Chinese culture and institutions seem vastly different to Westerners, but Western culture seems vastly different to the Chinese. By understanding these differences, we better can develop a global perspective. According to a famous saying, when a Chinese individual is honored, his whole family is honored. When he is condemned, his whole family is condemned. The family had a practical use in China's agrarian society, but Confucius added a moral dimension and broadened it to mutually dependent societal relationships.
Every person has an important role as a link in the network of society.
The family is the foundation of Chinese organizations, including business ones. Rather than creating wealth, the Chinese tend to see their business duties more as responsibilities to the family. For Chinese living outside the PRC, the family-based business model is strong. In mainland China, the family-based model of business diminished as communist rulers attempted to replace family loyalty with loyalty to the party. As a family directed operation, the typical Chinese business family is headed by a patriarchal or matriarchal figure, often who is the founder of the business.