The book locates such theorizing in the major features of the rapidly evolving Chinese market society. Yet it also pays attention to the historical origins and cultural sources of a highly particularistic approach to the acquisition of social and material resources -- an approach which relies on obligatory relations of favour exchange between persons who self-consciously and strategically select their associates and goals.
This sociological treatment of guanxi challenges many dominant conventions and introduces a novel research approach which captures the pertinent psychological dispositions, cultural expressions, and institutional frameworks that underpin the phenomenon.