It's similar in Korea or anywhere actually. It's who you know, not what you know. That's basic human nature.MrMan wrote: ↑January 10th, 2023, 10:07 amThe Chinese have a cultural system called 'guanxi'-- connections. If you want to do business in China, you can't call a businessman out of the blue with a great idea and realistically expect him to jump on it. You have to know someone who knows him, who can introduce you. So you ask your aunt who works with someone who went to school with his cousin to get that chain of people to arrange an introduction. Then you owe your aunt a favor who owes her coworker who owes the cousin. Everyone keeps tabs of favors owed in their minds, and some people try to get other people indebted to them in terms of traded favors. If you have a good 'guanxi' connection with someone, that might reduce the risk of doing business. His parents, cousins, and coworkers might get upset with him for ripping you off.Natural_Born_Cynic wrote: ↑January 10th, 2023, 9:00 amYour Korean friend is correct. Korean peninsula isn't a good piece of Real Estate because of its strategic position, 2/3 of the land is mountainous, no oil or diamonds, all the arable land is at the west, little or no natural resources, etc. Korean has been invaded by the Chinese, Japanese, Manchus, and Mongols. Korea Peninsula has been invaded so many times. Korea also has been a vassal state of China many times throughout history. That's why Koreans are more closer to Chinese by Heart and try to adopt Confucianism, so they don't get invaded! China is just too big in land and population.publicduende wrote: ↑January 10th, 2023, 8:24 amChinese people cooperate with each other when they recognise that a mutual benefit can be had by all parties involved. They recognise the power of the social network, starting with the innermost, their own family. This, though, only happens in traditional families whose fortunes were made, or retained, that way.Natural_Born_Cynic wrote: ↑January 10th, 2023, 8:13 am@publicduende
I agree, there are nice Jews and bad Jews. But people get caught up with all the conspiracy, Khazarian Jews, Illuminati stuff. The Jews are indeed a controversial group of people even today. I personally don't love them or hate them, more neutral stance.
The Chinese people are known to be cooperative and help each other too. In contrast the Koreans distrust and hates each other. It's a shame actually. I wish Koreans would work together, but too busy fighting each other.
One needs to understand that the vast majority of Chinese, just like the vast majority of Jews and Israeli, have nothing like the kind of fortunes and/or networks of the historical wealthy elites. These people have no other choice than play by the same rules as anybody else, in fact worse. Look at the current Chinese population and you see nothing like the Confucianist collectivists one may stereotype: many Chinese are lazy, opportunistic, easy to get into addictions (drugs, gambling, etc.), lacking filial piety, etc. The Chinese government know this very well and they rule them with an iron fist. If they didn't, it would be total chaos in the space of a single generation.
By the way, this is exactly what a Korean friend of mine told me about the Koreans. They are, at heart, much closer to the Chinese than to the Japanese. My friend also told me that all Korean rulers lived in constant fear of the Korean peninsula being invaded and conquered by the Chinese Empire. They saw Confucianism as a way to temper them and prepare to act and fight as one, every time one of the numerous invasions happened.
Yes of course, the Chinese has always been an agrarian society and they are ruled by series of dynasties. They have to cooperate or they will starve in mass and the dynasties have to rule with an iron fist or else they couldn't control their large population.
I think that's why the Chinese are good at cooperating. I don't know why Koreans are not good at that..![]()
Koreans are more egotistic, full of pride, and aggressive towards each other. It's more everyman for himself kind of mentality despite Korean society preaching about Confucianism and family values. Koreans people go my way or the highway. I guess it's the trait developed as a peninsula people..
If you take that system into Thailand, the Philippines, or China, you may end up doing business with other Chinese people who are a part of this favor swapping system.
I forget the names for it, but Koreans and Japanese have different words for somewhat similar cultural system.s
However, I find Korean people are less agreeable and less cooperative than their Japanese or Chinese counterparts on average. I have seen countless times when one Korean scam the other Korean in every kind of organization. That's why even in Korean American society Koreans don't trust other koreans.