Chapter One Introduction 1
1.1 Comparative Studies 2
1.2 Folk Cultures 3
Chapter Two Comparative Studies on New Year Cultures 5
2.1 New Year Celebrations in China 6
2.2 New Year Celebrations in Foreign Countries 14
2.3 Summary of the Comparative Study 19
Chapter Three Comparative Studies on Festival Cultures 22
3.1 Harvest Festivals in China 22
3.2 Harvest Festivals in Foreign Countries 25
3.3 Comparative Studies on Sino-US Festivals 32
3.4 Summary of the Comparative Study 60
Chapter Four Comparative Studies on Marriage Cultures 64
4.1 Marriage Culture in China 64
4.2 Marriage Cultures in Foreign Countries 71
4.3 Summary of the Comparative Study 106
Chapter Five Comparative Studies on Number Cultures 112
5.1 Cultural Connotations in Numbers 112
5.2 The Comparative Study of the Static Quantity Meaning 120
5.3 The Comparative Study on Rhetorical Functions 128
Chapter Six Comparative Studies on Tea Customs 136
6.1 Introduction 136
6.2 The Customs of Pure Tea Drinking 137
6.3 The Customs of Flavored Tea Drinking 140
6.4 Tea in China 143
6.5 Summary of the Comparative Study 146
Chapter Seven Comparative Studies on Dietary Cultures 149
7.1 The Characteristics of Dietary Habits in China 149
7.2 The Characteristics of Dietary Habits in Japan 155
7.3 The Characteristics of Dietary Habits in France 157
7.4 The Characteristics of Dietary Habits in America 159
7.5 Summary of the Comparative Study 161
Chapter Eight Comparative Studies on Table Manners 164
8.1 Table Manners in China 164
8.2 Dining Etiquette in Western Countries 167
8.3 Summary of the Comparative Study 168
Chapter Nine Conclusion 171