Lingnan MBA Center
Lingnan (University) College, Sun Yat-sen University
Assignment Form
Course: Doing Business in China
Instructor: HU Songhua
Homework: Chinese Culture & Business Etiquette
Chinese Culture
Philosophy and basics
Chinese culture is an intricate value system, mixed by all the cultural elements rooted in
China’s ancient traditions.
The basics of Chinese culture take place in Confucianism, Daoism, Yi Jing and Popular
Culture beliefs.
• །Confucianism is the major philosophical, moral, political tradition in China; developed
over two millennia since the teachings of the philosopher Kongzi, the “First Teacher” (551-
479 BC), known in the West with the “Latinized name” of
Confucius. This discipline is established basically on 5 virtues: seriousness, generosity,
sincerity, diligence and kindness. The moral of one of the most famous teachings is a kind
of Golden Rule’s ancestor that asserts: “do not do to others what you do not want done to
yourself”. Actually Confucian theory of ethics is found on etiquette (doing the proper thing
at the proper time), righteousness (doing the right thing for the right reason, based on the
idea of ferocity by following the Golden Rule’s moral) and Goodness (“built” on the 5
virtues and upon empathy).
• །Daoism designates both a philosophical and mystical doctrines, exposed mainly in the
works attributed to Laozi (ethic teachings: “harmony with nature”, “act naturally”,
‘simplicity and humility as key virtues”) and Zhuangzi (ethic teachings: “follow nature”,
‘self-perseveration”, “meditation and inner cultivation”). This discipline consists in a
school of way hence the name Dao, which means “road” or “way”. It could be represented
by an idiom that states: “practice Confucianism outside, Daoism inside”. Its fundamental
ideas are:
1. Dao is the process of reality itself, the way things come together, while still
transforming;
2. “act naturally”, or “effortless action” (there is no need for human tempering with the
flow of reality);
3. sages, because they create peace, are like water that finds its place overcoming the hard
and strong by suppleness. They act with no expectations of reward.
Zhuangzi has characterized this discipline with the strong influence of his great
ideas:
ü ༏“The Butterfly Dream”. It’s a philosophy of mind and change based on the thought that
everything is dynamic and continuous because all the things are subject to periodical
transformations that represent the Chinese view of creation. The Master Zhuangzi may
want to teach how to engage in transformation through meditation experience according to
the Taoist philosophy (all beings and everything are fundamentally one);