Smiles and laughter usually convey friendliness,approval,satisfaction,pleasure,joy and merriment.This is generally true in China as well as the English-speaking countries.However,there are situations when some Chinese will laugh that will cause negative reactions by westerners.To illustrate,here is an excerpt from a letter by an American to a Chinese friend on nonverbal gestures that often cause cross-cultural misunderstanding:
“…One is the different meaning of laughter in China and American.When an American is parking his bicycle,for example,and the bicycle accidentally falls over,he feels embarrassed at his awkwardness,and is quite angered and humiliated when Chinese onlookers laugh.I have seen the same thing happen in the dining room,when a foreigner drops a plate quite by accident and feels badly and Chinese onlookers laugh,compounding his discomfort and causing anger and bad feeling.”
Such laughter,of course,is not at the person or his misfortune—whether he be a foreigner or a Chinese.It can convey a number of feelings:don’t take it so seriously; laugh it off,it’s nothing; such things can happen to any of us,etc.However,for people unaware of this attitude,the reaction to such laughter is usually quite unpleasant and often generates ill feeling towards those laughing.