western and Chinese dog culture中西狗文化.docx

western and Chinese dog culture中西狗文化.docx

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westernandChinesedogculture中西狗文化

WesternandChineseDogCulture

NameoftheCause:

WesternCulture

Teacher’sName:

XXXXX

Students’Names：

XXXXX

XXXXX

SchoolofForeignLanguageandLiterature,WHU

May,2012

Contents

Ⅰ.Introduction┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄3

Ⅱ.WesterndogculturecomparedwithChinesedogculture

1.Westerndogculture┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄3

2.Chinesedogculture┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄5

Ⅲ.Debateoneatingdog┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄6

Ⅳ.Conclusion┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄7

Ⅴ.Reference┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄8

Ⅵ.Appendix┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄9

1.somedogbreeds┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄9

2.dogsinourlife┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄9

3.thewholelifeofadog┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄10

DogCultureinChinaandtheWest

Ⅰ.Introduction

"Heisyourfriend,yourpartner,yourdefender,yourdog.Youarehislife,hislove,hisleader.Hewillbeyours,faithfulandtrue,tothelastbeatofhisheart.Youoweittohimtobeworthyofsuchdevotion."-----------unknown

DogsenjoyauniquerelationshipwithhumansunlikeanyotherdomesticatedspeciescapableofservingourmanywhimsicalandutilitarianneedsandaccordingtoSerpell（1995）,“domesticdogsareunusualorexceptionalinsomanydifferentrespects,”pointingouttheywerethefirstdomesticatedspeciescreatinga“revolutionarychangeinhumanaffairs.”①

However，dogsarenotalwaysperceivedortreatedinthesamewayindifferentcultures.ThereisasharpcontrastaboutdogsbetweenWesterncultureandChineseculture.Inthispaper,wewillmakeacomparisonbetweenthetwo.

Ⅱ.WesterndogculturecomparedwithChinesedogculture

1.Westerndogculture

InWesterncountries,dogsarecalled“man’sbestfriend”.Peoplekeepdogsaspetsandregardthemastheirloyalfriends.ManyWesternershaveadogastheirlifecompanionandsomeevendeedtheirpropertytotheirdog.Whenadogdies,itsownermayholdafuneralorevenamemorialservice,andthedogwillbeinterredinagraveyardspecialfordogs.JintheeyesofWesterners,dogsaretheirequalsandtheytreatthemwithrespect.Insomecountries,therearelawsthatprotectdogsfrombeinghurtbyhuman.TakeRussiaasanexample,onecanbeputintoprisonforbeatingdog,andthetermofimprisonmentrangesfromtwodaystoaweek.

What’smore,intheWest,therehavealreadybeenmanyserviceindustriesrelatingtodogs.Forexample,thereareshopsspeciallysellingdogfood.Ifyourdoggetssick,youcantakeittoapethospitalwherethereareprofessionaldoctorsspecializingindogdisease.Andifyouaregoingawayforafewdaysfromyourhouse,don’tworryaboutyourdog,becausetherearedogcarecentersthatcanlookafteryourdogforyou.Apartfromthose,thereareevendogcanteen,doghotel,dogplayground,dogtrainingcenter,dogbeautysalonandsoon.

Inaddition,insomeWesterncountries,therearedog-relatingfestivals.InCanada,manycitieshaveadogfestivalonthesecondTuesdayofOctobereveryyear.Onthatday,alldogswillhaveaone-dayholiday.Theredon’thavetodoanyworklikesleighride.Andthereisaalwaysabeautycontestfordogs.Thedogownerswilldressuptheirdogswithdecorativeflowersandcolorfulribbons.Duringthewholeday,thedogsarefreetoeatallkindsofdeliciousfood.

IntheWest,therearealsomanyliteraryworksandmoviesaboutdogs.Forexample,EugeneO’Neill,agreatAmericanwriterwhowontheNobelPrizeforliteraturein1936,haswrittenafamousnovelTheLastWillandTestamentofaDog.Ittellsusatouchingstorybetweenamanandhisdogandithasmovedmillionsofreaderstotears.Asformovies,therearealotmore,suchasHatchi,MarleyandMe,Lassie,HotelforDogsandsoon.Inalltheseworksofliteratureandart,dogsareoftenportrayedashonest,uprightandloyal.

Theimageofdogcanalsobeobservedintheusageoftheword“dog”inEnglishlanguage.

①“Dog”isoftenusedwithapositivemeaningtorefertoaperson.

E.g.aluckydog-------aluckyperson,

atopdog----------apersonwhoisincharge,

agaydog----------ahappyperson.

②Somephrasesandidiomswiththeword“dog”alsoconveysomepositivemeaning,

E.g.worklikeadog----workveryhard,

diedogforsomebody-----beveryloyaltoyourfriend）,

Loveme,lovemydog.-----Ifyoulikesomeone,youshouldaccepteverythingaboutthem.,

Everydoghashisday.-----Everyoneissuccessfulduringsomeperiodintheirlife.,

Agooddogdeservesagoodbone.-----Onegoodturndeservesanother.

Anolddogbarksnotinvain.------Whenolddogbarks,ithassomemeaning.

③Insomeexpressions,theword“dog”hasaneutralmeaning.

E.g.bedogat-------beexperiencedin

dogdays-------thehottestperiodoftheyear

raindogsandcats-----rainheavily

adog’slife-----amiserablelife

Youdon’tgetadogandbarkyourself.-----Ifthereissomeoneinalowerpositionwhocanorshoulddoatask,thenyoushouldn’tdoit.

Allinall,inWesternculture,dogstendappearasapositiveimageandtheyarehighlythoughtofbypeople.

2.Chinesedogculture

InChina’slonghistory,dogshavebeeninalowsocialstatuswithlittleimportance.Inthefeudaltimes,thesocietywasrigidlystratified,andevenofferingsforsacrificealsohadastricthierarchicaldivision.Theemperorhadtherighttokillcattle,goatsandpigsasoffering,andgovernmentofficialscouldkillgoatsandpigs,whileordinarypeoplewereonlyallowedtokilldogsbesideschickens.FromthiswecanseethatdogshadaverylowsocialpositioninancientChina.

DuringtheZhoudynasty,theprevalenceofeatingdogfirstbeganinthenorthernpartofChina,andthensoonspreadtootherpartsofthecountry.DuringQinandHandynasty,thewholesociety,fromthearistocracytolowerclass,wereallfondofeatingdogs,anddogmeathadbecomeanordinaryitemonpeople’srecipe.What’smore,thispracticewereintroducedtoneighboringcountrieslikeKorea,andgraduallybecomeapartoftheirculture.However,thisdog-eatingculturehasarousedbittercontroversy.We’lltalkaboutthisinthesectionbelow.

InancientChina,asidefrombeingcookedasadish,dogsmainlyfunctionedasthehouseguard,hencethename“watchdog”.Generally,theywereill-treatedbytheirowners.Theyateswill;theysleptinshabbykennels,usuallyinthefrontyard.What’sworse,theywereoftenbeatenbytheirowners,eitherforpunishmentorasapunchingbagwhenitsmasterwasinabadmood.Forexample,thereisalittlestoryinthebookLieZi,animportantliteratureofTaoism.ItwasaboutamancalledYangBu.Oneday,hewentoutinawhitecoat,butitgotwetbecauseoftheunexpectedrain,sohetookitoffandwentbackinablackgarment.Hisdogdidn’trecognizehimandbarkedathim,whichmadehimsoangrythathekilleditatonce.Fromthisstory,wecanconcludethat,inancientChina,dogswereveryhumbleandlivedamiserablelife.

ThenhowarethingsgoinginmodernChina?

Well,generallyspeaking,dog’ssocialpositionhasbeenelevated.Keepingdogasapethasbecomeafashion,anddogsarenowlivingabetterlife.But,comparedwithWesterners,Chinesestilllackawarenessofdogprotection.Manypeoplefollowthetraditionofeatingdogasbefore.Andthoughtherehavebeenalotofprotectingwildlifeandendangeredanimals,fewlawsorregulationshavebeenmadetoprotectordinaryanimalslikedogandcat.It’sreallyadefectinChina’slegalsystem.

Accordingly,let’sexaminethemeaningoftheword“dog”inChineselanguage.UnlikeinEnglish,theword“dog”hasaverynegativemeaninginChinese.Herearesomeexamples:

狗胆包天monstrousaudacity

狗急跳墙Adogwillleapoverawallindesperation。

狗屁不通unreadablerubbish

狗崽子sonofabitch

狗杂种bastard

狗头军师apersonwhooffersbadadvice;

狗眼看人低（especiallyindicatingapersonoflowposition）

lookdownuponeverybodyelse

So,inoneword,eitherinancientChinaorinmodernChina,dogsaredespisedandpoorlytreated.

Ⅲ.Debateoneatingdog

Aswehavementionedabove,ChinesepeoplehasatraditionofeatingdogforalongtimeandithasinfluencedotherAsiancountrieslikeKorea.Apparently,itgoesagainstWesterners’ideaaboutdogs,sotheystronglyopposesuchpractice.Forexample,whenSouthKoreaandJapanco-hostedthe17thFootballWorldCupin2002,Koreangovernmenthadplanedtoholdagreatdogmeatbanquettowelcomeplayersfromallaroundtheworld,butitranintoresistancefromWesternplayers.Outofthefrustration,thegovernmenthadtogiveitup.

FortheWesterners,itiscompletelyunacceptabletoeat“man’sbestfriend”.ToughtheyeatmuchmoremeatthanChinese,theywon’teatdogmeat.Theyconsideritascruel,inhuman,uncivilized,immoral,andagainstanimalrights.WhileforChinese,thereisnothingwrongwitheatingdogmeat.Theyconsiderdogsasthesameaspigsorcows.TheeatingofdogmeatinChinadatesbackthousandsofyearsanditremainssociallyacceptable.Itisthoughttohavemedicinalproperties,andisespeciallypopularinwintermonths,asitisbelievedtogenerateheatandpromotebodilywarmth.ThemeatispopularinGuangdongandGuangxifromwhenceitwentonthemenuforChineseastronautstoconsumeinouterspace.

KeepingdogsaspetswasbannedinChinathroughouttheCulturalRevolution.However,sincethatbanhasbeenlifted,dogownershiphasbecomeincreasinglypopularinChina’smiddleclass.WiththeincreasingnumberofdogloversinChina,moreandmorepeoplearebecomingconcernedabouttheissue,andtherehavebeenanoutcryfromactivistsagainsteatingdogswhilesomeotherpeoplestillinsistonkeepingthetradition.In2011,forthefirsttimein600