traditional Chinese society would strive to maintain harmony in interpersonal relationships. . Traditional Chinese society stressed great importance to relations within the family and community. Every body had a role within the community and family. It was considered the duty of every individual to fulfill their role in order to benefit others. “Every person’s character was defined by their social relations, moreover the individual belonged to and served the collective,” (Dutton, 29). An example of such relations is given in the case of the Chinese work units. The work unit serves as a family in the workplace. In many ways it is as restrictive as a family in that you have little choice in which work unit you join and you cannot switch work units or move up within one. However people find solace in them because it is like a family and one feels a sense of belonging which is necessary in a society that functions through people’s desires to help others. For Chinese, the work unit is their very own big round table. People care for and love their fellow worker; they are no longer friendless and wretched since they are always surrounded by those they know. Dutton claims in such a society could not function if the individuals were preoccupied by ideas of human rights.With the beginning of foreign trade in the Qing dynasty, the Chinese were wary of foreign ideologies and felt it was important to maintain China’s identity. The leaders of China felt it was necessary to trade with and accept the technology of the foreigners in order to strengthen China. At the same time they did not want the inflow of Western ideals and wanted to maintain their culture. As a result contact with foreign countries were restricted and China has historically been a rather reclusive nation. However the gradual (and more recently, rapid) inflow of western ideas have changed the landscape of China. “Gone are the tradit...
