know in flesh and blood that count when your connection to the Internet is snapped.
So, a rather large continuing event like “Planetary Climate Change” (the words Global Warming is out) will, probably bring about a reemergence of the family as a center of importance. What would this do for the economic model? I suspect that it would damage the profit lines. They would have to refocus on the family as a unit, and that would mean that what looks good to the kids might not pass inspection by their parents, and vice-versa. What do you think?
Hi Thomas,
I like your comment. I think you are right, except I don’t see the future as bleakly as you. I would like to hope that people will soon understand that individualism is important – but only as a part of collective society. We live in countries, cities, families; All are cells that are meant to protect us and to help us in need. That model seems to dissolve as countries no longer help their people and as people are more focused on personal gains. I hope this situation changes..
Lior
Lior, I don’t see this situation changing anytime soon, because as people become wealthier and gain more money, they often seclude themselves from their environment. That is why I think that right now we are headed towards a much more individualistic world and that what you have been describing here is not unique solely to China – it is happening everywhere.
I am a chinese expat living in canada, and in my opinion, chinese culture is EXTREMELY individualistic. Everyone is always competing against each other, and its always about getting the upper hand whether it is in school, work or at home. I think chinese people take individualism to a new extreme, much more than western culture who are more collective than we are. For chinese people its all about having the most money, the biggest houses, the most expensive cars and showing off to your friends. I think there needs to be a balance between individualism and collectivisim in society. Apart from close families and forced education, I dont see much cultural similarities between chinese, koreans and japanese people.