Chen (2004)

Management > Asian Management > Lectures > Independent Research > Guanxi > Face > Renqing > Confucian relationships > Family

Family

The voluntary relationship concept can be better explained in the interactions between the self and the group, specifically the family.

Jia is family, dajia is beyond the family, including friends, and guojia includes the home country and state.

"By applying the concept of family to all these different larger groups, the self can conveniently put himself in a favourable position to build his relationships".

Zi jia ren (one's own family people) covers anyone the self wishes to put in the family circle. The self can manipulate the concept of jia by controlling the size of one's group

To emphasise the "family" connection, the Chinese will refer to non-family members as "brother" or "sister", indicating the desired relationship.

Thus the self has two roles, one as a passive follower and one as an active initiator of relationships.

The Chinese social system is neither individual nor society-based, but relation-based.

Both Chinese Family Businesses and State-Owned Enterprises often use guanxi to do business.