Behind the Bamboo Curtain: Problems and Pitfalls in Researching Australian Expatriates in China

Abstract

My research entrée into the People’s Republic of China was at the beginning of 1999 when I undertook one month’s qualitative fieldwork involving interview-based research investigating the preparation of Australian expatriates working in China. Subsequent projects, having synergies with this initial research, were undertaken in late 2001 and early 2002. In each case, I spent two weeks interviewing Australian expatriates on their experiences with Chinese guanxi, which refers to interpersonal connections that facilitate favours (while there is no direct English translation, usually the term ‘networks’ is substituted). Throughout the duration of these projects, I visited China on two further occasions: for one month in January 2000 and for one month in February 2001. In these two instances, I facilitated study tours to China for undergraduate and postgraduate business students. While these tours were instrumental in shaping my understanding of Chinese culture, the discussion contained herein relates specifically to my experiences in undertaking research in China.