浅析中西方不同地爱情观

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Acknowledgements
My deepest gratitude goes first and foremost to Professor Yang Ling,
my supervisor, for her constant encouragement and useful suggestions on
my thesis. I am deeply grateful of her help in the completion of this thesis.
Without her consistent and illuminating instruction, this thesis could not
have reached its present form.
Second, I am also greatly indebted to all the other tutors and teachers
for their direct and indirect help to me.
Last, my thanks would go to my beloved family for their loving
considerations and great confidence in me all through these years. I also
owe my sincere gratitude to my friends and my fellow classmates who give
me their help and time in helping me work out my problems during the
difficult course of the thesis.







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Abstract
There are more different views on love between Chinese and western,
which reflected in literatures and films. love is the enduing theme of
human beings, which is the peculiar character and one of the best behaviors
for human beings. Meanwhile, the love words are considered to be the
most beautiful words of human beings. But because of different traditional
culture, different mode of thinking, different racial character, Chinese and
Westerners have so many different points on love. Through comparison,
discuss the similarities and differences of Chinese -Western view on love
in the Hawthorn Love and Titanic.

Key words: Culture difference, Chinese and Western views on love











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摘 要

中西方爱情观有极大不同，这在文学 作品和影视作品得到了反
映。爱情是人类永恒的主题，表达爱慕之情是人类最美好的行为之一,
而表达爱情的语言被认为是人类最美好的语言。尽管在爱的路途中双
方都面临诸多阻隔，但双方彼此追 求真爱的心会永远长青！由于传统
文化、思维方式、民族性格等不同, 中西方在对爱的理解和表达上表
现出较大的差异。本文通过对比分析电影《山楂树之恋》和《泰坦尼
克号》所体现的不同中西方 爱情观。

关键词：文化差异，中国爱情观，西方爱情观











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Contents

Acknowledgements ............................. .................................................. ..... i
Abstract ............................. .................................................. ...................... ii
摘 要 ............... .................................................. ...................................... iii
1 Introduction ..................................... .................................................. ..... 1
2 Literature Review .................. .................................................. .............. 2
3 Analyses on Different Love Views between Titanic and Hawthorn
Love ...... .................................................. .................................................. .. 5
3.1 The Similarities .................... .................................................. ....... 5
3.1.1 The same structure and the story content .............................. 5
3.1.2 The same end of two stories .................................................. 5
3.1.3 The same fate of the Heroine ................................................. 5
3.1.4 The same symbols ..................... ............................................. 5
3.2 The Contrast........................... .................................................. ....6
3.2.1 The expression of love in different ways...............................6
3.2.2 The different view on sex......... .............................................7
3.2.3 The different view on love....... . ...........................................9
3.2.4 The different view of marriage.... ........................................10
4 Conclusion ....................................... .................................................. ... 12
Bibliography .......................... .................................................. ................ 12

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Analysis on Different Love Views between Titanic and
Hawthorn Love

1 Introduction
Titanic, the ship of dreams, also known as Unsinkable, sank after its
departure on April 10th, 1912. And on its epic journey a poor artist named
Jack Dawson and a rich girl Rose DeWitt Bukator fell in love, until one
night their fairytale love turned into the struggle for survival or being dead
at the bottom of the North Atlantic. Rose left her fiancée Caledon Hockley
for this poor artist, but when the Titanic collided with the Iceberg on April
14th, 1912, and then when the ship sank on April 15th, 1912 at 2:20 in the
morning, Jack died and Rose survived. When Rose was saved by one
lifeboat that came back, she was taken to the Carpathia with 700 people
saved in the lifeboats. The Carpathia Immigration Officer asked Rose what
her name was and she said her name was Rose Dawson. And 84 years later
Rose Calvert is 100 years old and she tells her grand daughter Lizzy
Calvert the whole story from departure until the death of Titanic on its first
and last voyage. And to Rose Titanic and her real love of in her life Jack
Dawson is all an existence inside her memory.
The film Hawthorn Love told us a story that happened around 1975.
The heroine Jingqiu was a pretty girl. Because of her family’s historical
problems, she always felt herself inferior. Laosan, the handsome son of a
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commander, was full of literary talents and paid much attention to affection.
They loved each other at the first sight. He waited Jingqiu for the right time
to marry her. When Jingqiu grew up, he died of leukemia.
This thesis aims to make English learners have a better understand of
the cultural differences of love views between China and the west by
analyzing these two movies. This research will give some suggestions to
the young people living in the contemporary era about the love views.
Although they may differ in family background and social status, they can
join their hands together and go through the difficulties in the rest of their
lives.

2 Literature Review
In an analysis of emotion-related concept from Chinese, Shaver, Wu,
(1992) found that love had distinctive “hedonically negative”
connotations in the Chinese conception of love, which they labeled “sad or
painful love.” Wu (1992) found differences between Chinese (Beijing,
China) and American (western New York state) university students when
they were asked to list freely the features of love. More negative features
were listed by the Chinese sample compared to the Americans (Wu, 1992)
suggesting that this aspect of love was more spontaneously salient to the
former group. Moreover, Wu (1992,) also found that Chinese students
agreed more strongly than did students in her US sample with the
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statement that“Love without pain is not true love.”According Wu’s survey,
Very few of Chinese students stated that they were willing to marry
without being “in love” (5.8% in the Hong Kong sample and 2.3% in the
Japanese sample). Comparable percentages for the samples
Averill (1985), in his social constructionist account, proposed the
following features: idealization of the romantic partner, suddenness of
onset, physiological arousal, and commitment to the well- being of the
loved person. In their discussion of an evolutionary account of romantic
love, he pointed out that, from this perspective, romantic love emerged
“from forces within the hominid brain that are independent of the
socially-constructed mind”. However, they similarly defined romantic
love as “any intense attraction that involves the idealization of the other,
within an erotic context, with the expectation of enduring for some time
into the future”. From our view, both realization of the partner and
idealization of the experience distinguish the concept of romantic love
from sexual attraction or infatuation. The partner is regarded as unique and
special; experience love is expected to be all-consuming, fulfilling, and
transcendent. A cultural perspective is necessary to identify the conditions
under which similarities and differences in the meaning and the reported
experience of love might occur. What is needed is an evolutionary
perspective on culture itself. Cultural differences are not simply variations
reflecting a biological core. These variations offer insights into
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qualitatively different views about love that have developed and evolved
across different societies and in the same society at different phases of its
history.
The film conveys the differences between eastern and western views
on love and culture. First, we talk about love views. When Rose and Jack
like each other, Rose is very bold, open and dare to pursue their love. In
face of the finance’s aggressive behaviors and all kind of barriers, she still
insisted. Generally speaking, the westerners always have this spirit. Most
western countries border the sea, so the thought has a sense of adventure,
and bones have a sense of courage. However, Asians are different. For they
are introverted, their feelings are always hidden in their hearts. Especially
girls, they are afraid to express their true thoughts. If they want use some
words to describe them, we think grace and implicitness will stand for
them. This point is reflected in the eastern and western notions of love,
direct and subtle. At the end of the film, Rose lost the frozen hand of Jack.
According to the Chinese people’s thinking, Rose and Jack should die
together, likes Concubine Yu died for the King of Chu. So, this habit of
thinking is in line with the Chinese people. But Rose chose to live, for she
remembered the word Jack said: “Never give up, no matter what
happened.” Ah, if you love someone, why you can’t choose to live better,
to complete lover’s unfinished business.

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3 Analyses on Different Love Views between Titanic and the
Hawthorn Love
The two movies are touching love story and all the classic tragedy of
love. They share some similar views and also some different views.
3.1 The Similarities
3.1.1 The same structure and the story content
Not only Hawthorn Love, but also Titanic, they are all arranged in
chronological order.
3.1.2 The same end of two stories
Most happy type of love is not moving, so the heroes of two stories finally
died.
3.1.3 The same fate of the Heroine
Rose has gone to America and Jingqiiu also has gone to America by
chance. Although Rose and Jingqiu all married others, they all love one
person respectively in their hearts forever.
3.1.4 The same symbols
The heart of ocean is symbol forever. After jack died, Rose threw the
heart of ocean in the sea that means their love would be lasted forever such
as the words sung in the song My Heart Will Go On.
In the Hawthorn Love, the symbol is the pursuit and bright red sweet
and sour love. Laosan (Sun Jianxin ) died, his body was buried under the
hawthorn tree. Hawthorn tree does not wither and fall, like his love for
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Jingqiu never change.
3.2 The Contrast
3.2.1 The expressions of love in different ways
The ways westerners expressing love are direct, exposed, and open. In
Titanic, although Rose and Jack met firstly as strangers, they fell in love
and only spent short days, their hearts always linked together. Rose always
said, “He saved my life, he saved my soul, and I do not even have a picture
of him. But he will always live in my heart.” In fact, falling in love with
one person only needs several seconds. The most touching line is at the end
of the movie, Jack said to Rose,” To win the raffle ticket is the luckiest
thing in my life that brought me to your side, I am very pleased, really, I am
very pleased that Rose.”
“You have to promise me to live, never give up, no matter what
happening, no matter how slim hopes, promised me, Rose, you will never
go back on the right, quickly.” The Chinese, by contrast, always express
their feelings with the most implicit ways. They make the feelings into
lives. In Hawthorn Love, in many scenes plots have expressed the Chinese
people’s euphemism of love views. For example, the minds of euphemism
make Laosan felt sorry to pulling Jingqiu’s hand. So, when they cross the
river, they only use a small stick to walk through the river quickly. Also,
when Laosan watched Jingqiu ferry riding across the river, he separated the
deep green of the river to the other side to make a embrace gesture. At this
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time, the soothing sound of music was played, Jingqiu also made the hug
Gestures to the Laosan. They looked each other across the river with the
music, Laosan’s eyes filled with tears, and jingqiu even burst into tears too.
Film still has other plots: Laosan promised girl’s mother that never meet
jingqiu. So before leaving, to bandage Jingqiu’s Lime burned feet, Laosan
crouched there was weeping while binding up the feet. At the same time,
jingqiu can not help but bursting into tears.

3.2.2 The different view on sex

In human history, sex is a way for human contact and it is the most
intimate form in living experience. It is also one of the basic elements for
human nature. Sex is the perfect harmony of love and desire. The ancient
Greeks believed that drink, food, color are three desires. Chinese saying
goes: food color, sex also. These have revealed the importance sex for
survival and development of the individual from one aspect. Dr. Yang
Jingjian pointed in his essay “Erotic Literature : Interpretation in Western
comparison”, the sex is defined as the kind of people get especially intense
physical pleasure and pleasure between heterosexual and homosexual
person on the basis of instinct arising and spiritual enjoyment.


Westerners recognize sex as early as in ancient Greece. Aphrodite
embodies the image of ancient Greece who regards sex as fate
.
A view of
sex is not dominated by person. Platonic concept is based on the dualism of
human nature, and divided it into the rational, emotional. And spiritually
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sexy concept in China is different from ancient Greek and Roman view of
sex. Chinese traditional concept not only ashamed to talk about love but
also negated to pursue love. Chinese love’s growth is based on traditional
marriage. In China, the first order is marriage, and then is sex, because
Chinese recognize that marriage still is marriage. If there is no giving birth,
marriage would be difficult to maintain, “China is absolutely opposed to
the traditional concept of non-marital sex. Chinese think that it is a moral
turpitude if lovers have sex before marriage. Westerners have the bad
performance Their Order is completely reversed, “Westerners are based
on sex, and then marriage to give birth. In westerners, they think that sex is
the physiological requirements. It is natural for lovers to have sex
relationship.

3.2.3 The different view on love
In Titanic, when Rose and Jack liked each other, Rose especially was
very bold. Her open heart filled with a strong sense of rebellion. She felt
very helpless for the future of marriage, and she dared to pursue things she
liked. In spite of aggressive fiancé and the mother’s request, she still
insisted in abandoning life for money. Even life is poor, even nothing she
had, as long as there is love’s tenderness and emotion, it is enough. The
hero and heroine stood on the ship with the wind. The scene is elegant and
beautiful that makes audience unforgettable. At this time, they wiped out
spark of love. In the bedroom Rose let Jack to draw her own nude painting
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that wearing the heart of ocean. When they escaped and hid in the bottoms
of the car, she completely broke the passion of love. At this time, Rose
decided to betray his mother and her fiance to be with Jack.
Unlike Rose, in the Hawthorn Love, Jingqiu’s attitude towards love
is very implicit and tactful. Her character lacks perseverance, and she is too
weak. The Cultural Revolution environment increased her self-esteem and
cowardice, from her birth to duty, the mother’s teachings, and other
people’s observing all make her doing things carefully and more
cautiously. Although Jingqiu always hid the relationship with Laosan and
also sought for the opportunities to test Laosan’s love to her, she could not
give correct judgment.
However, Laosan touched Jingqiu with his own actions and made
Jingqiu believe him. So we believe Jingqiu and Laosan will be together.
With the time went by, Jingqiu’s heart was attracted to Laosan step by step,
but she has been in contract with herself. Later, Laosan is more and more
dependent on Jingqiu. And it made jingqiu have great courage to pursue
the true love.
This reflects the different views on love from the West. First of all, for
westerners said that love is their life and all of the life, love is everything.
Zhu Guangqian has unique view for the westerners love. He thinks
westerners pay attention to love, love is all! But China is not so, their love
is plagued by a variety of factors. They both need love, but also fear love.
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Both of them desire for love but fear of injury. What is more, they directly
fear love. That is China’s traditional concept. Secondly, in the point of
view on love, the way to express love in Western culture seems open.
Asians are different, they are always subtle and graceful, even feelings will
hide their hearts. Especially girls, they are afraid of expressing their true
thoughts. In Chinese tradition, marriage is the basis of birth, then marriage,
and finally sex. But for the westerners, the order is completely different.
Westerners think the sex is first, and then marriage and birth.
3.2.4 The different view of marriage

From the ancient Greece platonic love evolved into modern-day
Knights of love, Independence, individuality liberation become the pursuit
of modern western love marriage theme. Unity of love and marriage,
insists on independence, freedom, they trust each other and respect each
other. In the West, most people belief Christianity, they think that marriage
is sacred, God blessing of marriage is not easily dissolved. They are loyal
to each other, religion belief makes them think people are guilty, people
live to atonement. The method of their prayer often with repentance or
gratitude, they bring the grateful to life, to the marriage. Their marriage
inject more tolerant and love, paying more than gaining. Meanwhile,
Westerners believe that marriage is a personal privacy, no person shall
interfere. One person has right to choose his favorite people living together,
once find marriage is a mistake, he is entitled to make a second choice,
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which also part of individual rights. In the form of view, Westerners like
love at first sight, like a warm forthright expression. From acquaintance, to
kiss, and then sleep together, sometimes even need not spend a day. They
always take the urgent release of a sudden passion frankly .In the film
although Rose and the wealthy descendants of Carl have a
marriage engagement, she does not like Carl. After she ran into Jack, both
of them fall in love quickly. They express to love each other
enthusiastically. Although her mother found ways to separate them,
ultimately was futile. Their true love can victory everything.
Since Confucius age, love never appears for formal occasions. And
Chinese saying goes “Only women and the villain are difficult to raise.”
Ignorance is woman’s virtue. As the pioneer of Chinese, how can they
advocate for an equitable of love? After the feudal Confucius, the society
requires a woman three and four virtues, requires a woman faithful to her
husband till death, asks a woman to be a virgin. But this opinion against
human nature and humanity exist in the world for thousands of years. In
fact, in the feudal period, men can marry three wives. But women must be
single- mindedness of love. Inequality is obvious, illiberality and
undemocratic is obvious too. In addition, marriage, grade, superstition and
other factors are also profound impact on people’s love and marriage. In
Chinese traditional marriage culture, the emphasis is on life forever and
together forever. So if people divorce, she will be suffered from other
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people’s worldly scorn and ridicule.

4 Conclusion
Through comparison, this thesis discusses and analyzes the differences
between Chinese and western culture on love and marriage from two
movies Titanic and the Hawthorn Love. By comparison, we found that the
historical background, ideas, ethical and religious differences, which lead
to the different values about love and marriage between China and the
west.











Bibliography

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1欣，“中西方传统爱情观比较”，：《文教资料》，第1期,
（2011年）：12-17。
2 余国瑞，《中国文化历程》：东南大学,2004年。
3 新柳，《东西方文化比较导论》：高等教育,2005年。
4梁敏仪，“以跨文化交际理 论中价值系统分析对比中西方爱情观和
婚姻观”，《读与写杂志》，第6期 （2009年）：87-89。
5 王祥云，《东西方传统文化比较》，：人民,2005年。
6 经建，“性爱文学：在中西比较中阐述”，《理论界》，第136期（,2009
年）：15-16。

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