Gift Giving Culture In China - Assignment Solution

Introduction:

Gift giving is an important part of the Chinese culture, Chinese feel proud in giving and receiving gifts that are of higher value. This concept is enriched in Chinese societies and is a common practice in China, however, it is not considered an ethical way to uphold relationships with business people in the Western countries and think of it as a bribe. Due to which they have set the policy to restrict this act of gift giving in which they receive gift monies and cash which is considered as a legal risk but not an asset.

Currently, the act of gift giving behavior among the Chinese is similar to China’s prehistoric rituals. This type of behavior is practiced in rural areas, corporate firms and formal practices. In the 1980’s it was seen that the act of gift giving is called ganqing and guanxi which was considered as an art among the Chinese. Ganqing is a current emotion that is based on any experience which forms guanxi or a commitment for the future. Guanxi assures the giver that people will help him when in need. In China mostly gifts rare given on some special occasion like holidays, weddings or birthdays and the worth of an individual’s gift is directly connected to Ganqing; a commitment, loyalty, and trustworthiness. In the case of no relationships between the individuals, mediators were used as presents that generate long term obligations. The duration between a present and the return of it increases the value of a present. Hence, giving a present after a day or two of the same worth is seen as an insult (Szto, pp. 620, 2016). 

Since the 1980s China’s economy is developing and growing but that didn’t impact the act of gift giving rather has increased by a large margin. Presently, the Chinese are known to be one of the largest customers of luxury commodities in the world. This has been observed that as the income of the Chinese increases, they provide guanqing or guanxi through gifts that are of high worth. In this research paper an individual was interviewed on the topic of gift giving behavior in firms in which he commented that ‘the act of gift giving reveals an individual’s financial influence that rises the face and giving the giver of the present with an ethical superiority whereas the receiver of the present receives respect, hence giving face’. He also added that the act of gift giving in the corporate firm is concerned with the mianzi or face. According to, there is a fine line between bribery and gift giving as gift given as bribery attains immediate benefit whereas gift expressed through guanxi is a way to trust others and having a long-lasting relationship (Szto, pp. 621, 2016).

The term mianzi signifies an individual’s standing in society. Moreover, mianzi signifies one’s status in the eyes of others. The mianzi is maintained by how a person deals with others and respects them. This act is key in upholding Chinese business relationships in the future (Bedford, 2011; Leung, 2011 as cited in Li, Pham and Wang, pp. 7, 2015). If an individual deliberately makes a Chinese lose mianzi while making a business contract, the contract won't ever be able to improve. Business relationships in China are created and preserved through minazi and increasing the status and standing of a person’s friends and his business associates. When two businessmen are of the same standing or position, the face is sometimes given and received on an equal platform and holds the relationship together (Luo, 2009; Uptown-McLaughlin, 2013 as cited in Li, Pham and Wang, pp. 7, 2015).