Guanxi in Wikipedia
Guānxi describes the basic dynamic in the complex nature of personalized
networks of influence and social relationships, and is a central concept in
Chinese society. In Western media, the
pinyin
romanization of this Chinese word is becoming more widely used instead
of the two common translations—"connections" and "relationships"—as
neither of those terms sufficiently reflect the wide cultural
implications that guānxi describes.
At
its most basic, guānxi describes a personal connection between two
people in which one is able to prevail upon another to perform a favor
or service, or be prevailed upon. The two people need not to be of equal
social status. Guānxi can also be used to describe a network of
contacts, which an individual can call upon when something needs to be
done, and through which he or she can exert influence on behalf of
another. In addition, guānxi can describe a state of general
understanding between two people: "he/she is aware of my wants/needs and
will take them into account when deciding her/his course of future
actions which concern or could concern me without any specific
discussion or request".
Sociologists have linked guanxi with the concept of social capital
(it has been described as a Gemeinschaft value structure), and it has
been exhaustively described in studies of Chinese economic and political
behavior. In Middle Eastern culture, "wasta" is a similar concept; in
Italy, "raccomandato" and "raccomandazione" are similar concepts.
