China The Land Of Unlimited Possibilities, If You Know How To Do The Business. PDF Print E-mail
Written by Mike Eckhard   
Monday, 29 June 2009 13:22
Many non-Chinese find the behavior of Chinese business people to be difficult to understand. To understand it, one must understand Chinese culture.
by MikeEckhard


Many non-Chinese find the behavior of Chinese business people to be difficult to understand. To understand it, one must understand Chinese culture.

Understanding China as a diverse country, it is interesting to see that it also has a large degree of unity. While having 200 dialects, there is still a common written language. While 90% of the population belongs to a single ethnic group which are the Han, minorities are protected by law. Probably the most important source of unity is Confucianism, which is existing for more than 2500 years. Every relationship, including business is influenced by Confucianism.

This did not change when the Chinese emigrate from China Mainland and become citizens of other countries in different places in the world, most still consider themselves to be Chinese, even after several generations. Many families and individuals of those who left China before the 1949 revolution consider themselves as traditional Chinese compared to those in China today because the emigrants did not experience the communist influence on their traditional values.

Chinese culture and organizations seem vastly different to Westerners, while Western culture seems extremely different to the Chinese. By understanding these differences, we better can develop a wider global understanding.


One must know that according to a famous saying, when a Chinese individual is honored, his whole family is honored. When he is condemned, his whole family is condemned. The family had a practical use in China's agrarian society, but Confucius added a moral dimension and broadened it to mutually dependent societal relationships. Every person has an important role as a link in the network of society.

In Chinese organizations the family is the foundation, including business ones. In the West, one often refers to "family businesses". For the Chinese, the term "business families" may be more getting to the point since the family comes first and the business comes second. Rather than creating wealth, the Chinese tend to see their business responsibilities more as duties to the family and ancestors.

For Chinese living outside the PRC, the family-based business model is strong. In mainland China, the family-based model of business diminished as communist rulers attempted to replace family loyalty with loyalty to the party. More recently, the increase in the number of non-state businesses, many of which are family-run, has helped the family model of business to reappear.

The story to be continued...... (search ChinaGateConsult)

Remark: Westerners who first begin to do business with the Chinese often are intrigued but puzzled. Inside Chinese Business makes sense of many pragmatic practices and illuminates a light bulb of perception about many situations. Keep in mind that this is only a basic prologue. For those which are looking for a more advanced study of Chinese business culture, or prepare a career or an investment in China, they should seek professional help by a consulting company like ChinaGateConsult with its multicultural background and about 35 years of business experience.

DISCLAIMER: This article is provided as information only and is not to be taken as financial advice.

From the view of living in China and with a Western perspective with deep roots in the society the starting point for your business in China. Grab a totally unique version of this article from the Uber Article Directory