Understanding the public interest puzzle in China’s public relations : The role of balance and counterbalance based on Confucian Great Harmony

This chapter aims to explore how public interest is elaborated, negotiated and fulfilled (or not) in Chinese public relations practices under the authoritarian context. It examines the dialectic interplay between the overarching Great Harmony philosophy and public relations practices in the public interest. The chapter reviews public interest in the West and in China. It presents the findings of an empirical study which has theoretical and practical implications for Chinese public relations and communication. The chapter proposes an open-ended process approach to examining how public interest is interpreted and practised in China’s public relations in the Confucian Great Harmony context. The chapter draws from primary data sources collected from fieldwork in Beijing, China’s capital city and the national political, economic and cultural centre. It explores how public interest is interpreted, articulated and pursued in China’s public relations practice within a Confucian Great Harmony context.