My previous 2 articles were on gift-giving and guanxi. These are interlinked, because in China, I think the reason people exchange gifts is to build guanxi. A third concept underlying all of this is ‘Face’. Perhaps this term is not commonly used in the West, but it is very important in China. ‘Face’ is your self-respect, your pride, your reputation. Everyone wants to save face and no one wants to lose it.
