BY ANGELO LIN –
“China is a sleeping giant. Let her sleep, for when she wakes she will move the world.”
Napoleon Bonaparte
China is a unitary multi-national country. Throughout its extensive historical development, people from 56 ethnic groups have come together and have opened up the vast land to what is now the China we know today. Due to the differing lifestyles and geographical environments, each ethnic group has formed its own customs and traditions. The cultures of these ethic groups have been intertwined with one another, with traditions that have helped shape the lives and customs of today’s ordinary people, their ideologies as well as their modern business approaches.
MORALS, IDEOLOGIES AND TRADITIONAL VIRTUES
Integrity
Integrity involves being faithful and truthful. For thousands of years, the Chinese people have held moral integrity, independence and dignity as the most important attributes. Confucian philosopher, Mengzi – or Mencius – advocated the importance of not being corrupted by the riches, and to remain true to oneself despite any humble origins.
Diligence and love of learning
Diligence and love of learning has become a tradition passed down from many generations, and has been captured in many maxims, one of which is, “If one does not work hard when young, it will be useless for him to regret when old”. In ancient times, education played a prevalent role the in civil system. The economy back then was strongly dependant on agriculture, hence a majority of the Chinese civilisation worked in farms to supply goods for the centralised government, which was run by the emperor or empress. Empress Wu Zetian of the Tang Dynasty expanded the imperial public examination system significantly. Many peasants took examinations run by the government with the hopes of becoming a government ministers or officials and therefore departing their farming life for the better. This was a wise move by Empress Wu, as she was able to uncover hidden talents in her people. The Chinese economy was able to peak as one of the strongest at the time, through the works of a strong government, and the trade conducted with other nations on the Silk Road which involved the works of her appointed officials. Likewise, in modern times, we see a similar examination process whereby students take exams with the hopes of entering university. Events that took place before and during World War II had devastating effects on the giant nation, and again, civilisation was to start at humble beginnings. While the Chinese economy has grown considerably over the past few decades, many parents still instil the traditional values of diligence and love of learning towards their children, in the hopes that their children have better lives than they experienced after the major wars.
Care for the Young and Respect the Aged
Since ancient times, the Chinese have always upheld the social responsibility of caring for the young and respecting the aged. During the Warring States Period dating 475-221 BC, Mengzi stated that one must take good care of others’ children as one would for their own child, and respect elderly people the way one would with their own. These have become social and behavioural norms of today’s society, and failure to uphold these morals would lead to the public’s criticism.
AUSTRALIA-CHINA CULTURAL NUANCES IN THE WORKFORCE
China has come a long way since its revolution to remove the feudal system, and the world wars which saw the nation on the verge of collapse. The harsh treatment in the 20th century spurred the Chinese people to rebuild the nation, and today we observe China taking a global stage in trade and technology. Despite the rocky path these couple of years, China still remains an important trade and business partner with Australia. On a grassroots level, we see contrasts of social and business customs and ideologies arise between the Australian and the Chinese people.
Uncertainty Avoidance
Chinese business practices are still strongly associated with traditional customs, while in Australia, society seems to be straying further away from traditional practices. It is often said that China is a high uncertainty avoidance country. Uncertainty avoidance is the extent to which a culture may feel threatened by ambiguous, unknown situations and have created beliefs and institutions that try to avoid these. For example, Chinese managers usually lack the adventurous spirit and the mindset of taking risks. They attempt to minimize making immediate decisions during negotiation if they feel the circumstance is uncertain, which may deprive them of business opportunities and compete in the market.
Developing Relationships
Building relationships is essential to the success of all businesses today and is imperative in personal branding. Australian businessmen and women tend to take a contractual approach towards business. Almost all business procedures require a written contract which outlines the rights and obligations of both parties, and therefore, businesses generally proceed at a relatively fast rate once a contract has been signed. In stark contrast, the Chinese business model tends to be less contractual and more based on trust. Relationships, ‘关系’, is imperative when conducting business in China, which takes time to develop. Consequently, it may be slower to build relationships and conduct business. For example, most expats and foreign workers face a cultural shock when their potential Chinese business partner invites them for drinks in order to establish a friendly relationship before any professional discussions ensue.
Saving Face
China is considered a low trust society in general due to its high-power distance organisation, whereas Australia has a high trust culture with low hierarchy in organisations and many small businesses. In China, the use of personal context is usually necessary to get things done. ‘面子 [mianzi]’ or ‘face’ is very important in social, political and business situations in China. This can be translated roughly to honour or reputation, and there is a strong emphasis on gaining and not losing face.
In conclusion, ‘culture’ is deeply rooted into the Chinese society. It shapes the Chinese people’s way of life, and their social and professional environment. Due to Australia and China’s mutual reliance on one another, these morals and ideologies, as well as the different culture factors are often observed between the humans interactions of the two nations. Exploring ‘culture’ on a grassroots level opens many doors when entering the workforce, and ultimately fosters the relationship between the two nations on minor and major scales.
Angelo Lin is the President of ACYA at Monash University, Clayton.
You can learn more about ACYA at https://www.facebook.com/ACYA.Monash/
