Face is far more important in many Asian countries than Western. Face is concerned with dignity, honor and a deep sense of pride. Making someone to lose face, cause to severe destroy a relationship even if the unintentionally offense. The impacts on the loss of face in most Asian societies not only have an effect on individual but also his or her family, community or even nation that means if someone of a group loses face, the total group loses face. The concept of face is also visible in the Olympic Game in Beijing which an event strongly relates to national gaining face and losing face and also national pride. Moreover, the notion of face is significant in the business world especially in China where rank and hierarchy are very important rather than in Western countries. For instance, if the host provides lower-ranking guest to receive a high rank, it will cause the guest to lose face and the absence of the honor guest, which was especially planned, could make the host loses face (Fox S, 2008).
Today, a generational and geographical gap is rising in China because cultural concepts are changing. guanxi was significant part to getting anything done in business until the economic development and move on the way to the rule of law accelerated in the 1990s. Previous to China opened in the late 1970s or during the Cultural Revolution, business was formed by a system that depended on a strong network of relationships to get anything done. Even purchasing train tickets or transferring to a different work division, guanxi was imperative. In the days earlier than China’s restructuring and opening, when a lot of businesses and economy was still heavy relied on the state, the right guanxi connection was essential to get a proper job in China. In fact, guanxi was often significant rather than having the basic skills and training (Fox S, 2008).
China’s “Generation Y”, who is people age not over 35, especially in city centers, spent their forming years in a greatly different community, one of the focal point has changed from the group to the individual. The young in the China metropolis are more probable to put their own careers and nuclear families prior to their whole families or societies. According to one-child policy, the majority members of Generation Y are only children who have grown up without siblings but they had to face with implausible pressure to succeed and become rich. Many twenties and thirties young urbanites have been opened to Western business styles by attending MBA programs or working in foreign organizations. The new generations tend to rely on their own qualifications in stead of get their positions through their old tradition, a guanxi network. They are likely to have more abilities and confident to make decision than their prior generation. They also have a tendency to speak directly and less tend to be worried about losing or saving face. People in Generation Y are more inclined to read book concerning business success by Warren Buffet or Donald Trump than the Analects of Confucius or Mao Zedong’s the collective works. For new generation, making profit and getting forward are often more essential than concerns about damaged relationship between their colleagues or group dynamics. It can be concluded that, guanxi is very crucial for foreign business people to have a deep understanding Chinese traditional cultures such as face, guanxi and other subtle aspects of business Chinese cultures when doing business with older Chinese generation, Chinese colleagues with age over 35. Nevertheless, those cultures are quite less essential when meeting with the younger urbanites. The increasing significance of business principles and potentials makes it easier for foreign companies to run business without relying on complex of guanxi network in modern China mainland. The shift toward the rule of law in China also makes guanxi less necessary. However, guanxi is indeed still significant, in other words, guanxi is a simple fact of Chinese’s lives that can help anywhere with having the right networks but it is not the golden ticket to acquiring good jobs and achieves business success in China any longer (Fox S, 2008).
Confucius
“Master Kong Fu Ze ” was renamed Confucius by the Jesuit missionaries. Confucius was a Chinese thinker and social philosopher, who is considered as the Premier Saint of China. His philosophy emphasized personal and governmental morality, correctness of social relationships, justice and sincerity. There are many principles of Confucian philosophy, for example, one of his teaching which well known is the "wu lun," or five basic relationships between ruler/subject, father/son, older brother/younger brother, husband/wife, and older friend/younger friend (Fox S, 2008).
Many researchers suppose that Chinese cultural and value is changing and it also basically reform the Chinese workforce’s attitudes and beliefs (Steinbock 2008). While, someone argues that Chinese especially younger generation have been opened to new economic and social forces, for example access to the internet although it was controlled by government, enhanced consumerism and get in touch with foreign companies. The exposure might cause to motivate them to move away from their traditional culture values and norms (Steinbock 2008, cited by Child and Warner 2003). After Open Door policy of Deng Xiaoping, the new economic system influenced Chinese workers to shift towards a value system which is favor of goal-achievement more than equalitarian (Steinbock 2008, cited by Cyr and Frost 1991). One of the obviously changes in Chinese value is tendency to enlarge individualistic in particular among the new generation (Steinbock 2008, cited by Nevis 1983). The altered attitudes of younger generation affect to people’s behavior in organizations and their managed methods (Steinbock 2008, cited by Nee 1989). Based on Steinbock (2008) cited by Ralston et al. (1999) research concerned about the work values of 869 Chinese managers and professionals working in State Owned Enterprises (SOEs), they found that ‘New Generation’ managers, who were younger than 40 years old, were more apt to perform separately and take risk in the purpose of higher profits although when their actions clashed with traditional attitudes. In contrast, Steinbock (2008) cited by Ralston et al. (1999) claimed that although the younger generation of managers were more individualism than older generation however they had not need to abandon their Confucius values and may be noticed as cross-cultural Chinese and Western attitudes. A study of 210 Chinese managers stated that some parts of Confucianism are weakening among the Chinese manager in younger generation whereas others are sustained. Exposure to western lifestyle did not destroy their loyalty to three fundamental Confucius values consisting of benevolence, temperance (comprising with harmony) and persistence (combined with perseverance, adaptation and patience) (Steinbock 2008, cited by Heffernan and Crawford 2001). The experimental evidence from the Word Values Survey of 65 communities affirmed that values can modify however they also still be a sign of cultural heritage of society (Steinbock 2008, cited by Inglehart and Baker 2000). The same as Chinese culture has exhibited outstanding persistence, consistency and forceful over many centuries and the core cultural affects as the bedrock of the Chinese system (Steinbock 2008, cited by Boisot and Child at el. 1996).
The new generation in China at the moment may not have a deeply understand of Confucius’s Analects and its influence on Chinese civilization and other cultures in East Asian countries, in spite of Confucius principles continues spread through China nowadays. Even though modern Chinese highlight on making money, but manners and humility concepts still debatably as vital at present as they were in the Han Dynasty. For instance, boast or brag is considered impolite manner therefore a general reply to a compliment is to be self-deprecating. When received praise on superb home-cooked meal from guests, a Chinese host should be more liable to make a self-deprecating reply concerning the evening rather than accept an admiring comment about food. The accepting praises directly are also considered an impolite action. On the other hand, there are some differences between humility and humbleness. It is considered well-mannered to display humility in one’s actions, the inclination of the China millionaires to show their wealth and prosperity is any actions while humble. The rich in China living in a gated society and driving a luxurious car is absolutely not humble whereas when asked about their business, they will state that the business is not to be doing well with the purpose of attempt to display humility (Fox S, 2008).
Conclusion
Even though, many modern Chinese cultures have been greatly changed from tradition cultures by western cultural influence such as Chinese hair style and clothes with obviously affects from western cultures but some tradition Chinese culture carry on to be a heritage pass thought next generation and still be a nucleus of modern Chinese culture, for instance Confucius and Guanxi network and face which continues embedded in Chinese people today.
Modern Chinese cultural in term of guanxi network and Face a bit changes from traditional cultures which guanxi and face slightly less important among the new generation or Generation Y, who younger than 35 years. While, the new generation has more individualism than older people but they did not give up Confucius. Confucianism still diffuses over China mainland and strongly influences on attitude of younger generation in the present day.
References
Ai J, (2006) ‘Guanxi Networks in China: Its Importance and Future Trends’, China & World Economy, 14(5), p.105 – 118
Fox S, (2008) ‘China’s Changing Culture and Etiquette’, Guo Guoquan/ ChinaFotoPress, July–August 2008, p.48-51
Steinbock, D (2008) “US Presidential Election 2008: Policy Implications for US-China Trade and Investment”, China & World Economy, 16(3): 40-56
