Eric Todd SHEPHERD
An example of qingke; a family treats some friends to dinner at a restaurant. PHOTO BY TOM CHRISTENSEN.
The proper treatment of guests has been an important duty and source of cultural pride for the Chinese for many centuries. A special term, qingke (guest hospitality), was, and continues to be, used to define this social phenomenon. Qingke refers both to a straightforward goal to maintain guanxi (interpersonal relationships) and, more
