A post on China's SNS Xiaohongshu (RED) asking 'Why does Chinese culture emphasize the collective, while the West emphasizes the individual?' sparked a strong response.

The poster stated, 'Why does Chinese culture emphasize the collective, while the West places more importance on the individual? This is a very big problem concerning the roots of culture,' and introduced an exchange with an American woman they met on HelloTalk (an app where you can learn languages through chat, etc., with native speakers).

According to her, the American woman stated that the reason individuals are emphasized in the West is due to the 'liberation of the individual' that advanced starting with the Renaissance, and since then, the trend of individuals being increasingly emphasized has continued. On the other hand, the poster explained to her that China emphasizes the collective because 'Confucian thought has been strong since ancient times, and the idea of achieving great results by sacrificing the individual has been emphasized.'

The poster asked other users, 'Which do you think is better: prioritizing the collective or prioritizing the individual?'

Chinese internet users' comments included: 'Chinese people aren't collectivist. Collectivism is emphasized on the surface, but in reality, one's own interests are paramount.' 'On the contrary, I think the East places more importance on individuals, and the West places more importance on collectives.' 'It's actually the opposite.' 'When something is promoted, it's often because that something is lacking.' 'Being emphasized means that it is lacking. In fact, China lacks the concept of collectivism, and the West lacks the concept of individualism.'

Other opinions included: 'The collective is emphasized only when people are asked to exert effort.' 'Individuals don't choose collectivism; they are merely forced into it.' 'When working, one is made a part of the collective, but when it's time to eat (gain benefits), one is excluded from the collective.' 'The most terrifying thing is that even when collectivism is promoted, it only benefits certain individuals.' 'When it comes to rights, the collective (its importance) is spoken of, but those rights are never granted to the collective. When it comes to responsibility, the individual is spoken of, and that (accountability) is enforced upon the individual.'

In addition, comments such as: 'The difference between livestock (collectivism) and humans (individualism).' 'Emphasizing the collective means that those who hold the power of distribution decide everything.' 'Collectivism is easier to manage. Jackie Chan also said, "We Chinese people need to be managed."' 'Western individualism is just talk by politicians. When sacrifice is needed, they are made to sacrifice just like in collectivism.' 'Both are two sides of the same coin.' 'Western culture is heavily influenced by Protestant Christianity and strongly encourages individualism. However, that does not mean that emphasizing the individual is superior to emphasizing the collective.' were also received.