Difference between revisions of "Guanxi (China)"

In contemporary Chinese society, most people rely on the help of well-positioned friends, relatives, former classmates, persons from the same hometown, co-workers, and other connections to help them get through life. These are long-term relationships that already have built-in obligations for mutual help and reciprocity. If one needs the help of an influential person, but there is no prior relationship, then a new ''guanxi'' must be initiated and carefully cultivated.  Often the help of ''guanxi'' intermediaries are necessary to introduce one to a targeted person who may grant a favor. Once the introduction is made, one needs to cultivate the relationship over some time, with friendly visits or conversation, and gift-giving or a banquet, before a request can be made with decorum. Culturally, there must be a crucial temporal delay in-between the gift offering and the request or repayment. The offering of the gift, favor, or banquet must be couched in terms of friendship, rather than naked instrumentalism, so that sociality, affect, and utility co-exist as key components of ''guanxi''. Otherwise, without sociality or affect, the relationship would be considered a simple barter or bribery, which are culturally disparaged.

In contemporary Chinese society, most people rely on the help of well-positioned friends, relatives, former classmates, persons from the same hometown, co-workers, and other connections to help them get through life. These are long-term relationships that already have built-in obligations for mutual help and reciprocity. If one needs the help of an influential person, but there is no prior relationship, then a new ''guanxi'' must be initiated and carefully cultivated.  Often the help of ''guanxi'' intermediaries are necessary to introduce one to a targeted person who may grant a favor. Once the introduction is made, one needs to cultivate the relationship over some time, with friendly visits or conversation, and gift-giving or a banquet, before a request can be made with decorum. Culturally, there must be a crucial temporal delay in-between the gift offering and the request or repayment. The offering of the gift, favor, or banquet must be couched in terms of friendship, rather than naked instrumentalism, so that sociality, affect, and utility co-exist as key components of ''guanxi''. Otherwise, without sociality or affect, the relationship would be considered a simple barter or bribery, which are culturally disparaged.

==''Guanxi'', Bribery and Corruption==

==''Guanxi'', Bribery and Corruption==