A narrative inquiry of the intergenerational transmission of cultural family values in mainland China

This qualitative study of narrative inquiry involved fifty-eight families in mainland China. The life histories and lived experiences of one hundred and fifty-six people across three generations, amounting to 600,000 words, were recorded as narrative materials about the intergenerational transmission of cultural family values within the past seventy years. Findings indicate that parents hold a notable importance in value transmission. The changing but still significant core values such as filial piety, educational aspirations, collective personhood and patriotism, and the cultivation of moral values are often associated with Chinese families and are underpinned by the national discourse of harmony, stability, and loyalty. Additionally, storytelling, parental modelling, direct teaching, and behaviour training are the primary means of communicating and imparting cultural family values. Children need more opportunities to reflect about what they are taught concerning moral and cultural values.