Today we’re revisiting the topic of contracts versus hétong. There’s rich territory to explore here. I was recently revisiting Lin Yutang’s classic book, My Country and My People, and it spurred some more thinking on this issue. I’ve quoted from the book before: it was Lin Yutang who referred to China as “a nation of individualists” [...]

Speaking of contracts and hétong, how exactly are they different? The differences have been the source of endless trouble in relationships between Chinese and Western organizations, with Westerners leveling accusations of dishonesty at the Chinese, and the Chinese chiding Westerners for their inflexibility.