演讲者：卢俐廷 <font color="#ff8a00"><b>Cultural Differences between China and Malaysia</b></font><div><font color="#ff8a00"><br></font><b><font color="#39b54a"> Good morning, everyone! It's a great honor to be here on this beautiful Thursday morning to share with you my sentiments about the cultural differences between China and Malaysia.</font></b><div><br><font color="#167efb"> The first cultural difference I would like to discuss is their educational systems. In China, Chinese education is unified. However, although the national language of Malaysia is Malay, in terms of education, the three major ethnic groups have their own educational systems. There are schools with Malay, English, Chinese and Tamil as their main instructional languages. Many people are unaware that Malaysia has the most comprehensive Chinese education system in the world excluding China. People can freely choose any type of school. So be cautious when gossiping about other ethnic groups in Malaysia, as they may understand what you are saying.</font></div><div><br><font color="#39b54a"> When it comes to education, there is another distinct difference between China and Malaysia. Secondary schools in China have evening self-study. I was shocked when I first learned about this, since in Malaysia, the basic school time in secondary schools is 7 to 8 hours. Schools are dismissed at 2 to 3 p.m., even if there are <b>extra</b>curricular activities, students will leave school before 5 p.m.</font></div><div><br><b> Furthermore, it is a linguistic difference that most of the time people in China communicate in Mandarin, with the exception of some people who speak dialects related with their hometowns. However, in Malaysia, Chinese, English, Malay and even dialects such as Hokkien and Cantonese may appear in one sentence. In linguistics, this is known as code switching, and it is common in multicultural societies such as Malaysia.</b></div><div><br><font color="#ff8a00"> In terms of religion, the majority of Chinese are either non-religious or adhere to Buddhism, Taoism, and Christianity. While Malaysia is a Muslim country, Malays’ Muslim identity begins instantly at birth, and the law prohibits all Muslims from proselytizing, whether they are later converted or in their own faith, and only a very small number of Muslims are able to convert later. But in fact, aside from the Malays, all ethnic groups enjoy the right to religious freedom. At 6 a.m. in Malaysia, you can hear the sound of Muslim prayers; you can also find several different religious sites on a single street, such as a Buddhist temple next to a church and a Hindu temple next to a Buddhist temple.</font></div><div><br><font color="#39b54a"> Besides that, the cultural differences between China and Malaysia that derived from religions are festivals. In China, people only celebrate Chinese festivals; but in Malaysia, all ethnic groups celebrate their festivals together. Festivals of various ethnic groups will be designated as national public holidays in Malaysia. For example, the Chinese have the Chinese New Year, the Malays have the Hari Raya, and the Indians have the Deepavali. Each ethnic group has its own way of celebrating alongside their own special food, and various ethnic groups will visit each other to bless. Therefore, there will be opportunities to celebrate the New Year several times a year.</font></div><div><br><font color="#39b54a"> The following cultural differences are built on the climates of the two countries. China is a massive country with various climates, but most areas have four seasons. Unlike Malaysia is a tropical country located nearly on the equator, with no four seasons, only summer throughout the year, so you only need to buy summer clothing. In Malaysia, T-shirts, shorts together with slippers are very common ways to dress. Malaysians also bathe two to three times a day due to the weather.</font></div><div> <br><b>To conclude, cultural differences are caused by different ethnic groups' cultural and historical backgrounds, as well as their aesthetic psychology. They are rooted in societal development and historical precipitation, and it is a permanent cultural phenomenon. We should understand the cultural backgrounds and social customs of various regions and nations. With the rapid advancement of information technology today, the world in which people live is shrinking, and people from diverse cultural backgrounds are communicating more and more. It is critical for modern people to understand cultural differences, improve cultural adaptability, and then promote cross-cultural communication.</b></div><div> <br><b><font color="#b06fbb">That's all of my speech, thank you for your kind attention.</font></b><br></div><div><br><br></div></div> Feedback:<br>沈雨鑫同学~<br>PARAGRAPH 1<br>1. honor and pleasure > honor<br>PARAGRAPH 3<br>2. significant > distinct<br>PARAGRAPH 4<br>3. in China is communicated > people in China communicate<br>4. within the same sentences > in one sentence<br>PARAGRAPH 6<br>5. alongside their own > alongside with their own<br>PARAGRAPH 7<br>6. varying > various<br>7. t-shirts and shorts with slippers > T-shirts, shorts together with slippers<br>PARAGRAPH 8<br>8. they are > it is<br>9. various > diverse<br><br>林佳慧同学 ~ You can start by introducing the two countries and then discuss the cultural differences between them.