The most difficult part of a Chinese-Western marriage is the cultural differences. The traditional Chinese culture is     1     on the Confucian philosophy (儒家哲学). However, the Western culture is founded on ancient Greek and Roman civilizations. Cultural differences exist in almost every aspect and are therefore reflected in     2     relationship and marriage.

It is not easy to keep a Chinese-Western relationship, for cultural differences may result in     3    . From the traditional Chinese     4    , marriage is a relationship involving family, friends and relatives. In contrast, Westerners’ marriages recognize the     5     and privacy of the couple.

That is why Westerners sometimes cannot understand why we Chinese need to support our     6     if we are asked to do so. Chinese people need to maintain their “face” and “relations”. Even in a relationship, we are somehow still     7     to our family and relatives. Our partner has to understand it and at least does not oppose it.

My suggestion for the cross-cultural relationship is always trying to put yourself in the other’s shoes; always     8     your partner but making clear your own red lines; showing your interest in the     9     culture and carefully remarking on it and so on.

There have been more and more cross-cultural marriages     10     recently. I would like to take this chance to sincerely wish them the very best in their love journeys.

I had always been attracted to ethnic cultures. So I went to Dali, Yunnan province, a district of diverse minorities. A     1    super experience. In fact, at first, I thought there would be a large percentage of     2    made of primitive materials due to financial difficulty. However, it turned out that the downtown area     3    bars in which jazz was played and shops where special clothing, accessories and souvenirs were for sale. Many people are immigrants from other places. Some come to     4    their fortune or (to) earn a living while others     5    down to escape from the cold north of China. Afterwards, we     6     a neighborhood where the Bai ethnic group live. I participated in series of activities, including knowing poisonous mushrooms, learning about herbal medicine, and     7    items unique to the Bai. Apart from this, I tasted really spicy local food. I experienced the culture first hand and (I) wrote journals neatly every day.