What's "Guanxi"?
Guanxi is regarded as the central idea in Chinese society with long historical and cultural roots. lt is understood and utilized by virtually every Chinese person in greater or lesser measure.
Understanding how the Chinese view Guanxi is crucial to understanding Chinese people. lt is too simple to call Guanxi "relationships, "networking, or"connections", because all of these things are basic fbers of the Chinese culture.
Guanxi can take on many forms. lt does not have to be based on money. Developing and nurturing Guanxi requires time and resources. People rely on it not only for getting things done, but also for protection, security and support.
In the West, relationships grow out of deals. in China, deals grow out of relationships. Chinese prefer to work with persons they know and trust. This relationship extends between companies and also between individuals at an ongoing personal level. With manners, diligence, courtesy and goodwill, one establishes his/her own Guanxi.
For foreigners, no matter how much experience you have in western business management, the right "Guanxi" in China will make all the difference in ensuring success. The inevitable risks, barriers, and set-ups you'll encounter in China will be minimized when you have the right "Guanxi" network working for you. (You will see more explanations about "Guanxi" in the following experiences sharing by CEOs doing business in China.)
Tips: Repaying favors can be a very effective way of building Guanxi. Even small favors such as editing some English for a person's business or advising him on a trip to your country are appreciated and can help to build your Guanxi.
What’s “Mianzi”?
Mianzi, which means “face” in English, is a fundamental concept in the fields of sociology, sociolinguistics, semantics, politeness theory, psychology, political science, communication, and Face Negotiation Theory. It is a combination of dignity, pride and public reputation, particularly through the eyes of one's close connections.
As a famous Chinese saying goes, "Men live for face as trees grow for bark." Managing Mianzi is an integral part of Chinese etiquette. Surface harmony is the art of maintaining composure and remaining polite and courteous. It can be so important that Chinese may sweep aside business to
keep it.
What’s “Geimianzi”?
It means giving face, showing respect for a person's feelings. The Chinese are acutely sensitive to gaining and maintaining face in all aspects of social and business life. Simple ways of "giving face" could be sitting in the correct place at a meeting or dinner, offering an appropriate gift to a person, or giving praise and compliments.
Giving face earns respect and loyalty, but praise should be used sparingly. Over-use suggests insincerity on the part of the giver.
What’s “Meimianzi”?
It means losing face. Causing someone to lose face could ruin business prospects or even invite recrimination. The easiest way to cause someone to lose face is to insult an individual or criticize him/her in front of others. It is not really the act that causes a loss of face but the fact that the act is public, and there is public humiliation or loss of prestige involved. Westerners can unintentionally offend Chinese by making fun of them in a good-natured way.
Another error can be to treat someone as a subordinate when their status in an organization is high.
What’s “Liumianzi”?
It means giving someone a chance to regain lost honor. It can be very important in building long-term business relationships and friendships. For example, the Chinese feel it is rude to directly deny a request, and will either fail to give any response at all or will indirectly say "no" with a qualification such as, "Well, that might not be very convenient."
What’s “Yuanfen”?
Yuan or Yuanfen is a Buddhist-related Chinese concept that means the predetermined principle that dictates a person's relationships and encounters, usually positive, such as the affinity among friends or lovers. In common usage the term can be defined as the "binding force" that links two persons together in any relationship. The concept of synchronicity from the Swiss psychologist Carl Jung can be seen as similar to Yuanfen, which Chinese people also believe to be a universal force governing the happening of things to some people at some places. Yuanfen belongs to the family of concepts known in theology as determinism.
Unlike other Chinese social relations, which describe abstract, but easily noticeable, connections between people, nowadays, Chinese merely use this word poetically or to emphasize a meant-to-be relationship, and almost never in a serious business or legal situation.
