'Out With the Old'—An Evaluation of the Relevance of Traditional Chinese Cultural Beliefs in Today's China

摘要

This study evaluated the views of a range of 20- to 35-year-old Chinese respondents regarding the applicability and relevance—in today's modern China—of various traditional Chinese values such as trust, respect and guanxi, in regard to personal, social, business and consumer behavior contexts. It found that respondents felt that traditional values were still important at home and in social contexts but had perhaps become replaced in business by more Westernized and sharp-edged values. However, they also feel that it is still sometimes possible to form deeper and more traditionally conceptualized business networks and relationships and it is here that people still preferred to conduct more complex—and serious (and indeed often more lucrative)—business activities. In regard to the use of traditional values in Chinese consumer behavior, the situation is once again quite complex. When it comes to initially thinking about a consumer behavior issue, respondents feel that traditional values played no real part—but when it comes to actually deciding on a particular product or service to purchase, particularly in regard to a product (or service) which has a high level of brand equity/image, the situation is very different. Now respondents tend to make judgments about the product or service in a most traditional manner and way, thinking about issues of face, respect, trust and even guanxi, where it is almost possible for them to feel that they have formed a kind of relationship with some brands that will, in turn, guarantee them a certain level of face, image, status and respect.