Interpersonal harmony and textual coherence in Chinese business interaction

This paper focuses on the key Chinese cultural concept of ‘harmony’ and investigates how Chinese speakers endeavor to achieve interpersonal harmony in face-to-face interaction. The data on which this study is based comes from a business meeting amongst four native speakers of Mandarin Chinese in Beijing. Through a detailed Conversation Analysis of a sequence from the closing stage of the meeting, we demonstrate the ways in which the Chinese speakers work together to achieve conversational coherence which in turn contributes to the harmonious relationship they aim to build with each other, even though their business interests and objectives may be different. Implications for crosscultural business communication are discussed. ‘I’m astounded by people who want to know the Universe when it’s hard enough to find your way around Chinatown.’ Woody Alle