Do Asians from mainland look at a person directly in the eyes during conversations?

In some cultures, direct eye contact is consider as provocative challenge. In north America, people prefer direct eye contact in conversation.

Is there any difference between Asian culture and American culture regarding eye to eye contact in conversation?

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Not everybody in North America does direct eye contact, picky. Most Native cultures do not. I don't know if it's the same for the First Nations in Canada or for Aboriginals in Australia.
This is why talking to my professors is hard for me. When I am with people younger than me or in less formal settings, I can manage, but I feel all hinky about it with someone who has authority over me. If a professor or pastor makes eye contact with me, during a lecture or sermon, I feel so shy and I have to look at the ground, and I am not normally shy.

i do not always give direct eye contact. it depends on who the person is. i have found a way to just generally look into the person's face so they know i am paying attention (or faking it sometimes, like my family).

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A vegetarian who eats fish is like a pacifist who occasionally punches a small child in the face!

for the men, indirect eye contact mean he is indecisive. He can lose on job promotion or not getting a job.

I always look at people in the eyes when I talk to them. If I don't it is rude of me. All Asians I have talked to have looked me into my eyes.

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The confusion, I believe, comes from one specific situation:

When you are being reprimanded/scolded by someone in a position of authority over you, such as a parent or boss.

In Chinese (and most Eastern) culture, you're expected to look down to express remorse and respect for the person speaking to you.

In Western culture, you're expected to look back at the person speaking to you in order to express that you are paying attention to what they are saying.

In either culture, if you look anywhere else, you're being disrespectful.

In normal conversation, most people look directly at each other. If you do otherwise, it's as if you're not paying attention to them.

This is true about old school Asians especially when taking to older person. I was like this until freshman in college, one of my professor gave me such shit about not looking him in the eyes during the conversation I forced to change my attitude. Of all people he was a Korean too but I'm glad that he did because I agree with him that it's a lot more engaging to talking to someone with an eye contact.