China’s guanxi and the Chinese perception of it I have been studying China for some time and I have long been fascinated by the importance of guanxi 关系 . It’s possible to translate this loosely as ‘personal connections’, but it carries a broader implication than the equivalent in Western culture. Guanxi is the way social relations work in China. It is everywhere, between family members and colleagues, and other people too. Guanxi means that one does a favour for another, and the other must return a similar favour within a certain timeframe. This keeps on happening in a continuous loop, and that’s what is called ‘building guanxi’ . The stronger the relationship between people, the more the favours are exchanged for the sake of the relationship, not for the expected return of a favour. As a China studies student, I find this fascinating as a phenomenon that is rather different from what I’m used to in Western culture. But how do Chinese people see guanxi ? ...