【正文】
ationship between human beings. This thought, however, is in conflict with the mainstream of western ideology, which pays more attention to individualism. Besides, the mysterious beliefs of Taoism are strange to the westerners, most of whom believe in God and Christianity. What’s more, the Chinese have different ways of educating and nurturing their children, and different ways of cooking. They are thought by the Americans as having weird beliefs and a “brutal” way of eating. As a result, the traditional Chinese beliefs are treated as heathen ones, and the Chinese culture is viewed as the “Other” by the westerners. In the novel, the mothers are the representative of the Chinese culture, while the daughters, that of the American culture. The clash and mingling of the two cultures work together as a thread running through the entire novel. Amy Tan, as a member of the second generation ChineseAmericans, reconstructs and represents the traditional Chinese culture to the world, and has gained great fame in Chinese American literature. This thesis attempts to analyze the Chinese cultural background in The Joy Luck Club from three aspects: Chinese family value, Chinese dietary culture and Chinese religious beliefs.Key Words: Chinese Culture。 Confucianism。 Chinese Diet。 Religious BeliefsContentsIntroduction………………………………………………………1Part One: Chinese Family Value……...………………………3 Confucianism: Doctrine of the Chinese………………………3 Women’s Status………………………………………………5 Communication between Parents and Children………………6Part Two: Chinese Dietary Culture...…………………..………8 Etiquette of Diet………………………..………………………8 Ways of Cooking……………………………………………......9Part Three: Chinese Beliefs………..……………..……………...11 Wuxing and Fengshui………………………………………11 Ancestor Worship ……………………………………………13Conclusion………………………………………………………...14Notes………………………………………………………………17Bibliography……………………………………………………....18Acknowledgements…………………………….…………………20