That link is great. And please do expand on this! I'd love to read more about this topic. It would make an interesting contemporary counterpart to Kenneth Pomeranz's "The Great Divergence," where he explores why an Industrial Revolution almost (bit didn't quite) took place in the Yangzi Valley as well as the late 18th c. English Midlands. It's an interesting read, even if some of it has been contested: http://press.princeton.edu/titles/6823.html
back
1 comments
I'd love to but I don't have time and there's a lot of articles and content for this that already exists.
The gist of it all is that China is a low trust society. Everyone has a price and rules are only rules unless you have the resources to bend them for yourself. Yes this happens in Western culture as well, the big difference is the both degree and how prevalent it is. e.g. it is much harder to bribe a police officer or teacher here than it is in China. Over here it's an extraordinary event; over there it's mundane. So how do things work in a low trust society? If you can't rely on the rule of law to be consistently fair, you rely on your family. I'm not just talking immediate family. I'm talking about your cousins, and not just your immediate cousins; people over there rely on extended relatives as well like second or third cousins. That's your network of stability. Everything and everyone else (short of close friends) don't matter. In general you put your family ahead of yourself and your personal desires i.e. You don't study philosophy even though that's your love; you go into something practical like being a doctor or computer engineer (yes we have that here as well, but again the difference is the degree)... If there's any culture that truly adheres to the psychological theories of evolution, it's Chinese culture.
One more thing: It's a society of pragmatic pessimists, which I feel is yet another reason Chinese society has against it when it comes to innovation.
The problem with China is that whatever you say about her is true, and it's opposite is true too.
For example, businesses rely very highly on trust in China, precisely because you can't rely on laws to protect you. But it is another kind of trust.
Also, Chinese are quite optimistic too, that's why they never stop creating restaurants, businesses, etc.
And pragmatism: it is a strange pragmatism that who bring one billion of people to fire crackers and spent thousands of rmb in smoke and noise
> For example, businesses rely very highly on trust in China, precisely because you can't rely on laws to protect you. But it is another kind of trust.
I'm not sure this makes any sense, unless you're referring to the way companies and businesses can rely on being able to bribe people.
> Also, Chinese are quite optimistic too, that's why they never stop creating restaurants, businesses, etc. And pragmatism: it is a strange pragmatism that who bring one billion of people to fire crackers and spent thousands of rmb in smoke and noise
Regardless of what people say, the true type of outlook is reflected in the types of business ventures that are undertaken. Yes, there are always 1 or two exceptions but as a whole, most mainland Chinese only undertake safe cookie cutter businesses and cookie cut products that are already proven. This is even more evident when the end goal is a race to the bottom for pricing. All of this is pragmatic.
> And pragmatism: it is a strange pragmatism that who bring one billion of people to fire crackers and spent thousands of rmb in smoke and noise
This is called tradition, and when you think about it; it's also safe and old compared to snow boarding, surfing, rock climbing or whatever new is in fashion in the West. Conversely US culture is primarily about rebellion in spirit, which helps explain our near constant need to do things that are new and experimental.
It's instructive to compare overseas Chinese cultures. Eg Singapore has a well rooted rule of law, yet old school Chinese business men there still are still coloured by the points chaostheory made.