Difference between revisions of "Guanxi (China)"

The Chinese word “''guanxi''” (关系 pronounced “''guan-shee''”) literally means “relationship” or “connection.”  It also refers to an important aspect of contemporary Chinese culture:  the need to “use” ''guanxi'', or call on personal or social connections to get things done, acquire a scarce commodity, or gain access to an opportunity.  In this sense, ''guanxi'' is a dyadic social exchange relationship, in which one person helps the other, and in return, the other owes a social debt.  Thus, ''guanxi'' in practice is like a gift-exchange between two persons, in which there is affect or good feelings (''renqing''), a mutual obligation to help the other, and reciprocity, or the expectation of repayment at a later date. Gifts, favors, and banquets are the objects of exchange, and the debt may sometimes be repaid after several years.

The Chinese word “''guanxi''” (关系 pronounced “''guan-shee''”) literally means “relationship” or “connection.”  It also refers to an important aspect of contemporary Chinese culture:  the need to “use” ''guanxi'', or call on personal or social connections to get things done, acquire a scarce commodity, or gain access to an opportunity.  In this sense, ''guanxi'' is a dyadic social exchange relationship, in which one person helps the other, and in return, the other owes a social debt.  Thus, ''guanxi'' in practice is like a gift-exchange between two persons, in which there is affect or good feelings (''renqing''), a mutual obligation to help the other, and reciprocity, or the expectation of repayment at a later date. Gifts, favors, and banquets are the objects of exchange, and the debt may sometimes be repaid after several years.

[[File:Guanxi Logo.gif|400px|thumb|left|]]

[[File:Guanxi Logo.gif|400px|thumb|left|]]

When a person is socially adept in the deployment of ''guanxi'', he or she is said to be skilled in ''guanxixue'' (关系学 pronounced ''guan-shee-shué''), which means “the study of” or “the art of cultivating ''guanxi''.” While relying on social connections is true of every society, most scholars would agree that this practice is more prevalent and more discursively elaborated in contemporary China than many other places in the world. Certainly, “the art of ''guanxi''” is more important in China than “connections” in modern Western societies, where individualism and self-reliance are emphasized. For these reasons, “''guanxi'' studies” have become a cottage industry in China Studies, generating many academic papers in the fields of anthropology, sociology, business management, political science, and history. While the study of informal relations tends to be peripheral in many other academic contexts, in English-language China Studies, ''guanxi'' is a recognizable theme, since non-Chinese scholars have seen ''guanxi'' as a prominent feature of contemporary Chinese culture.

When a person is socially adept in the deployment of ''guanxi'', he or she is said to be skilled in ''guanxixue'' (关系学 pronounced ''guan-shee-shué''), which means “the study of” or “the art of cultivating ''guanxi''.” While relying on social connections is true of every society, most scholars would agree that this practice is more prevalent and more discursively elaborated in contemporary China than many other places in the world. Certainly, “the art of ''guanxi''” is more important in China than “connections” in modern Western societies, where individualism and self-reliance are emphasized. For these reasons, “''guanxi'' studies” have become a cottage industry in China Studies, generating many academic papers in the fields of anthropology, sociology, business management, political science, and history. While the study of informal relations tends to be peripheral in many other academic contexts, in English-language China Studies, ''guanxi'' is a recognizable theme, since non-Chinese scholars have seen ''guanxi'' as a prominent feature of contemporary Chinese culture.