Anxious Wealth: Money and Morality Among China's New Rich

by John Osburg

Who exactly are China's new rich? This pioneering investigation introduces readers to the private lives―and the nightlives―of the powerful entrepreneurs and managers redefining success and status in the city of Chengdu. Over the course of more than three years, anthropologist John Osburg accompanied, and in some instances assisted, wealthy Chinese businessmen as they courted clients, partners, and government officials. Drawing on his immersive experiences, Osburg invites readers to join him as he journeys through the new, highly gendered entertainment sites for Chinese businessmen, including karaoke clubs, saunas, and massage parlors―places specifically designed to cater to the desires and enjoyment of elite men. Within these spaces, a masculinization of business is taking place. Osburg details the complex code of behavior that governs businessmen as they go about banqueting, drinking, gambling, bribing, exchanging gifts, and obtaining sexual services. These intricate social networks play a key role in generating business, performing social status, and reconfiguring gender roles. But many entrepreneurs feel trapped by their obligations and moral compromises in this evolving environment. Ultimately, Osburg examines their deep ambivalence about China's future and their own complicity in the major issues of post-Mao Chinese society―corruption, inequality, materialism, and loss of trust.

Genres: China, Nonfiction, Anthropology, Politics, History, Social, Business

248 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would have largely benefited having read this prior to some of my work in China, all those nights at KTV with drunken Chinese businessmen would have been brought into perspective and had at least a modicum of logic and purpose behind them.
John Osburg explores, through vast personal experience and impressive cross-cultural analysis, the meaning and reasoning behind the culture of networks which make up contemporary China's government and business elite, how these networks are forged, how their members, actual and potential, are expected to behave, and how they shape today's China.

[Cărăşălu · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great ethnography, almost in a classical sense. It doesn't achieve much in the way of theory, except, perhaps, confront some dominant concepts and ideas from social sciences with the Chinese reality. It's rich in insightful ethnographic detail - the author main fieldwork seems to have been dining, drinking, going to karaoke clubs and perhaps even whoring with rich Chinese, including some mafia-type guys.

A big part of the book is dedicated to describing the network-building employed by these businessmen and maintaining these networks implies mandatory frequent banqueting with partners and associates. One of the author's friends ended up in hospital twice with a stomach problem because of too much drinking, but said he couldn't stop because so many people depended on him (family and relatives, subordinates, mistresses - a lot of mouths to feed). Some even say that this kind of partying is their real work.

Another interesting fact is the emergence of the beauty economy. For men who already have a lot of money, introducing them to a beautiful mistress is the only way of winning their favour. Legal scholars call this sexual bribery. Thus, many young women choose to become dancers, hostesses and mistresses and live off male entrepreneurs' money. Women who do pursue a career of their own a despised by both businessmen ("think of how many men she has slept with to get this far") and women engaged in the beauty economy ("if she wasn't so ugly, she wouldn't have to work that hard).

It's also hard for businesswomen to get married. First, they are usually deemed morally suspect. Second, men won't marry women with income higher than theirs because it undermines their masculinity. However, if men with lower incomes are willing to marry richer women, the women become suspicious because these men are willing to "sacrifice" a part of their maleness.

These are just some examples, but the book has a lot more to offer. Even the introduction itself is excellent as a short description and recent history of China's changes. Osburg speaks about business, morality, corruption, gender, sexuality, you name it.

[Rajiv Chopra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent book, well researched and well written. I have lived in China for five years, did learn to speak Chinese, and asked many questions that normal expatriates did not ask
I have been to some of the karaoke bars (no sex!!), and have witnessed the business culture up front.

While I don't want to appear as though I am validating his findings, especially since John Osbourne did significant more research than I did, and travelled deeper into these matters than I did, I did experience what he talks about.

The end notes at the end of the book are excellent as well. They add a lot of flavour to the book, and do provide excellent explanations of many points. These end notes are essential reading, in my view.

For anyone who wants to gain an in-depth idea of business culture in China, you will do yourself a favour by reading this book.

[Missy J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite its very intriguing title, the book is written in an anthropological, scholarly and somewhat dry way. Osburg must have had quite an experience doing research for this one, and the references he made to other scholars was well done.
It offers business people in China, who are not familiar with Chinese business culture a very insightful and informative explanation of how business is done over there.

[Rolin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had gone to China quite often as a kid where my parents would be invited to the banquet/dinner parties that Osburg describes in this book. I'd watch these middle-aged Chinese men take consecutive shots of baijiu with one another as they all showed off their brand-name watches and other paraphernalia. Osburg's anthropological study of China's nouveau elite contextualized all these scenes from my childhood. He connects descriptions of performances of wealth and masculinity to how this nouveau elite develop new social networks in postsocialist China. Reading this work alongside Leta Hong Fincher's new "Betraying Big Brother" offers a compelling case that gender is a crucial yet relatively unexplored lens to view the events of contemporary China.

[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great ethnography giving insight into the new rich in China and their elite behaviors!

[Qx · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enjoyable read, analysed from many points of view with good discussion of contrasting narratives and the concept of imaginaries.

I started this book with a pretty hostile and critical attitude (a Westerner commenting on Chinese culture often winds up intensely biased), but it won me over the moment the introduction ended and the content began.

It was not particularly anglo-centric, which is highly commendable, and in fact the book benefited from unique insights revealed that can be attributed to the researcher's special position as a Caucasian. For one, it made him an uninvolved outsider in the web of business in China. Secondly, it gave him a degree of prestige and desirability in Chinese social circles that contributed to their willingness to divulge the intricacies of the system.

Recommended for geographers and anthropologists or those familiar with such a style

[Meisen Wong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid and detailed ethnography about the building of highly masculine and collusive networks between state officials and entrepreneurs. Most academic literature on 'guanxi' often takes it-for-granted how these relations are formed and built upon. As the role of women is often neglected in the literature on guanxi given that it's highly masculine, I really appreciated the chapter dedicated to the position of female entrepreneurs, and the emergence of the beauty economy and 'gray' women in this discussion.

[Amy Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must read for China hands . . . but do not read in your first few years. Understand the culture or this book will sour you. Helps to understand relationships!

[Shuyuan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good writing with layers

[Jiaying Chen]

great analysis and ethnography

[Rebekka]

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