Hello and welcome to Chinese Whispers with me, Cindy Yu.

Every episode, I'll be talking to journalists, experts and longtime China watchers about the latest in Chinese politics, society and more.

There'll be a smattering of history to catch you up on the background knowledge

and some context as well.

How do the Chinese see these issues?

This episode is about something that people in the West haven't heard much about,

but is a deep-rooted part of all Chinese people's lives.

And that is the notion of filial piety.

Now, that sounds like something out of Confu Panda

with how archaic it sounds.

And the reason for that is because there's not really a good direct translation

of the notion of Xiao, as it is known in Chinese.

And I guess the thing that comes closest to it is just respect for your

elders. But in Chinese culture, that respect for your elders goes much deeper than just giving up your

bus seat. It dictates your relationship with your parents, with your grandparents, and what you

expect your children to do for you when you are older too. It's what underpins

China's intergenerational family structure where you see grandchildren and grandparents living under

the same roof. And it's the difference of what Chinese children and Western children grow up

being praised for. In China, a child might be praised for being guay, obedient, whereas that is not so much a quality to be

sought out in Western children. So on this episode, I'm joined by the anthropologist, Professor

Charlotte Eichols, who has studied the Chinese family structure and the notion of filial piety

extensively. Charlotte, welcome to the podcast. First of all, I wonder if you can start by explaining what filial piety is.

...