- Guanxi
Chinese
title=Guānxi
t=關係
s=关系
p=guānxi"Guānxi" describes the basic dynamic in the complex nature of personalized networks of influence and social relationships, and is a central concept in Chinese society. In Western media, the
pinyin romanization of this Chinese word is becoming more widely used instead of the two common translations—"connections" and "relationships"—as neither of those terms sufficiently reflect the wide cultural implications that "guānxi" describes.Closely related concepts include that of gǎnqíng, a measure which reflects the depth of feeling within an interpersonal relationship, rénqíng, the moral obligation to maintain the relationship, and "face", divided into the concepts of "mian" (or "mianzi") meaning social status and prestige, and liǎn, the idea of being perceived as a morally correct actor within society.
Description
At its most basic, "guānxi" describes a personal connection between two people in which one is able to prevail upon another to perform a favor or service, or be prevailed upon. The two people need not to be of equal social status. "Guānxi" can also be used to describe a network of contacts, which an individual can call upon when something needs to be done, and through which he or she can exert influence on behalf of another. In addition, "guānxi" can describe a state of general understanding between two people: "he/she is aware of my wants/needs and will take them into account when deciding her/his course of future actions which concern or could concern me without any specific discussion or request".
The term is not generally used to describe relationships within a family, although "guānxi" obligations can sometimes be described in terms of an extended family. The term is also not generally used to describe relationships that fall within other well-defined societal norms (e.g. boss-worker, teacher-student, friendship). The relationships formed by "guānxi" are personal and not transferable.
When a "guānxi" network violates
bureaucratic norms, it can lead to corruption, and "guānxi" can also form the basis of patron-client relations.Usage examples
Someone is described as having "good guānxi" if their particular network of influence could assist in the resolution of the problem currently being spoken about.
The most common response to indicate acceptance of an apology in
Standard Mandarin is "méi(yǒu) guānxi" (沒(有)關係/没(有)关系) which literally translated means "doesn't have "guānxi" [implications] "."Guānxi" is most often used in the press when "guānxi" obligations take precedence over civic duties, leading to
nepotism andcronyism [Citation
last = Cohen
first = Jerome
author-link = Jerome A Cohen
title = A just legal system
newspaper = International Herald Tribune
year = 2007
date = December 11, 2007
url = http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/12/11/opinion/edcohen.php ] [Citation
last = Ansfield
first = Jonathan
author-link = Jonathan Ansfield
title = Where Guanxi Rules
newspaper = Newsweek
year = 2007
date = December 17, 2007
url = http://www.newsweek.com/id/74369 ] .imilar concepts in other cultures
Sociologists have linked "guanxi" with the concept of
social capital (it has been described as aGemeinschaft value structure), and it has been exhaustively described in studies of Chinese economic and political behavior, including those listed below.In Middle Eastern culture, "wasta" is a similar concept; in Italy, "raccomandato" and "raccomandazione" are similar concepts.
ee also
*
Social network
*Chinese social relations
*Blat, the Russian equivalent
*Old boy network
*Good ol' boy network External links
* [http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/1279 Questioning Guanxi: Definition, Classification and Implications] by Ying Fan International Business Review, 11:5, 543-561, 2002.
* [http://www.chinasuccessstories.com/2007/08/22/scientific-study-on-guanxi-in-business/ Definition, meaning and application of guanxi in Chinese business life] , scientific study on Guanxi in relation to business.
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/4298284.stm China's modern power house] ,BBC article discussing the role of Guanxi in the modern governance of China.
* [http://guanxi.pbwiki.com/ What is guanxi?] Wiki discussion about definitions of guanxi, developed by the publishers of [http://www.guanxionline.com Guanxi: The China Letter] .
*"Guanxi, The art of relationships", by Robert Buderi, Gregory T. Huang, ISBN 0-7432-7322-2.
* [http://www.gcis.com.cn/China/CharacterGuanxi.htm China Characteristics - Regarding Guanxi]References
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