Face: The Power Game of the Chinese

Author: Huang Guangguo et al.
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-11-01
Features: Confucianism is profound, extensive, and has a long history. Its theories permeate the entire history of ancient China and continue to influence our modern lives. The social behavior described in this book is a reflection of the deep psychological structure of the Chinese people under the influence of Confucian ethics. It can be said that Confucianism has shaped the deep structure of the social psychology of the Chinese people, making people exhibit the "human feelings and face" issue in different social systems. This relationship theory, centered around the "human feelings and face" issue, plays an indispensable role in various fields such as politics, economy, society, and culture in China, and is particularly prominent in the bureaucratic systems of Chinese dynasties. The authors of this book use the theoretical framework of "human feelings and face" to provide a more thorough and in-depth interpretation of the rules of operation in the officialdom of Chinese history, revealing the theoretical foundation and ideological origins of the "hidden rules" that actually govern Chinese society. The book devotes a significant portion to discussing "face" and "face": concepts such as losing face, gaining face, having no shame, being ashamed to meet people, being shameless, dignity, giving face, leaving some face, seeking face, and appealing to my face have become the basic concepts for describing daily life and interactions among the Chinese people. If you read this excellent book on "face," you will gain a more comprehensive understanding of "The Thick Black Book." Of course, it is also a book like this that allows you to understand the complete inner world of the Chinese people. The book devotes a significant portion to discussing "face" and "face": losing face, gaining face, having no shame, being shameless, being ashamed to meet people, dignity, giving face, leaving some face, seeking face, and appealing to my face, among other concepts, have become the basic concepts for describing the daily life and interactions of the Chinese people. These concepts are also a reflection of the deep psychological structure of the Chinese people under the influence of Confucianism, thereby revealing the prominent role of "human feelings and face" in the bureaucratic systems of Chinese dynasties. It is reported that the book includes nine essays, five of which were previously published in Taiwan. They not only caused a strong response from the academic community at the time but also had excellent sales, with more than ten reprints. The China Renmin University Press published this book in mainland China, not only preserving the essence of the original book but also adding new essays to enrich its content. If you read this excellent book on "face," you will gain a more comprehensive understanding of "The Thick Black Book." Of course, such a book is also a window for you to gain a deeper understanding of the inner world of the Chinese people. The wisdom of human power games is sensitive. It is said that when Hugo visited Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, he noticed the words "destiny" carved on one wall. Its pain, distortion, and vicissitudes deeply moved the writer, and the inspiration for The Hunchback of Notre-Dame instantly lit up his head. An ordinary person might not even notice it, even if they saw it, they would dismiss it. "Face" is an ancient concept in the rich vocabulary of Chinese, familiar to the point of being taken for granted. However, Professor Huang Guangguo, with the keen insight of a psychologist, captured the deep symbolic meaning of Chinese cultural and social psychology it embodies. From this starting point, he integrates Confucian thought and Western modern philosophy to establish a localized "human feelings and face" theoretical model. In this model, interpersonal relationships in Chinese society are divided into emotional relationships, mixed relationships, and instrumental relationships. When a petitioner requests a resource allocator to distribute the resources they control in a way favorable to the petitioner, the resource allocator first makes a "relationship judgment." For those they define as emotional relationships, they treat them according to the law of demand; for those they define as mixed relationships, they treat them according to the principle of human feelings; and for those they define as instrumental relationships, they treat them according to the principle of fairness. However, regardless of which interactional norm it is, it is a derivative of the norm of "reciprocity." In emotional relationships, there is no clear range for the resources or time of the return, such as parents raising children to the best of their ability without calculating their. In mixed relationships, the principle of "reciprocity" and the return method of "give a peach and receive a plum" become the rules for maintaining the relationship. In instrumental relationships, the return is usually equivalent and immediate. On this basis, Professor Huang points out that one of the main motivations for the Chinese to do "human feelings" for others is their expectation of a return from them. To argue for the general applicability of the "human feelings and face" theoretical model, the author cites extensively from ancient Chinese cultural classics and analyzes the social behavior of various characters in the story of Fan Jinzhong's success in the imperial examination in The Story of the Scholars, demonstrating the model's interpretive ability for social behavior in ancient China. Next, in the article "Confucian Relationalism and the Organizational Culture of Chinese Enterprises," the author uses this theoretical model to classify and analyze modern Chinese enterprises, explaining the Confucian characteristics of the operating mechanisms of modern Chinese society. Starting from the theoretical system of Confucian relationalism, the author deconstructs the power game between relationships and face. After analyzing the characteristics of face, such as its virtuality, dynamism, and multiplicity, the author explains a series of "face languages," such as giving face, damaging face, borrowing face, and considering face, revealing the connection between face and social interaction, i.e., the "hidden rules" that actually govern Chinese society. The most enlightening aspect of this book is that Professor Huang proposes a localized methodology in social psychology. In the concluding article, he reflects on his academic career and the process of constructing the "human feelings and face" theoretical model, proposing the "multiple paradigms" method: constructing theories with "realism," analyzing culture with structuralism, and conducting empirical research with "pragmatism." In essence, this is a way of studying that "transplants Western learning to the East" and draws from various sources. It holds positive implications for Chinese scholars studying traditional culture in the context of globalization.