Being foreigners and Adam being a business man allows us to get star treatment…people bend over backwards to help us and offer us drinks and snacks wherever we go. The driving company was right next to a Bank Of China branch, so the owner of the driving company brought us to the bank himself and brought us to the VIP line where we instantly got our (or should I say Adam’s…they don’t have joint accounts so Adam has full control!) bank account. Our China teacher (that came to the house before we moved) explained Guangxi (guan-chi) and the important role it plays in Chinese culture. Guangxi basically means relationship. In China people will do anything to help you, it isn’t unusual for a coworker to carry your suitcases across the border or an owner or a driving company to pull strings and use his influence to help a couple Americans that he just met. This is seen as (a) a way to show respect for another person and (b) good business sense. The expectation is that we would now recommend that driving company to another or that CREE will use him again. Personally I love that people are expected to help each other out and that relationships between individuals are important in all areas of life.
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