Writing Styles: differences between eastern and western writing styles

The following story, "The Rice Puller from Chaohwa," tells of an impatient farmer in a circular writing form.

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Long ago in Chaohwa, there lived a farmer named Liu. One day, he was standing in his rice fields looking at the young rice plants growing in his patties. He saw how small they were and decided to help them grow. Liu reached down and pulled each plant so [that] it stood a bit taller.

The days past and Liu again decided to help his rice plants grow. He went to his rice patties, and pulled each plant a bit out of the water to help the rice grow.

A week later, Liu was watching his rice patties from his home. He decided to help the plants grow one last time. He went out to his rice patties and helped each plant grow taller.

The next morning, when Liu woke-up, he looked out at his fields and saw the rice floating on the surface wilted and brown. Liu hung his head in shame for his family did not get any money from their crops that year.

From that day forward, his neighbors remind each other, "Don't be a rice puller!"
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The above story shows how the writer of the circular form uses examples to reinforce the objective of the story. By restating how Liu consistently helped his plants grow, the main idea is then reinforced. This writer assumes that the meaning will be understood through the examples. Writers who are more familiar with the linear writing style often misunderstand the circular writing style. They believe that the meaning is unclear because it is not directly stated in a thesis statement or reiterated in either the body or the conclusion. Writers of the circular style would respond to this by explaining that the meaning was clearly provided in the last sentence of the story when, "Don't be a rice puller" was written.

(The above version of "The Rice Puller" can be found in: "The Rice Puller from Chaohwa." (1993).)

To further show the differences between the linear and circular writing styles, "The Rice Puller from Chaohwa" has been rewritten in a linear form in the story, "The Impatient Farmer."

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Long ago in Chaohwa, there lived a farmer named Liu. Liu was a very impatient farmer. The villagers always joked about how he never took time to do things slowly. They would watch Liu hurry through his chores, rush to the market, and race home to plant more crops. Liu, it seemed, had no patience.

One day, Liu was standing in his rice fields looking at the young rice plants growing in his patties. He saw how small they were and, having no patience, decided to help them grow. Liu reached down and pulled each plant so it stood a bit taller.

The days past and Liu again decided to help his rice plants grow. He went to his rice patties and pulled each plant a bit out of the water to help the rice grow a bit faster.

A week later Liu was again watching his rice patties from his home. He decided to help the plants grow one last time. He went out to his rice patties and helped each plant grow taller.

The next morning when Liu woke-up he looked out at his fields and saw the rice floating on the surface wilted and brown. Liu hung his head in shame for his family did not get any money from their crops that year. From that day forward, the villagers said, "Don't be a rice puller," if someone needed to be more patient.
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The first change that is made in "The Rice Puller from Chaohwa" was the title. Rather than assuming that the meaning will be demonstrated through examples, this linear writer immediately states the goal in the title of the story. The objective is then restated in the introduction, throughout the body of the paper, and, finally, in the conclusion. Writers of a circular form believe the linear version to be boring due to the consistent reminder. As well, that it lacks creativity. However, the linear writer would dispute this by explaining that it's better to immediately state the purpose than risk having the objective misunderstand.

(Chinese Folklore and Legends. Trans. Gretchen Leach Warzecha. Shanghai, People's Republic of China: Shanghai Press.)

Technically, there is no right or wrong way to structure a paper. The above examples are simply a reflection of the writers' cultural expectations. Writers of the circular style expect that readers will take the time to reflect on the examples and learn the objective. Whereas, writers of the linear style directly state the objective so that readers cannot misinterpret their meaning. This expectation is then carried over to the way readers assess papers. However, deciding the "correct" way to structure a paper is decided by the surrounding dominate culture.