Hidden Communication: A Study On Current Beijing Offices In China

The term "Beijing Office" refers to the accredited agency or offices in Beijing set by various levels of local governments, government departments and enterprises. This thesis analyses and explains the origin, the function and the behavior logic of the Beijing Offices. It claims that as a communicating channel between local government and central government, Beijing Office has a long history in China and its existence is an inevitable product. But, in different historical periods, its structure, function and operating mode are different. Current Beijing Office of the Chinese local governments is actually a semi-systemized communicating channel besides the government system. Its half open behavior can be called "the Hidden Communication". This is closely related to the centralized, irregular and opaque system of distribution. Only when we further reform and perfect the government system and resources distribution system, only when we straighten out the responsibility and right between local governments and the central government, can we explicit the hidden communication of the Beijing Offices, thus really solve the problem of Beijing Offices.This paper is divided into eight chapters.Chapter One: Introduction. It introduces the background and significance of this topic, and reviews the domestic and international research achievements on Beijing office. It also puts forward several problems need to be solved in this study and shows the pattern and structure of the thesis. A last, the author talks about the research method, innovation point and insufficiencies of the paper.Chapter Two:Traditional Beijing Offices. Using reviewing way to introduce "Liaison office"."Club House"which were the embryonic form of traditional Beijing Offices and considered to be the secret agency, the information agency and the relationship agency. The information communication between lord and minister is a kind of private communication, and it aims to consolidate the throne and get the local benefits.Chapter Three:Development of Modern Beijing Offices. The first one is the establishment of Beijing Offices in the early post-Liberation days; the second is the twice shutting-downs of Beijing Offices in 1960s; the third is the development of Beijing Offices after the reform and open policy, especially the rapid development after tax reforming in 1994. This chapter is mainlyfocused on functional spread of Beijing Offices since 2000.The fourth chapter:Organizational Structure and Management of the Modern Beijing Offices. It introduces and inducesthe nature, the types, the facilities and the institutional settings of the Beijing Offices. This chapter mainly stressesthe inner management and regulationsin the Beijing Offices. The fifth chapter.Functions and Role of the BeijingOffices. They are introduced from 5 aspects including competing for resources, information transaction, hospitality services, economic cooperation and dealing with complaints.The sixth chapter:WorkingMode and Procedures of the Beijing Offices. Starting from the workingtarget, this chapter first studies how the Beijing Offices communicate with government State organs, Beijing government and the localgovernment respectively. There are different ways to communicate with different working targets, though the essence is showing no difference. Then this chapter illustrates the different regulations on the nostalgia and interpersonal relationship, on service and information, and on industry and commerce.The seventh chapter:the HiddenCommunication——the Come-into-being of the Beijing Office and the Logic of Its Behaviors. According to previous analysis and statements, it can be concluded that:firstly, the Beijing offices is a prevalence political phenomenon. Since ancient Chinese, it has existed for about 1800 years. The similar institutions of Beijing Offices also exist in many western countries like Japan, German and Russia, whose nature is just a kind of communication method of intensifying the communication between the central and local governments. Secondly, the Beijing office is a semi-systematical communicating channel; it is a very important complement for the communication system;it is the inevitable product and consequence of the political system. Thirdly, the Beijing office is a half opened communication system, which manifested a way ofcommunicationamong the individuals, an opaque communication. Therefore, this paper concludes that the Beijing office is a kind of hidden communication in nature.The eighth chapter:Reform of the Beijing offices——to Explicitize the Hidden Communication.This is the stance and the destination of this paper. Until now, there are many different views and criticismson the Beijing Offices. Whether retain the Beijing offices or not, it must be analyzed rationally in the macro political system. The opinion of the State Council issued on Jan 19th,2010 is a compromise between the central and the local governments and it could not permanentlysolve the contradiction between the central and the local governments. In order to settle this issue, the hidden communication should be publicized and open.It should be put under the social supervisions.It should help to smooth the democratic channel and build a legislative and democratic government.