ABSTRACT
Guanxi (relationalism) has been practiced in the Chinese culture for thousands of years and has permeated all walks of Chinese society, so much so that whenever there is a need for a solution to a problem, the first thought in a Chinese mind is “Do we have any guanxi that could help?” But in the 21st century, guanxi unexpectedly became the buzzword in the world, especially among investors in commerce who have been in or tried to get into the Chinese market. Why? Because people who are in contact with the Chinese suddenly find themselves facing this thing called guanxi, which could make or break their cause in China. Researchers came to answer the call of need and in their studies, wherein they noticed that the meaning of the word guanxi has two layers: the first refers to a network of relationships, such as kinship guanxi, friendship guanxi, business guanxi, etc.; the deeper layer indicates the emotional connections in those relationships as expressed in the Chinese character of “qing” (emotions), which is part of the words for all types of guanxi. This chapter provides the background knowledge for a careful examination of guanxi in the ensuing chapters on the history and functions of Chinese guanxi in resource redistribution, survival and corruption.
