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Previous studies on stratification in urban China emphasized the importance of formal institutional environment. This article stresses the significant role of informal networks of interpersonal connec...tions: guanxi. Guanxi is a Chinese concept widely used as a kind of social norm guiding individuals’ actions. It is in the core of Confucian ethics that dominates in the Chinese-speaking world overall, particularly in the PRC. It is a key concept in understanding social and economic behaviors in Chinese cultural context, and as such has attracted fruitful attention and debate in academic circles. I will discuss the dynamic process and main functions of guanxi. I criticized the dualist approach to understanding guanxi; either as a social phenomenon influenced by traditional Chinese culture, or as a product of special institutional and historical conditions. Both of these factors should be taken into consideration when contemplating the role of guanxi in China. Based on these discussions, I examined the debate on the importance of guanxi and how and why guanxi works so well in Chinese society. I argue that in a guanxi society, the prevailing use of guanxi can reinforce significant structures of inequality in occupational attainment, such as the job hopping and job searching process, thus, causing greater social stratification through eroding social mobility. Finally, I propose some new research questions which await further empirical studies. This essay only provides a tentative exploration into social stratification and social mobility research. As it introduces a new research method, more work should be done, both theoretically and methodologically.show more
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