Did Mao and Urbanisation kill off the Chinese smile? Or has it been like this for 3000 years?

Chinese culture has traditionally been one of keeping one's emotions in check in public (but not in private). For example, Confucius wrote more than once about how the ideal gentleman did not show emotions in public.

There are lots of studies and working papers about it:

www.china-mike.com/[...]

embots.dfki.de/mmc/mmc11/Luetal.pdf

www.plosone.org/[...]

jcc.sagepub.com/content/early/2013/11/28/0022022113513922

eview.anu.edu.au/cross-sections/vol6/pdf/ch08.pdf

And yes, you can blame it on Confucius. If you are inside the guanxi group, you smile. But you dont smile to people outside your guanxi group.

In 女子,女学 and 兒女英雄傳 it is described how a virtous woman is supposed to smile eg dont show your teeth...

The inside/outside guanxi thing also explains why Chinese poop next (and I really mean next to it) to the toilet in public toilets, but meet the hole and even flush the toilet in private.

Still, Chinese only pick and remember the things they want to. The above mentioned books also describe how a woman is supposed to behave, in which position to sleep, how to dress, how to approach husband and family and so on.
But to be honest, it's not a shame that a lot of cultural habits and traditions got lost during Maos time.

Kate, I would disagree and say that all cultural habits are equally valid. But yes, Confucius had much to do with the public display of emotion philosophy.

It also explains a lot about driving habbits...

@mmteacher: Sorry, but not all cultural habits are worth preserving.

Read the above mentioned books and we can talk about whether those habits had any legitimation to be preserved.

One good thing about Mao, he finally banned the foot binding

Kate, I must disagree. With the exception of a few basic things, such as murder, torture, rape, genocide, etc., I believe that all cultural habits are equally valid. Perhaps that is a product of my background, but it is how I feel. It is just my opinion though.

@mmteacher

Question:
Is foot binding valid?
Is 重男轻女 valid?

And about rape. In a lot of countries, rape inside a marriage is not considered as rape.

Try coming from a caste based culture and being on the low-end of the totem pole, and then re-evaluate the idea that all cultural habits are saving.

There are times when you don't show your emotions in China and you are taken for a sucker and ripped off. Nice cultural relic but I Disagree with a capital D.