Can't Read My, No You Can't Reada My Poker Face

In China, the concept of Face is integral to its culture. You can give Face, get Face, show Face, or save Face. Face is your reputation, influenced by what you wear, how you act, how important you look, what technology you use, and what kind of car or bike you drive. In American culture, we all secretly worry about what other people think about us, in China culture, you must worry about what other people think about you. It’s a form of hubris that is socially accepted and encouraged. We Americans are so concerned with hiding the fact that we really are concerned with what other people think about us that we end up playing a vicious game of hide and seek while treading the line between living the lifestyle we want for ourselves and for the image is reflects upon us. Going to all of these meetings, I am learning quickly how to increase my “Face”. The leaders we meet with surround themselves with many assistants and like to bring as many “minions” with them to the meetings, regardless if they are interacting with us, relevant, or even, awake. We were in a meeting with the Beijing Modern Plaza, which was a huge shopping mall of about six levels that had everything from Lancome and Hugo Boss to toilet paper. The executives rolled in with a posse that rivaled Paris Hilton and there was a very specific way that we all needed to sit. They even had a videographer and a photographer to document our important visit. By us visiting them, we were giving them “Face” because we were honoring them with our visit. In return, they showed us “Face” by having so much pomp and circumstance during our visit. They also showed “Face” by having so many of their assistants and subordinates with them and having people taking video and pictures of us all, which makes them look all that much more important. The many assistants and other board members did not say one word and one guy even fell asleep, obviously just believing showing up was enough. One of my favorite parts of the visit? The guy who took photos of me and another girl with his cell phone camera. I guess they don’t get to see a black girl and a blonde girl next to each other very often!

One of my favorite visits was with Lenovo, which is the largest retailer of PC’s in china and has 10% global market share. The guy who spoke to us was a great pubic speaker and had a plethora of exciting and funny stories of his time in China. He was originally from Canada and has been in China for 10 years and has had many unique experiences and insights he shared with us. He told us about how in China, there are three signs of wealth. In the past, it was having a radio, a watch, and a bicycle. Now, it is having a cell phone, a computer, and an electric bicycle. Puts things in perceptive, eh? At first, I was disdainful of this idea and thought it was petty and silly. However, after thinking through it more, I saw the tradition and honor present in Chinese society. This “Face” isn’t about showboating; it is about reputation. And reputation in this society is the most important thing to achieve and maintain. What if Americans fessed up to caring what other people think? What if we valued reputation and showing respect to others and respecting ourselves? Many times, we claim, “I don’t care what other people think!”, but I truly believe we kind of should. The relationships between the people here are vital to them and by building strong reputations, they develop trust that makes business and professionalism personal and based upon experience. Perception is sometimes reality and wouldn’t we as Americans and as individuals trust each other more and feel more confident if we acted and dressed and lived in accordance to how we would want to be perceived? I realize I’ve adopted this idea since coming to college and joining a sorority. My boyfriend laughs because I always want to make sure my “Face” i.e. make-up is on before I leave the house and I’m dressed well and my hair is done. That may seem very high-maintenance to many, but I see it as putting my best self forward when I leave the house. My sorority taught me that you must be confident in yourself and I can honestly say I don’t know many people who are confident with greasy hair, sweatpants, and wrinkled clothing. You wouldn’t invite guests over to your house with an unclean bathroom, clothes on the floor, or the garbage overflowing…so why would you present the same image to the entire world everyday? I like the thought that my reputation matters and that I can earn “Face” to improve that reputation, which would be used to judge my character. We build this reputation in business by the work we have done, so it makes sense that we would continue to build our reputation in other parts of our life. Granted, they do emphasize things like what car you drive and what phone you use, but we kind of already do that. I won’t lie, I have a Mac not only because I adore my Mac and Apple products, but also because I like the image it reflects on me. I’m creative, modern, and like easy to use products. We all use, wear, and carry products that we believe align with our personalities and image, but are scared to really admit it. The Chinese are shameless in their pursuit of Face, so I say, admit it, America, and show us your Face.