日中関係

Several years ago,54 year old Chinese male immigrant in NY smashed the skull of his Chinese wife with a big hammer after learning her having an affair with fellow Chinesemen. Then he was prosecuted as a first degree murderer.The defendant eventuallyclaimed "cultural defence" to lower his culpability. It was at NY state court. He brought up the culture of the continental China as being that Chinese husband whose wife slept with other men is allowed to retaliate her even with deadly weapon. Amazingdefence! The judge picked up an expert opinion indicating that the eratic Chinese culture strengthened his belief that his wife was morally decayed and deserved to be killed and allowed him to be punished as light as a second degree murderer. At trial,Chen(the defendant's name) claimed that he had a hard time in assimilating himself in American life style where women are allowed to enjoy as much equally with men as possible. He could not understand his wife having her own decision to adultery. He said tothe court that the fact that he killed the bitch had nothing to do with wrongdoing.He was from a town one hundred miles north of Beijing and as a graduate of some technical school he worked there before immigration; therefore,he is an above averageChinese man.
There are several similar cases in the United States:People v.Chen,No.87-7774(NYSupCt),People v.Wu(286CalRptr868),etc.
I assume the Chinese immigrants & temporary workers as well to Europe and Japan will claim the same defense should theybe accused of the similar conducts. I think those American cases indicate the Chinese in general are not quite easily assimilated within foreign culture.They are not flexible.The immigrants of the first generation talk and argue but never understandthe foreign culture and society. Therefore, Mr.Chen behaved as if he was in China facing his wife doing of her own. Of course, American cases show extremes of the Chinese but I daresay that for many it is easy to imagine Chinesestudents,workers,barwaitresses, etc living currently in Japan have had really a hard time to adjust themselves to the Japanese affluent society that is totally different from continental Chinese society.