Tradition and hierarchy form the deep-rooted historical foundation of China’s cultural codes. As a result, shame and honor function as extremely powerful motivational forces in this collectivistic, interdependent nation. Because group harmony is of paramount importance, avoidance of confrontation and use of euphemistic language in order to maintain pleasant appearances have long characterized Chinese culture. The idea of face, or mianzi, therefore stems directly from this traditional mindset.
Face is a difficult concept to translate; to a certain extent, it is similar to reputation, but also encompasses feelings of pride, dignity and prestige. A particularly descriptive Chinese expression may help illustrate the nature of ‘face’: 打破门牙往肚里咽. This phrase roughly translates to “swallowing a broken front tooth” and suggests that Chinese people would rather swallow their own tooth than spit it out and lose face. In this context, the broken front tooth refers to something in one’s life that generates shame and must be hidden from public view.
A 2005 study conducted by China Youth Daily found that over 93% of the 1,150 respondents surveyed admitted that face is very important to them, with 75% acknowledging that that making a mistake in public was, by far, the most humiliating experience they could ever have.
This petrifying fear of public humiliation stems partly from the fact that a loss of face affects not only the individual, but also extends to his family, village or even country.
This concept may be difficult for more self-oriented and individualistic westerners to grasp, as they tend to view face in terms of personal pride and ego.
Face can be gained, lost or given. Common methods of granting face include giving an expensive gift, treating someone to a meal, and awarding public praise. Examples of losing face include failure to achieve goals, damage to a valued relationship, disregard for one’s status and personal inadequacy. It is also possible to make someone lose face by becoming angry with him, or openly criticizing, disagreeing with, or denying him. Publicly revealing someone’s lack of knowledge or skill qualifies as another form of humiliation. If an employee announces in front of the boss that his colleague speaks fluent English and this turns out to be false, the employee lacking this language ability will lose face.
Publicly pointing out that someone has told a lie is also considered unacceptable. In the mind of the average Chinese, telling a lie is perfectly acceptable behaviour as long as it helps preserve relationships with others; if its intent was not to deceive another, it is not even considered an affront, but rather the best course of action.
If caught in a lie or mistake, the Chinese will typically display a strong unwillingness to admit to wrongdoing regardless of evidence to the contrary. Of course, this typically Chinese characteristic constitutes a typical face-saving measure.
In order to help another person save face and maintain harmonious relationships, it is customary to never directly deny a request; instead, a negative response should be conveyed in an indirect and gentle manner. For instance, a request might be turned down with one of the following common excuses; “I will consider it”; “I need to talk to so-and-so first”; “It might not be very convenient”, and so on. For many westerners, who are used to giving and receiving direct responses to requests, this can result in endless frustration. However, conducting business in the straightforward western way will strike Chinese as uncultured and rude. Raising a question or suggestion after the boss gives a speech, for example, would cause the boss, employees and even the company to lose face, for it would call the boss’ authority and knowledge into question. In extreme circumstances, causing someone to lose face can result in a lifelong enemy. For the Chinese, who so highly value interpersonal relationships and social harmony, this should be avoided at all costs.
The recent celebration of the 70th anniversary of victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the Anti-Fascist War vividly illustrates China’s efforts to build national face. Beijing’s notoriously poor air quality is an embarrassment to Chinese officials when in the international spotlight, so the government enacted a series of measures to ensure blue skies for this highly important occasion. In addition to forcing polluting factories and construction sites to temporarily halt operation and enforcing an even-odd license plate driving ban, the government also resorted to rather extreme weather modification measures, including cloud seeding with silver iodide rockets.
China has taken similar actions for other international events, such as the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, which gave birth to the term “APEC blue.” The government’s efforts succeeded, as APEC blue skies returned to the capital from August 20 to September 3, when PM 2.5 averaged 17.8 micrograms per cubic meter. The recent over-the-top parade demonstrations in Beijing hold particular significance for China’s national face-saving efforts, as they gave China an opportunity to win back a fraction of the face lost from past humiliations under the Japanese.
Former President Hu Jintao’s 2006 and 2011 visits to the United States provide another example of how face can be both lost and gained, respectively. During Hu’s 2006 visit, American President George Bush committed a number of cultural faux pas that led many Chinese citizens to believe his goal was to make China lose international face.
Firstly, Bush only granted Hu an “official visit” instead of the most honorable “state visit.” Next, Hu was refused a full state dinner, and received a mere state lunch, which included a 19-gun salute instead of the traditional 21-gun salute. Even more humiliating was the fact that during this occasion, the loudspeaker introduced Hu as the president of the Republic of China, the official name of Taiwan. To add to the humiliations, a member of the outlawed Falun Gong religious group harassed Hu during his speech. Last, but certainly not least, when Hu exited the stage and began to walk the wrong way, Bush grabbed his arm and pulled him back on stage. In the eyes of the Chinese, this action was deeply insulting, for Bush treated Hu as a parent would act towards a misbehaving child.
In stark contrast to the disastrous 2006 visit, Hu’s 2011 visit with President Barack Obama marked an occasion in which face was gained and goodwill between the two nations rebuilt. Obama granted Hu an official state visit, complete with a state dinner, 21-gun salute and other formalities befitting of a national leader. Unlike Bush, who completely misinterpreted the cultural codes of the Chinese, Obama treated Hu with respect and sensitivity.
The face-saving strategies employed by the Chinese are ultimately intended to preserve and maintain strong social relationships, or guanxi. “Guanxi” however, extends much deeper than simple social networking; it refers to relationships based on mutual dependence and obligation.
Surpassing knowledge, intelligence, talent, ambition and even wealth in importance, guanxi dictates how nearly everything is accomplished in China, from business deals and marriages to finding apartments.
Relationship webs in Chinese society allow people to gain help in time of need, but they are expected to return the favor in the future upon request by the other party, thereby resulting in a “social debt.” Such a debt is lifelong, and failure to reciprocate when asked is considered an unforgivable offense. Not returning a favour of proportionate size would result in loss of face and possible exclusion from social networks, a near death-sentence in Chinese society. If lost, both face and guanxi are extremely difficult to reestablish.
The guanxi system came into existence in China partly due to the fact that the country has long lacked a stable rule of law. Chinese companies are much more likely to engage in business with another company when they have good guanxi with that company, since they have already established trust. Companies with good guanxi are extremely unlikely to take advantage of one another, since doing so would make them lose face with everyone in their network. This is why, before engaging in a business deal, Chinese companies first must spend time together outside of work building a relationship.
Expensive gifts of alcohol and cigarettes, coupled with extravagant banquets and generous favours, are customary on such occasions. After trust is established between the two parties, the deal can proceed.
Perhaps not surprisingly, guanxi at time crosses the line into bribery and nepotism.
Is it possible for deeply-ingrained cultural codes like mianzi and guanxi to evolve or even die out over time? Perhaps, for as a rule, it is the older generation that especially values guanxi and mianzi. With the gradual strengthening of the rule of law and changing social attitudes, these traditional ideas do not hold the same degree of power over the minds and actions of the younger generation. However, in a fiercely tradition-oriented nation like China, mianzi and guanxi will undoubtedly continue to exert their powerful influence over Chinese society for many years to come.
This article was first published in The Nanjinger Magazine, November 2015 Issue. If you would like to read the whole magazine, please follow this link.
