VIP Class Notes (Lily) [R/S]

What is nepotism?

You’ve no doubt heard that nepotism is rampant in China, and you’re not exactly wrong, but nepotism is hardly unique to China or East Asia in general. It has always existed, and possibly always will.

The most fundamental reason for nepotism to exist is the fact that humans, being social beings, are prone to in-group preferences and tribalism as a way of securing their own survival. Save for an alien invasion, humans will always prefer those who look, talk, act and behave like themselves.

Nepotism is, according to your favourite free online encyclopedia, a system “based on favour granted to relatives in various fields, including business, politics, entertainment, sports, religion and other activities”.

Some would call that corruption, and depending on the laws and regulations of a country it might very well be. But from an historical standpoint, there are reasonable and logical reasons for nepotism to exist, even if it feels insulting and frustrating to be the victim of it.

Nepotism in China’s private sector

Despite the anti-corruption campaign initiated by president Xi Jinping in 2013, nepotism still exists on almost every level of Chinese society in some shape or form. It’s not exactly 关系 (guānxì) per se, although the notion in itself is quite similar. Domestic Chinese business practices are rife with favouritism and nepotism, and the lines between them are often blurred.

Take for example the simple idea that as a representative for a small establishment, you would typically avoid doing business with someone you don’t know. The same can be assumed if you’re looking to hire a new employee. Why hire someone completely unknown when your nephew just graduated? He’s a good kid according to his father – your brother.

As far as private companies go, this is neither illegal, according to Chinese law, nor immoral, according to Chinese customs. It’s just normal and even expected.

nature vs nurture

I think 100% is too much – I think that nature weighs more like to than nurture maybe 60 / 40 – if you say that nature is more important than nurture then you can come to a conclusion that some people are born to be like this – it means he needs to work harder than people who were born to be better than him –  i think im telling a white lie. im not a scientist I dont know but I want to believe that nurture is more important than nature , it seems to me that nature is more important than nurture. I have a very smart classmate that makes big money – but he could be affected by his surroundings, like his parents were divorced and he didn’t get much attention when he grew up – so the proportion was maybe 60 / 40.

To do something meaningful would be helping out others / doing something bigger not only concerning myself and could perhaps changing a certain some people’s life into a better situation, but im not doing that at all – I wish it could become a part of my job so I could do it in a professional and influential way – but my job is nothing related to this – if I can make someone else‘s life better,  by day time when I look back at night, I will feel a kind of fulfilled. So I hope I can I can get paid for helping others do such j ob the govt will pay me money and then I will save other people’s lives.