Argument Processes, Harmony and Conflict in Chinese Societies (Report‪)‬

During the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, the Chinese character he, harmony, was displayed on the central stage with hundreds of floating boxes in its four ways of writing. While this performance before one of the largest possible audiences in the world can be taken as a manifestation of the importance of harmony in Chinese culture, it can also be taken as an argument to the world about the unity and progress of contemporary China. Harmony and argument are usually tightly linked in thinking about Chinese society and culture, so much so that little research exists on argument in China because it is presumed to be a form of disagreement and therefore is limited by the role of harmony in China. However, this example also illustrates the fundamental role of argument in convincing people, which may or may not involve disagreement.