The changing displays of affection in public between Chinese couples

【Abstract】Public displays of affection （PDA） are acts of physical intimacy in the view of others. Nowadays， young Chinese couples are more direct to show their affection in public than the old generations. It is so prevalent that a new Chinese word has been emerged to describe this behavior-Xiuenai. This paper focus on the changing PDA between Chinese couples， and it has provided possible underlying reasons.

【Key words】Public displays of affection； old generation； Chinese young couples

【作者簡介】喻珊，女，四川南充人，西安外國語大學(xué)英文學(xué)院2016級在讀研究生，研究方向：英語語言文學(xué)（跨文化交際）。

1. The research background

Romantic love is an important emotion for human beings. Under the influences of Confucianism， Chinese are prudish and not expert in expressing love. For many elder Chinese， they convey love through silent devotion and they feel embarrassed to show their love no matter in public or secret. The younger generations especially current young couples are changing a lot. They dare to show their love no matter where they are. What is an acceptable display of affection varies with respect with culture and context.

2. The different public displays of affection among different periods in China

In ancient China， there is an old saying that men and women should not sit on the same bed if they are above seven years old. At that time， the majority of Chinese advocated that the relationship between women and men should be alienated and estranged. The Revolution of 1911 overthrew dictatorship of Qing Dynasty. Sun Yat-sen-the leader of the revolution had released many announcements to loosen the tie between both sexes. Since the implementation of the policies of reform and opening-up， many foreign ideas greatly impact on Chinese especially the western democratic equality. The PDA after Reform and Opening is changing a lot， and people become more open-minding.

3 The reasons of these changing behaviors

3.1 The emerging individualistic factors

According to the definition of the Hofstede， China should be classified as a collectivistic culture where groups goals take precedence over individuals goals.1In ancient China， extended family is the basic unit of society and members behaviors are largely determined by the family members. Nowadays， the nuclear family has been introduced into China and the number of family members has decreased dramatically with the policy of family planning. These young generations are raised in a more independent and unrestrained family atmosphere.

3.2 The decrease of the power distance

China has been seen as a large power distance country1. According to Confucius， filial piety requires children to respect their parents in appropriate manners. In ancient China， children have to follow the instructions of parents which inherit from generations to generations. According to the Expectancy Violations Theory， every society has its expectancies in special context among different time2. Therefore， it is difficult for those children to do something violating the social norms at that time. After Reform and Opening， many fresh western ideas flushing to China challenge the traditional Chinese concepts. The relationship between parents and children is changing over times. The power distance between parents and children is decreasing. Younger generations have their free will. While these young people hold a more relaxed attitude toward PDA.

3.3 PDA as a way to earn “face”

PDA can not only be a way to show ones love but a way to earn “face”. It is understandable that in some certain situation such as in front of ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend， people are more willing to display their affection. Why？ Because they think it is a way to earn “face”. China as a collectivistic country， people prefer other oriented facework3. Even some couples may not have such a good relationship， they will do their best to try to pretend or perform their good relation. Young couples who have those excessive PDA are all pretty， wearing fancy clothes or at least confident with their partners. These all indicate that these people want others to have a favorable image of them.

4. Conclusion

PDA as a part of nonverbal communication has its unique manifestation in China. Although China has been seen as a conservative country， it has changed a lot. The Chinese become more individualistic and the power distance has been decreasing over time. The increase of PDA is one aspect caused by these changings.

參考文獻(xiàn)：

[1]Hofstede Geert，Gert Jan Hofstede，and Michael Minkov Cultures andOrganizations：Software of the Mind[M].McGraw-Hill，2010，Print.

[2]杜瑞清，田得新，李本現(xiàn).跨文化交際學(xué)[M].西安交通大學(xué)出版社， 2010，Print.