The Concept of "Face" in Chinese Culture

"FACE" - A CULTURAL THING

For those of you not well-versed in Chinese culture, there is something you should know about the concept of face or having face. Stemming from this, there are also the related concepts of losing face, of saving face, and even of lending face.

Face is a concept not hard to understand because, even as Westerners, everyone has face. When equated to Western values, face is very similar to the notion of reputation. Face is a dynamic which applies to both personal and business relationships in China.

Corollary to face is the inseparable concept of guanxi or "relations". Face and guanxi work hand-in-hand. One without the other renders useless the dynamic these two concepts collectively work together. I will write about guanxi in a separate article (Be sure to click here to go to the main article index and click SUBSCRIBE twice to get updates).

So, now we will see how face works curiously as a commodity in the business and personal realms...

HAVING FACE (GOOD FACE)

In Asian culture, if someone has "good face" (or quite simply has "face"), such "face" means someone has a good reputation in front of one's peers. Interestingly enough, having good face is actually a "bankable" notion in Chinese culture. Having face in front of one's business colleagues or within a community is literally a statement of that person's value. If someone has good enough face, in some cases they can walk into a lending institution (such as smaller, privately operated banks), and take out a loan on their word only. People with good face are generally dependable, reliable, and safe to do business with.

As we say in Western culture, "His word is as good as gold." This is essentially what good "face" means.

LOSING FACE (NO FACE)