Guanxi

(1/21/07)

One of the most important elements of understanding Chinese culture is understanding guanxi which can be translated as 'connections' or 'relationships.' Guanxi controls business life, brings opportunity, and defines your identity in a way. This cultural facet dates back to ancient times, but now manifests itself in the form of business cards and, as with most events in China, food.

To me it seems that just about everyone has business cards, and it's standard to exchange cards upon meeting someone. Exchanging cards is also a rather important affair here; one must inspect and admire the card (in respect of its owner) before putting it safely away.

A friend of mine, Patrick, has already had his own business cards made in expectation of an interview for summer work. A classmate coming to Beijing from Hangzhou wished he had business cards. I myself have already received business cards and had to offer a piece of paper with my name and cellphone number in exchange.

This story is a rather interesting one and is one of my first experiences of the sort. One night after dinner, I wanted to sit somewhere and have some tea and do my homework in a place other than a dorm's study room. I went to another restaurant, and upon sitting, the owner came and sat with me, effectively ruining my plans, but offering an experience of its own. For maybe an hour or so, we talked somewhat awkwardly -- as I couldn't understand him very well -- about various topics with no real fluidity. Often he wrote down things on the back of old homework pages when I couldn't understand, and sometimes a waitress would linger by and join in or try to clear thing sup. What I think I learned is this, the pieces of which vary as their veracity is concerned:

Gao Guang-mao is from Anhui province, specifically Huangshan, the location of a famous and beautiful mountain. He has some familiarity with Chinese and American history, and has written a book I think the subject of which is Chinese history. He paints, too, and some of his work is also in his book. He only recently opened this restaurant (which serves Anhui cuisine), and before he was a doctor. It was an interesting night, and I have not yet made good on his invitation to return and sit with him again, something that has become a source of some worry to me.

Guanxi, though, has a more mundane side, and that includes family and friends. Arriving in Beijing, we discovered the devastation dealt to the internet, and so my guanxi back in America fall out of touch, but I am happily surprised to be finding such great guanxi here among my classmates, their Chinese roommates, and even a Midd alum.

Studying Chinese at Middlebury has always been a strange experience. The intensity of the program and the difficulty of the language conjures a special bond among the students, and though we may not live together or hang out all the time, we are still a 'band of brothers' of sorts. I've been blessed and happy to find how much I enjoy and (I feel) benefit from being in China with the people I am with.

Middlebury has not failed me in this regard in another instance. Three of us had lunch with an alum, Lila Buckley, and for a couple of hours just talked about her work, about China, and about the life of a foreigner in China. Lila is basically second-in-charge (from my understanding) of a very interesting ngo in China working to proselytize companies and the government to believing in a future of sustainable development. Her work inspires me, and I think it's the kind that now attracts my post-graduation ambitions. It was great just to talk with her about life in a place the three of us students had studied now for so long.

And this is guanxi -- giving, sharing, and relying upon or being relied upon. In China, individuality is not what drives you, it's the opposite -- it's your relationships that define you, and they are thus such a sought-after commodity.