The Power of Relationalism in China (Routledge Contemporary China Series)

"In the 21st century, China has become impossible to ignore. At the same time, a vast array of perceptions and judgments of China's actions and future have arisen. The confusion, Leah Zhu postulates, is explained by decades of traditional modus operandi, which began in the Maoist Era and misconceives China as a 'collectivist' culture. This book, however, seeks to re-explore thousands of years of China's history to demonstrate the country's adherence to an alternative principle, 'relationalism'. Tracing the pervasive power of 'relationalism' before and after Maoism, it examines the major aspects of Chinese culture, including politics, sociology, psychology and diplomacy. In doing so, it reveals the power of 'relationalism' as the core frame of reference behind contemporary Chinese beliefs and practices. Furthermore, armed with this newly established framework, this book ultimately provides a helpful analysis of China's past political, economic, and judiciary reforms and of how they are faring under the control of the current regime. Featuring extensive evidence and analysis of Chinese culture from ancient rites through to the 21st century, this book will be invaluable to students and scholars of Chinese culture, politics and society. It will also appeal to social scientists and sociologists more broadly."--Provided by publisher Cover Title Copyright Dedication Contents Foreword Acknowledgements Introduction Part I The roots of relationalism in Chinese history 1 Some starting points 2 The “universal order” 3 The traditional Chinese family 4 Relationalism meets foreign challenges 5 Relationalism triumphs Part II Roots of relationalism in the Chinese belief systems 6 Some starting points 7 Confucianism: relationalism in human society 8 Daoism: relationalism in the Cosmos 9 Buddhism: relationalism in Zen 10 Unification under relationalism Part III “Guanxi”: the sociological roots of relationalism 11 Some starting points 12 Qin qing (kinship emotions) 13 You qing (friendship emotions) 14 Ren qing (generic human emotions) 15 Guanxi opens access to resources 16 “Face” and reciprocity 17 “The cat-and-mouse game” Part IV Psychological roots of relationalism 18 Some starting points 19 Relational human nature 20 The Chinese “heart” 21 Cognition and emotion 22 Relational thinking in the Chinese language 23 Development of Chinese “selfhood” Part V Relationalism in 21st-century China 24 Some starting points 25 The CCP in the 21st century 26 The CCP-State relationship in the 21st century 27 The CCP–Chinese society relationship in the 21st century 28 A judicial system with Chinese characteristics? 29 On the world stage: China’s relational diplomacy in the 21st century Epilogue: the Chinese family in the 21st century Notes Selected bibliography Index In the 21st century, China has become impossible to ignore. At the same time, a vast array of perceptions and judgments of China's actions and future have arisen. The confusion, Leah Zhu postulates, is explained by decades of traditional modus operandi, which began in the Maoist Era and misconceives China as a `collectivist' culture.0This book, however, seeks to re-explore thousands of years of China's history to demonstrate the country's adherence to an alternative principle, `relationalism'. Tracing the pervasive power of `relationalism' before and after Maoism, it examines the major aspects of Chinese culture, including politics, sociology, psychology and diplomacy. In doing so, it reveals the power of `relationalism' as the core frame of reference behind contemporary Chinese beliefs and practices. Furthermore, armed with this newly established framework, this book ultimately provides a helpful analysis of China's past political, economic, and judiciary reforms and of how they are faring under the control of the current regime. Featuring extensive evidence and analysis of Chinese culture from ancient rites through to the 21st century, this book will be invaluable to students and scholars of Chinese culture, politics and society. It will also appeal to social scientists and sociologists more broadly This book explores thousands of years of China's history to trace the pervasive power of 'relationalism' before and after Maoism, it examines the major aspects of Chinese culture, revealing the power of 'relationalism' as the core frame of reference behind contemporary Chinese beliefs and practices.