Special College professor Hyangsoon Yi is from Korea, but she has learned much about America and its customs while attending universities here to obtain a masters and two doctorate degrees. On the afternoon of April 11 she took time to tell students at Oconee County High School about the cultures in East Asia among China, Korea and Japan. And there was a lot to tell, from greetings such as bowing instead of handshakes, to eating habits and clothing. Yi, who obtained a masters in English at Northeastern University and doctorates from Penn State and the University of Georgia, currently is a professor in UGA's Department of Comparative Literature. She was invited to the school by teacher Clarence Harris and the Multi-Cultural Committee, which hosts monthly talks on various cultures around the world.
Rice is a major stable of food in that region and they drink a lot of tea, rather than coffee.
She said there are many cultural differences between China, Korea and Japan from religions to language and writing. China has the oldest culture. How much the Chinese characters play a role in script depends on the country, she said. In Japan, Chinese characters are used often, whereas in Korea they try to avoid Chinese characters. Each country has a distinct sense of identity, she said.