大家?小家?

By VALERIE SARTOR

刘 鹏 朱一童

My danwei, offered me not only a teaching job, but also a free bicycle, a free apartment, free medical insurance and free entertainment

我的单位不仅给我提供一份教书的工作，还免费给我提供自行车、住房、医保和娱乐活动。

Anthropologists define culture using basic factors: language, food and behavior. But in China these three criteria certainly confuse foreigners. First, the complex Chinese language presents a formidable barrier to cross-cultural communication. Second, the vast array of Chinese foodstuff―Chinese eat everything, literally from head to toe―startles Western eyes and palates. But third and most significantly, basic Chinese behavioral patterns conflict with Western norms. The most blatant difference revolves around the Chinese predilection for group dynamics within the work environment. Westerners, particularly Americans, remain notoriously proud of their status as independent, private individuals voluntarily performing inside a system. Employees make autonomous decisions on the job, cherish their freedom and even demand personal accolades and/or bonuses when work is done well. The Chinese, in contrast, prefer to allow the employer to passively control them, even in private matters regarding their personal lives.

In 2004, when I arrived in China, my Chinese work unit, or danwei, enveloped me completely, just as Jonah was swallowed into the whale’s mouth*. The Chinese regard employment as much more than a job, a paycheck and a few weeks’ vacation every year. Rather, it is a small interconnected world. A danwei often takes care of every worker’s needs, from offering maternity hospitals to arranging cremation services. China Oil, my danwei, offered me not only a teaching job, but also a free bicycle, a free apartment, free medical insurance and free entertainment ranging from opera nights to riding ponies in the nearby mountains. They had previously constructed a miniature city for the workers, complete with apartment houses, shops, restaurants, a luxury hotel, theaters, gyms and tennis courts, an Olympic pool, several parks and a fully equipped hospital.

“We are fortunate to serve in this danwei,” said Mr. Yang, a colleague. “They provide everything. I never leave the base to go anywhere because it is so convenient.”

Later, when I complained that all the train tickets were sold out during the winter holidays, my danwei leader simply phoned her friend. “I have connections―guanxi,” she smiled. “You can pick up your ticket this afternoon at five. Go to counter number eight and talk to Xiao Liu.”

Thus, the danwei is maternal, almost an extension of the family. It offers security and consistency within a strictly defined hierarchy of ranks where all parties understand the rules of conduct, with guanxi greasing the wheels of activity. Despite modern Chinese now job-hopping in an increasingly market-driven society, danwei is still very much entrenched. Viewed from Western eyes the danwei perhaps seems stifling. But the skill Chinese employ at living together continually under cramped conditions causes most workers to feel reluctant to challenge their leaders, change jobs, or even divorce their spouses. The Chinese system may be closed but it is secure; work provides a sense of place and separateness from the encroaching outside world.

“I met my husband accidentally,” Miss Xiao, the foreign liaison, told me over noodles. “He didn’t work for this unit of China Oil, so we had to get permission to marry from both of our unit leaders. Then it took two years to transfer him here.”

“That’s outrageous,” I retorted. “How could you let a job control you in this way?”

“How can you flit from job to job?” she countered. “I have a position for life and so does my husband. When we’re old we will retire and live quietly, comfortably. How will you live if you keep changing positions like a butterfly tasting different flowers?”

“Because I like the challenge,” I answered. “Western workers always seek better jobs; the market is competitive. Western employers recruit those with wider work experience. More creative, more knowledgeable, more productive.”

“That’s not the traditional Chinese way,” Xiao responded placidly. “Stability, harmony and good relationships are keys to success in China. Besides, I want security: one job, one career, and one husband, for life. Anything else is too messy for me.”

The author is an American working in Inner Mongolia.

人类学家用来界定文化的基本要素有：语言、食物和行为举止。但在中国，这三项标准却着实让外国人困惑不解。首先，汉语之复杂让人们在跨文化交际中望而却步。其次，中餐原料品种之繁多――说实在的，从头到脚，中国人无所不吃，足以让西方人大跌眼镜。第三，同时也是最重要的，中国人的行为方式与西方人大相径庭。最能体现中西方差别的是中国人在工作场所热衷于群体活动。而西方人，特别是美国人，以特立独行著称于世，每一个人都愿意自成一体。从事什么工作由雇员们自己决定，而且崇尚自由，完成工作出色会要求得到赞扬或是奖金。而中国人恰恰相反，喜欢听命于雇主，甚至涉及个人生活的私事也不例外。

2004年，我来到中国，我工作的地方，或者叫“单位”，从头到脚把我彻底包装一番，犹如脱胎换骨。对于中国人来说，单位的内涵远远不止是一份工作，每个月的薪水和一年的几周假期，而是一个内部自成体系的小天地。从产房生子到入土为安，单位对每个职工一包到底。我的单位中国石油公司不仅给我一份教书的工作，还免费给我提供自行车、住房、医疗保险，并为我看歌剧，到附近山里骑马等一系列娱乐活动买单。单位早就为职工建好了一座小城市，这里有公寓房、商店、饭店、高档旅馆、剧院、健身房、网球场、奥林匹克游泳池、公园和设备齐全的医院，一应俱全。

“我们能在这儿上班感到很幸运。”我的一位同事杨先生说。“单位给我们提供了所需要的一切。我才不会离开这里东奔西走呢，因为在这儿生活真是太方便了。”

后来，有一次我抱怨所有寒假期间的火车票都卖完了，我单位的领导给她的朋友打个电话就把这事摆平了。“我有关系。”她笑着说。“今天下午5点钟你就能拿到票了。到8号窗口找小刘。”

单位给我的是就是这样一种母亲般的关爱，单位几乎成了家庭的延续。单位内部等级严明，单位的所有成员都懂得按规矩办事，从而确保了单位的稳定与牢固，而所谓的“关系”正是确保齿轮正常运转的剂。尽管中国社会以市场为主导的趋势在不断增强，现如今，中国人的工作越来越不稳定，但单位对人们的影响仍根深蒂固。在西方人看来，中国单位的种种做法让人难以接受。然而智慧的中国人就是愿意在这种复杂的环境中继续生活在一起，在这样的环境中，员工们不愿和领导作对，不愿换工作，甚至不愿离婚。中国的这种制度虽然封闭，但却让人感到安全。工作给人一种归属感，使人远离外部世界的喧嚣。

“我和我丈夫的相遇纯属偶然。”肖小姐是一名对外联络官，私下里与我交谈时说。“我丈夫在中石油的另一家单位上班。因此我们要得到双方单位领导的同意才能结婚。我丈夫调到这里花了两年时间。”

“这太过分了。”我愤愤不平地说。“你怎么能容忍单位这样控制你的生活？”

“怎么能随随便便换工作呢？”她反驳道。“我和我丈夫的工作都可以干一辈子呢。等我们老了，就可以退休安享晚年了。如果像蝴蝶采花粉一样不停地换工作，还怎么生活啊？”

“因为我喜欢挑战。”我答道。“在西方，员工们总是在追求更好的工作。市场充满竞争。在西方，雇主们更喜欢雇用工作经历丰富的人。创造力越强，知识越丰富，效率越高就越受欢迎。”

“这可不是传统的中国人做事的方式。”肖小姐平静地说。“在中国，稳定、和谐、关系融洽才是成功的关键。另外，我还需要安全感：一份工作，一种事业，一个老公，相伴一生，就足够了。除此之外我对别的东西都毫无兴趣。”

本文作者VALERIE SARTOR是在中国内蒙古工作的美国人。