Why is there such a significant difference in national character between China, Japan, and India? It is actually closely related to their respective geographical factors.
First, let's talk about Japan, which has the most distinct characteristics. The features of ancient rural Japan are as follows:
Mountainous terrain, with villages spaced far apart, leading to minimal cooperation and conflict of interest between them, resulting in self-sufficiency.
Frequent natural disasters, requiring villagers to collaborate closely in disaster response.
Japan has a temperate climate with limited rainfall, primarily relying on irrigation and meticulous farming, which further increases the demand for cooperation among villages.
Thus, the characteristic of Japan is: high levels of cooperation.
In this context, the culture that developed is highly uniform, even leading to phenomena like "sunbai fen," where those with divergent thoughts face social ostracism and exclusion from the collective.
As a result, Japan thrives in highly cooperative manufacturing, developing production models like JIT (Just-In-Time) that excel beyond expectations.
Now, let's discuss the other extreme, India. The geographical and climatic characteristics of ancient India are as follows:
Villages are naturally isolated from one another, similar to Japan.
However, India has distinct wet and dry seasons; rice primarily relies on the rainy season, while during the dry season, farming is often abandoned due to high evaporation rates and low water levels in rivers. Therefore, Indian crops do not require meticulous irrigation (cooperation), and each village operates independently.
In this highly decentralized/low-cooperation model, land gradually concentrates, leading to the invention of the caste system to solidify class structures and reduce friction.
Thus, the level of cooperation among Indians is quite low.
One observable indicator of this is the punctuality of trains.
Finally, let's talk about China, which is different. With vast plains and major rivers connecting the country, one characteristic is high mobility—this leads to kinship becoming an important bond.
Within villages, a certain level of cooperation is needed, but the demand for cross-village cooperation during irrigation is even higher, necessitating the power of the government to develop water conservancy and mediate disputes (over water).
This small collective cooperation/mobility has led to the development of a culture of "face." Face represents social status, but it is dynamic and fluid. You may have face today, but if you do something "wrong" tomorrow, you could lose it.
Why do rural weddings and funerals require grand celebrations? This is about face; this is about status.
In summary, the cooperation among Chinese people in small groups is between that of Japan and India, but they have an advantage in cooperation within larger groups.
By extension, one can understand why Japanese rice prices remain high, while Indian fighter jets boldly charge ahead with their radars on, turning themselves into targets.
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