The Re-embedding Of Relationship

Nowadays, the academic researches on the subject of Chinese interpersonal relationships focuson these following aspects. Some emphasizes the construction of instrumental relationships, usingterminologies such as ’establishing a relationship’,’playing up to someone’,’cottoning up tosomeone’ and ’sending a gift’, some the emotional guidance of relationship construction, assertingthat the operation of emotional relationship will play the major role once a cooperative relationship isformed, and others underline the compound of the instrumental relationship and the emotionalrelationship, constructing their theories on interpersonal relationships through the method of characterrole-playing.The Chinese relationship construction has universality and its own uniqueness. Different groupshave different ways of constructing their relationship, and there is no universal model that cancompletely cover the construct ways of personal relationship. However, the previous studies arelargely centered on only a part of Chinese relationship construction. In my research，I used Y villagein Shandong Province as a case study, apply in-depth interviews, participate the activity of Y villagelocals, so as to analyze Y village immigrants, research on their local characters of relationshipconstruction in the process of themselves ’embedding’ into Y village, and discover its special traits.The immigrants to Y village has their own uniqueness, such as the separation from formergeographical and occupational circumstances, and their ultimate target to blend in, and these specialtraits determine the uniqueness of their relationship construction in the process of themselves’embedding’ into Y village. They learn and use some of the Y village local ways of relationshipconstructing, and that helped the immigrating progress.I discovered that, there are basically these patterns for immigrants to blend in a new environment.First,’visiting-chatting’ works well to initiate a relationship as well as to continue to foster anestablished one, as it is low-cost and can be used frequently. Second,’card-playing’ can help to formgroups in which people communicate through mutual interests, and though it works by chances that inthe relationships developed through card games when or who is not certain, it is still a special methodto emerge into a community. Third,’idle-drinking’ is a way to enhance relationships, as it enforceexisting relationships, it specials in stability, and is especially good at nurturing strong relationshipssuch as brotherhood.