Chapter 9. Harmonious Society Section 2. Social Structure The Chinese Way, Ding and Xu, 2014 Chapter 9. Harmonious Society 1
Outline Introduction Historical context Government’s stance Three major behavioral patterns related to conflicts – Firefighting – Concession-seeking – Timidity and disrespectfulness in law enforcement contexts Road ahead The Chinese Way, Ding and Xu, 2014 Chapter 9. Harmonious Society 2
Introduction Confucianism: “Harmony is precious.” The official adoption by the government The Chinese Way, Ding and Xu, 2014 Chapter 9. Harmonious Society 3
Historical context Teachings of Confucius: coordination, mediation, and conflict avoidance Doctrine of Mean: “finding the happy medium” In most cases, harmony means interpersonal harmony The Chinese Way, Ding and Xu, 2014 Chapter 9. Harmonious Society 4
Government’s stance “Harmonious society” was formally adopted as the governing doctrine in 2004 – A harmonious society based on “democracy, rule of law, fairness, trust, love, energetic life, stability, and coexistence between man and nature.” In response to many non-harmonious phenomena, e.g., corruption, employment, safety, the distribution of income, resources, and opportunities etc. The Chinese Way, Ding and Xu, 2014 Chapter 9. Harmonious Society 5
Government’s stance All government official’s evaluations are partly based on how harmonious their regions are. They will do whatever they can to maintain perceptions of harmony. This led to three unintended behavioral patterns related to conflict The Chinese Way, Ding and Xu, 2014 Chapter 9. Harmonious Society 6
Firefighting Firefighting: the practice of treating symptoms quickly so as to preserve harmony, instead of addressing the underlying causes E.g., old saying on headache and foot ache, and a story of soldier E.g., Government officials cave in to demands or suppress their constituents in order to maintain harmony during the tenure. The Chinese Way, Ding and Xu, 2014 Chapter 9. Harmonious Society 7
Concession-seeking To strategically behave in ways that may cause unharmonious perceptions or outcomes – “The squeaky wheel gets the grease” Examples: - “The dead street vendor” -“Our employees cannot have any conflict with visitors.” -Worsened doctor-patient relationship The Chinese Way, Ding and Xu, 2014 Chapter 9. Harmonious Society 8
Timidity and disrespectfulness in law enforcement contexts The curious finding: police officers are timid about enforcing the law, while Chinese citizens do not fear and respect police Examples: -A police officer punched by a traffic law violator -The non-action of the police in Kunming airport The Chinese Way, Ding and Xu, 2014 Chapter 9. Harmonious Society 9
Road ahead Harmony will continue to be part of the governing doctrine A gradual integration of law into the implementation of harmony, or harmony becoming conditional on laws The Chinese Way, Ding and Xu, 2014 Chapter 9. Harmonious Society 10