Today, with the development of society, people all over the world almost have the same hobbies, watch the same movies, and wear the same clothes. That is to say, we are not very different in some ways. However, cultures are still quite different. In the East and in the West, social rules are not the same.
In the East, it can take a long time to become someone's friend. But people are very close to their friends. When people from the West meet you, they will call you a friend right away. That doesn't mean they are close to you.
When people from the East meet you, they often ask questions. They want to know about your age, your salary (薪水) and whether you are married or not. For people from the West, these are not polite questions. They don't like to talk about these personal things. They think such kind of questions violate (侵犯) their privacy (隐私).
Family is important for everyone. However, in the East, family is always a part of life. Kids there live with their parents for a long time. They still listen to them after they grow up.
In the West, independence is very important. Parents prepare their kids for life. Then, after their kids grow up, they say goodbye and leave home. Later, the kids can choose to start a family or not. They don't have to listen to their parents.
▲ People in the West think about small details (细节). They also think less and act more. So, they will be loud about their opinions. In the East, people pay much attention to relationships between things, and they often keep their opinions quietly. That keeps relationships happy.
