Social Capital Networking in China and the Traditional Values of Guanxi

This chapter highlights Chinese core values, in particular in interpersonal relations. The ultimate judgement about how to behave in the Chinese ethical system is not based on ‘any distant religious ideal conceived in abstract terms’, but instead on something which is immediately accessible and which is largely acted in terms of relationship rules (Redding 1990:62). Unlike in the Western context, trust and commitment play a key role in interpersonal relationship (Morgan and Hunt 1994; Wang et al. 2008); what guides relational exchange behaviours in China is (‘关系’), which is a kind of reciprocal obligation and mutual assurance. A salient feature of Chinese culture is the pervasive role of Guanxi, as delicate fibres that are woven into every Chinese individual’s social, political and business life (Brunner and Koh 1988; Brunner et al. 1989; Liu 2009; Tsui and Farh 1997). Developing networks of mutual dependence and creating a sense of indebtedness and obligation is a lubricant for exchange and a key to building successful and long-term relationships with Chinese communities (Standifird and Marshall 2000; Wang et al. 2008; Yang 1994).