International Convention of Asia Scholars (ICAS)

     Using a variety of methods learnt from her sociological and social anthropological training both in China and the West, and based on long-term, in-depth fieldwork in a Chinese village on the topics of “reciprocity, social support and creativity”, the author has reached her concept of “lishang-wanglai” by combining related Chinese notions of guanxi, mianzi (face), renqing, especially li shang wanglai, and Fei Xiaotong’s chaxugeju (social egoism). The author hypothesises a spectrum of reciprocities (wanglai) − generous, expressive, instrumental and negative − governed by a spectrum of criteria, (lishang) − moral judgment, human feeling, rational calculation and spiritual belief. Her theories replace static models of the operation of networks with a pattern of dynamic processes which she demonstrates at work in the daily, cyclical, ordinary and extraordinary life of a village, proposing that the driving force of these processes is social creativity.

     This book showcases how an in-depth study of relationships, the core of Chinese social and cultural contexts, can increase our general understanding of human society, and offers an exemplar for establishing a “Sociology of China” and a “Social Anthropology of China” from the perspective of Chinese scholars. The author’s concept of “lishang-wanglai” can be extended far beyond rural Chinese society. This book will therefore be of interest to scholars from disciplines ranging from China studies to political science, social policy and management science, as well as researchers for policy-oriented studies, cultural or business consultants, and people everywhere who seek a better understanding of the nature and rules of change in Chinese society.