“Mastering the gray areas is to doing business in China what political correctness is to corporate America: MANDATORY.”

Westerners often parachute into China assuming strength, clarity, and leverage translate cleanly across cultures. They don’t.

China operates in a gray zone—where ambiguity is tactical, patience is power, and absolutist, black-and-white thinking quietly destroys influence.

In this video, I explain why:

• Guānxì (关系) explains HOW relationships operate
• Lìyì (利益) explains WHAT people consider
• Yīnyáng (阴阳) explains WHERE decisions actually live

China’s “maddening vagueness” isn’t incompetence or evasion. It’s a pragmatic system designed to preserve Face, share risk, and keep future options open.

If you’re frustrated by indirect answers, shifting commitments, or a lack of accountability, the problem usually isn’t them—it’s the questions you’re asking.

This episode reframes Yīnyáng not as an ancient philosophy but as a modern psychological operating system that governs leadership, negotiation, ethics, and survival in China’s business landscape.

If you want to lead, negotiate, or build teams in China, mastering the shades of gray isn’t optional.

🔗 Learn more: https://www.genejhsu.com
📘 Speak Less, Guanxi More is now available (PDF & Flipbook still free)

#ChineseCulture #ChinaBusiness #Guanxi #LearnMandarin #SpeakChinese

Was there a FAILED attempted coup in Beijing?

When purges happen at the top in China, it's rarely about loyalty failing overnight.

It's about perceptions shifting—and Guānxì (关系) no longer being enough.

Recent earth-shattering removals of Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli aren't just political headlines. They're reminders of a rule foreigners often miss:

In China, relationships open doors—but they don't shield you when power dynamics realign.

My experiences are a microcosm and can be an invaluable lesson for those venturing inside the Chinese arena, "Is Guānxì Enough? Unveiling the Hidden Dynamics of Chinese Relationships & Power."

What feels like trust can coexist with quiet threat.

What looks stable can become untenable the moment incentives, narratives, or perceived risks change.

At senior levels, Guānxì is structural, conditional, and constantly reassessed. The question is never who you know—it's who you are perceived to be now.

The same logic plays out in business, leadership, and politics.

What scales up is the psychology.

Once you understand why Guānxì alone doesn't protect anyone—on the ground or at the top—you'll be one step closer to understanding "How China Works."

#ChinaCrisis #ChinaPolitics #CCP #ChineseCulture #Guanxi #ChinaBusiness

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/abWot5Ori0A

I almost filmed this video using an AI digital twin.

It was efficient. Scalable. Technically impressive.

But in a world where trust is at an all-time low—and real human connection has quietly disappeared—I realized something uncomfortable:

Authenticity is now the only currency that matters.

In this video, I explain why I deleted my AI clone and introduce the newly updated 2026 edition of The Chinese Honeymoon Period.

When the original book was written, the world still believed in engagement, exchange, and cautious optimism.

That world is gone.

The U.S. and China have shifted from frenemies to perceived existential threats.
“Decoupling” has metastasized into reality.

An AI arms race is accelerating distrust while hollowing out human-to-human understanding.
This video reflects on what all of that means—for professionals, parents, students, and anyone living between cultures.

In this update, I explore:

• Why I chose “real” over “perfect” for this channel—and what AI gets wrong about trust
• The 2026 reality of US–China relations after the honeymoon is long dead
• Why language fluency alone no longer works without cultural intelligence and empathy
• New reflections shaped by leaving China and raising a next-generation American-Born Chinese (ABC)

If the original book was about recognizing when the honeymoon ends, this edition asks a harder question:

What happens after we wake up?

If you work, live, study, or raise children across cultures—and feel the growing tension but still believe understanding matters—My latest book, Speak Less, Guanxi More takes your awareness into practice—where outcomes are actually shaped.

Learn when not to speak, how to read what’s happening beneath the surface, and why fewer assumptions lead to far better results.

https://genejhsu.com/

#USChinaRelations #CulturalIntelligence #MandarinChinese #Chineseculture #Chinabusiness