| Connection matters in Chinese culture | |
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| Jan 3, 2008 03:28 |   |
| guestroam | In China, connection matters when you try to achieve some things. In Ancient China, we had s saying: when a man get promoted, even his dogs and chickens will be honored. If you are a relative of aristocrats or royal families, you have more privileges. In today’s China, the privilege of monarchy has been eradicated. Well, connection still matters in China. Several days ago, one of my friends told me about his personal experiences: he should get recommendation for continuing his study as a graduate. He lost the opportunity because the tutor chose his relative. Chinese is a nation giving prominence of connection. If you are well connected, things will become easy. There is no big deal for you. What about the situation in the west? Does connection matter as much as that in China? |
| Jan 3, 2008 05:07 | #1 |
 | Here in the UK we say it's not what you know, it's who you know. For most of my life I have work hard to gain any promotion, very often I was overlooked for someone who I trained in the first place, perhaps I train them too good! Alan |
| Jan 3, 2008 05:22 | #2 |
| It is the same the whole world over not just in China. It is as Alan has said, " not what you know, but who you know' and that is the reason we have F wits in high places. Dodger |
| Jan 3, 2008 12:56 | #3 |
| Yes, I know some living examples about that. Other married the right woman and got promoted as a managing director to a company his wife´s brother founded. Other happened to be the best friend of a guy who bought a big company, sliced it and promoted his schoolmate as managing director to one of the small companys. Oh, do I sound a little bitter? Well, maybe I am. I have worked my way to where I am now, some happen to play golf in the right time. Carlos |
| Jan 3, 2008 17:46 | #4 |
| My father was the son of an alcoholic milk wagon driver. He could not finish high school because his father was too drunk to load the milk wagon (still drawn by horses) and deliver the milk to the door of his customer's homes. My father dropped out of school to help my grandfather keep his job and feed the family. When my father married my mother they didn't have two coins to rub together. Through hard-work, diligence and perseverance my father and his three best friends built a very successful company. My father and his partners, who also came for modest backgrounds, all became multi-millionaires. Then they sold the company and made even more money. Those 4 men did it through their own blood, sweat and tears with the love, support and encouragement of their wives. Those four uneducated men were one of America's great success stories of the common man. Today there are still self-made men and women in the USA, but the number of unconnected, successful people is small compared to the number of people who rise to power and fortune because of connections. A side note: By the time that I was walking around (#1 grandson), my drunken grandfather had stopped drinking and become a reliable worker, devout husband, and loving father and grandfather again. |
| Jan 3, 2008 22:22 | #5 |
| That's really inspiring, GRIZ. I've heard that 8 out of 10 entrepreneurs fail but what is it that made your father so successful? Did you ever ask him that? How did he know where to start? What kind of a business was it? Where was it located? How did they get the funding? I'm very motivated to start a business myself as well, and any advice would be appreciated. Thanks! - moondollars http://community.faithvine.com/ |
| Jan 4, 2008 13:39 | #6 |
| My father and his partners were milk delivery men and one railroad worker. They all met when they became real estate salesmen after failing countless times at other types of jobs. My father could sell milk...but he could not sell knives or vacuum cleaners or encyclopedias. Finally he learned that he could sell real estate because he believed "the home you live in is the best investment you will ever make." Because he believed that he was helping his customers, he could push them when they got cold feet at the contract signing. In fact he did help most of his customers because when they bought their homes for $10000 USD...they eventually sold them for $40000 or $50000 USD. My father and his partners were good men; they loved their work; they had the support of their wives; and they believed beyond all else that America would give them an opportunity if they worked hard and persisted. When they started their business they didn't have any funding. They each had a few hundred dollars saved. They struggled for about 6 months but they succeeded in getting the ball rolling....and it rolled and rolled and rolled. The opportunities may be harder to come by in the US today, but they still exist here just as opportunity is presenting itself for many in China today. Those who believe in it and work for it may fail a hundred times...but they will eventually succeed. |
| Jan 5, 2008 01:49 | #7 |
| Thank you =) |
| Jan 8, 2008 21:01 | #8 |
| Connection matters in all the countries. "Nepotism" is a big problem both in business world and politics. Once you have a high connection, you have more chances to be promoted and succeed. The intricate connection make all things in human world tangled. |
| Jan 9, 2008 10:52 | #9 |
| I understand that reality, LEOPOLD219. ...but China is in a time that is presenting opportunity to people willing to "make their own luck" with work hard. In 20 years, these self-made people will have connected people hoping to connect with them. |
| Jan 9, 2008 21:47 | #10 |
| Thank you Griz for sharing so inspiring true life stories. A Chinese saying goes, failure is the mother of success. Millions of self-made men fail millions of times. Learning lessons from failures is essential part of the way to success. Failure is a good thing for youngsters. Now I understand why I am not successful, it is all because I haven't failed enough times and I am too young. It seems to me that the sunrise of tommorow moring is too alluring to dream it today. |
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