MIANZI (Me-enn-jee) – The Importance of “Face” in China!

If You Want to Survive & Thrive in China

You Must Have “Face!”

Boyé Lafayette De Mente

Until the last few decades of the 20th century it was difficult or impossible for ordinary Chinese to develop a strong sense of self-esteem or pride because the culture in which they lived denied them the right to think and act independently and prevented them from being able to demonstrate their own individual worth, including taking credit for personal accomplishments.

Failure to abide by these ancient taboos—many of which had been codified as law by the imperial dynasties and continued by the Communist regime—was regarded as immoral and unethical by traditional standards, and could have series consequences.

However, there were two key ways in China that individuals could stand out quietly and unobtrusively, and one of the most important of these was for them to develop skill in an art or craft or another endeavor to an extraordinary degree—and that is exactly what many Chinese did over the generations.

One other way that the Chinese were able to feel good about themselves without breaking any taboos was to have mianzi (me-enn-jee) or “face”—meaning to have unblemished reputations for living up to all of the cultural expectations that had built up over the centuries, and most importantly, not to allow anyone to damage their face or themselves damage anyone else's face unless they were prepared to take the consequences, since such behavior called for a reciprocal action of some kind.

In fact, having “face” was generally more important than having some kind of special expertise, since economic and social survival in traditional China depended upon not having any serious blemishes on one’s reputation that would prevent you from making and keeping the kind of “social connections” that were essential for survival in an authoritarian society.

Today, for the first time in their history, private Chinese are mostly free to pursue individual goals, to take pride in their accomplishments, and to otherwise act as individuals. But the importance of social connections and “face” have hardly diminished. Both concepts are so deeply embedded in the culture that they continue to play leading roles in the everyday lives of the people.

You still have to protect your "face" and develop an extensive network of personal connections with local and regional government officials and with your suppliers to be successful in business, and without similar social connections your personal life as well is not likely to go smoothly.

This need for mianzi and connections is one of the first things that foreigners wanting to succeed in China must learn, and once the lesson is taken to heart they must thereafter spend a substantial amount of time and expense in maintaining their face and their connections.

The Chinese concept of "face" is very personal, and covers any act, comment, tone of voice or even facial expression that indicates criticism or disapproval, especially when any of these things occur in front of other people. Because of this extrordinary sensitivity, managers and others in positions of authority should be cautious about criticizing or disciplining employees (and others) in public.

There are a variety of things involved in developing and maintaining face and connections in China, many of which are familiar to most people—eating and drinking together, giving gifts, doing favors, not criticizing people to their face, and so on. But these things must be done according to the cultural protocol that applies, or such efforts may backfire.

It is fairly common for Chinese in all social categories to take personal advantage of those who need their friendship and cooperation, especially naïve foreigners, and these situations may be hard for foreigners to recognize and avoid. It is vital that one know how to handle these situations.

Throughout China’s history, including the heyday of the Communist regime, many bureaucrats made a regular practice of using their power to get personal favors for themselves or members of their families from people who needed their services, and the practice continues today. It is even more important to know how to handle these situations when government officials are concerned.

Still today the best recourse is to get insights and guidance from a trusted Chinese friend or other foreigners who have been in China for many years, are well-versed in the “face and connections” factors and can guide you around the pitfalls.
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Copyright © 2007 by Boyé Lafayette De Mente

For additional cultural insights on surviving and making out in China, see the author’s The Chinese Have a Word for It! and Chinese Etiquette & Ethics in Business. For a full list of his books on China, Japan, and Korea, see his personal website at: http://www.phoenixbookspublishers.com/, and/or the Books Search facility of Amazon.com and other booksellers.

WENHUA (Win-wha) – How Foreigners Can Use the “Culture Card” in China!

First Comes Understanding

the True Meaning of Culture!

Boyé Lafayette De Mente

Most Westerners think of culture (when they think of it at all) in terms of the arts, literature and music, but these elements are only a small part of culture. Culture covers the way people think, talk and behave as well as the way they work and what they create.

The various mental constructs that people have of their own existence, of life in all of its forms and of the universe at large, is a product of their own cultures. In other words, people are programmed by their culture to view and react to their world in certain ways, and it is this programming that makes them different.

Despite the attempts by Mao Zedung and his Communist regime to destroy all vestiges of China’s traditional culture from 1966 to 1976, and despite the inroads made by Western cultures since then, most of the core values and basic behavioral patterns of the Chinese that have been in existence for more than two thousand years are still very much in evidence throughout the country.

In fact, the traditional culture of China is one of the most enduring and powerful ever to have been developed, and since it is the force that motivates and guides such a large number of people it is obviously one of the world’s most important cultures.

Wenhua (win-wha), the Chinese term for culture, can be translated as “patterns of thought and behavior,” and it is so powerful that Chinese whose families have lived abroad for several generations are still culturally identifiable as “Chinese.”

The Chinese have traditionally viewed China more as a cultural entity than as a landmass, and in the past some writers have suggested that the country should be called Zhong Hua (Chong Whah) or “Central Cultural Essence” instead of Zhong Guo (Chong Gwoh) or “Central Kingdom.”

Present-day Chinese remain especially sensitive to their characteristic ways, and they appreciate it when foreigners make an effort to learn something about their culture and follow some of its customs and etiquette.

Without being insidious or cynical about it, foreigners can use this factor in their relationships in China to build goodwill and cooperation. It goes without saying that showing respect for the cultural beliefs and feelings of the Chinese will get you a lot further than a belittlingly or critical approach.
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Copyright © 2007 by Boyé Lafayette De Mente

For more comprehensive insights into Chinese culture, see the author’s book, The Chinese Have a Word for It! (McGraw-Hill), which consists of definitive explanations of more than 300 of China’s “cultural code words.” To see a full list of his 60-plus cultural-insight books on China, Japan, Korea and Mexico see his personal website at: http://www.phoenixbookspublishers.com/.

Buhe Luoji De – A Chinese “Thing” Businesspeople & Diplomats Should Know!

The Power of Fuzzy Logic!

Boyé Lafayette De Mente

As I note in my book China’s Cultural Code Words (how and why the Chinese think and behave the way they do), there are three distinct categories of “logic” in China: traditional Chinese logic, Chinese Communist logic, and Western logic.

Traditional Chinese logic is an outgrowth of Confucian, Buddhist and Taoist thinking combined with the reality of staying alive and living as peacefully and as comfortably as China’s historical circumstances would allow.

This means that in addition to doing whatever was necessary to survive in the real world, the Chinese also had to obey the dictates of imperial governments that were often both irrational and anti-human, forcing the people to live by a system of situational ethics.

This circumstance resulted in the Chinese becoming skillful in the use of buhe luoji de (boo-hay loo-oh-jee duh), which I translate as “fuzzy logic”—that is, logic that does not appear to be objective or rational and instead is designed to keep them out of trouble because it is not clear and non-committal.

The coming of the Communist regime in the late 1940s made it even more imperative that the Chinese at large learn how to disguise their real thoughts and become adept at “Communist speak” in order to avoid serious consequences, which included imprisonment, torture and often death.

During the 10-year long so-called Cultural Revolution between 1966 and 1976 (when Mao Zedung attempted to destroy all aspects of traditional culture and capitalistic leanings in China) engaging publicly in clear logical expression [or just looking as if you were a thinking person] brought extreme reprisals from Red Guard students whom Mao had enlisted to carry out his campaign.

After Mao died and Deng Xiaoping became the supreme leader he gave his blessings to the limited use of Western logic in business and in other economic enterprises, putting China on the capitalist road to wealth and power.

Since Deng inaugurated the “get rich is glorious” era in 1976/7, Communist logic has virtually disappeared except in the upper echelons of government, and even there it is evolving into something that is far more rational and pragmatic.

This leaves traditional Chinese logic and modern-day Western logic, which combined has become a powerful force that gives the Chinese many advantages in their dealings with Westerners. Americans in particular tend to be susceptible to this mixture because we are not programmed to deal with non-linear cultures.

In effect, typical Chinese has several “cultural faces” that they wear at different times, depending on the circumstances, that are a combination of Chinese and Western thinking. These “faces” include a family face, a kinship face, an old friend face, a co-worker face, a government official face, a face for dealing with foreigners, and so on.

Learning when and how the phrase buhe luoji de is used and all of the cultural nuances and uses of these various faces is a major challenge for Western businesspeople and diplomats dealing with China.
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Copyright © 2007 by Boyé Lafayette De Mente.

For a comprehensive discourse on the traditional Chinese mindset, see the author’s book China’s Cultural Code Words (McGraw-Hill), which consists of definitive essays on the cultural nuances and uses of 305 key Chinese words. It is available from Amazon.com and major book retailers. To see a full list of his books, go to: http://www.phoenixbookspublishers.com/.

Fu (Fuu) – A Mother Bird Sitting on its Eggs!

Why Truth in China is Hard to Come By!

Boyé Lafayette De Mente

When the first Westerners began to take up residence in China they often complained bitterly and at length that the Chinese didn’t know how to tell the truth—that they automatically lied even when there was no benefit and no danger to them individually or to anyone else.

This was particularly vexing to the horde of Christian missionaries who descended upon China from the early 1700s determined to win bodies for their particular brand of religion, and to the traders who flocked in with visions of vast riches to be had by selling the Chinese things they didn’t need—especially a heroin, for which the British went to war with China to enforce its virtual monopoly on the drug trade.

There are, of course, historical and cultural explanations for the Chinese view and use of fu (fuu) or truth, and part of this explanation is embedded in the ideographic character that has traditionally been used to write the word.

This ideograph is a stylized rendition of a mother bird sitting on her eggs or hatchlings to prevent them from being seen and becoming tempting targets for hungry animals and other species of birds.

The reason this symbol was selected to represent truth was because throughout China’s long history telling the naked truth could be disruptive to personal and work relationships as well as well as get one into trouble with the ruling elite—and the latter could be fatal.

Rather than speak truthfully or bluntly about anything the Chinese were conditioned to speak in vague terms, and to simply ignore questions about things, including things that were often neutral and posed no threat. The wise course on virtually every level of society was to avoid taking responsibility for anything by passing the buck to higher ups by inaction or a meaningless response.

Until recent decades, this reaction to questions was often especially exasperating to foreigners who might have asked a hotel clerk if there were any vacate rooms and either got a shrug or a ritualized response that meant “no” to those who were really clued in to Chinese culture, but didn’t make any sense to the clueless.

A great deal of the people-to-people communication in China is nonverbal and requires acute cultural intuition to understand and master. It generally takes substantial knowledge of the language and customs to achieve this level of telepathic understanding.

Another factor in the Chinese use of truth that still prevails to some extent is that the government has traditionally treated factual information about the country as state secrets not to be disclosed to the public, especially to foreigners.

This information paranoia has weakened considerably but enough of it remains that people are still charged and punished for inquiring about or passing on information that in other countries is routinely made public knowledge by the government and by private organizations.

Over the centuries the Chinese developed specific tifa (tee-fah), or “ways of saying things,” that became institutionalized, ritualized and sanctified that were usually benign enough, but when the Communist party took over in 1949 it created a totally new set of tifa that were designed to control the thinking and behavior of the people, and failure to use these expressions in the right way at the right time could be deadly.

This insidious “Big Brother” effort to program people in “Communist think” has also mostly gone by the wayside, but its influence can still be seen and felt. People must still be careful about what they say because they never know what could be used against them.

Despite all of the fundamental changes in life in China since the 1970s arriving at the truth in most public and official situations is still not a simple straightforward matter. It must be arrived at by carefully finessing each situation through follow-ups, secondary sources, and a great deal of patience.
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Copyright © 2007 by Boyé Lafayette De Mente.

For a comprehensive discourse on the traditional Chinese mindset, see the author’s book China’s Cultural Code Words (McGraw-Hill), which consists of definitive essays on the cultural nuances and uses of 305 key Chinese words. It is available from Amazon.com and major book retailers. To see a full list of his books, go to: http://www.phoenixbookspublishers.com/.