Behind each person is a wealth of stories, episodes, and experiences that the eye cannot see, however, those incidents shape the identity and mindset of the individual. In the novel Lila by Marilynne Robinson, a woman steals and begins to raise a young girl whom she names Lila. Lila’s unique upbringing, accompanied by her caretaker imparting her own views and beliefs onto her, harbored a cynical trust default for the common man, similar to the trust default for many eastern cultures. Trust, a positive expectation that the other party will act in honest and benevolent ways, reducing fear that one may be exploited, is the core component of a successful business relationship in China.  By studying the workings of the Chinese business deal, one can better understand the reasoning behind Lila’s thought process regarding her hesitation to place trust in others. Trust must be established and maintained in any healthy relationship, however different cultures have their own distinctive methods of forming trust. Similarly, Lila establishes trust differently than Reverend Ames and others.  Analyzing the complete process of a Chinese business deal enables one to better understand the formation and slow cultivation of Lila and Reverend Ames unique relationship.

The function of trust varies between cultures and individuals. For example, in China the primary function of trust is to protect oneself and establish feelings of safety and security. In the West, trust is typically given initially and is used to explore and establish possible ground for future opportunities. Lila’s function of trust seems to align more with the primary function of trust within China. Lila remains very hesitant, throughout the novel, to open up to anyone other than Doll.   

Fear of exploitation is pervasive in Chinese business culture. The lasting remnants of communist rule and a collectivist culture have shaped the thought process of a society. Chinese society prioritizes the role of the individual and attempts to subdue individualistic behaviors. Chinese society tends to discourage risk taking behavior, “early birds get shot,” is a popular Chinese saying that highlights the society’s aversion to taking any type of risk. An oppressive government shaped the mind of future Chinese generations, similarly, Doll was able to heavily influence Lila’s mindset by discouraging specific behaviors such as curiosity. Doll molded Lila’s behavior by insisting upon obedience. The culture Lila was raised in centered around obedience to Doll, likewise, much of Chinese behavior revolves around the concept of filial piety, virtue of respect towards one’s elders, parents, and friends. An upbringing focused on obedience tends to discourage individuality, which is a reason that Lila and many Chinese find it difficult to express themselves emotionally. Strict environments tend to leave lasting psychological impacts on individuals, lasting effects of a strict environment include: a lack of basic trust in people, low self-worth, adherence to tradition and fear of experimentation. By understanding the effects of a strict environment one is able to gain insight on the inner-workings of a Chinese business deal. Because Chinese businessmen generally have a strict upbringing, in regards to their western counterparts, it is tradition in their community to establish absolute trust with one’s business partners.                                                  

In the article “Industrial Marketing Management,” author, Howard Davies notes “key difference between Chinese and Western business practices lies in the relative importance of personal relationships (“guanxi”) in the former, as opposed to the specification and enforcement of contracts in the latter.” In short, Chinese businessmen prefer to cultivate personal relationships with their western business partners, whereas the westerners are more interested in getting down to brass tacks and discussing business immediately. The emphasis on ingratiating oneself with ones’ business partner is a foreign idea to a majority of westerners. Much like the westerners struggle to figure out where they stand on business deals due to foreign formalities and customs while interacting with the Chinese, Reverend Ames has difficulty understanding his place in the relationship with Lila because she resists opening up. Recognizing the obstacles that western companies must overcome in international business helps one better understand and sympathize with Reverend Ames. By acknowledging, a relationship must have two cooperating parties involved otherwise it will not succeed; the reader is able to better sympathize with Reverend Ames whom is completely helpless in advancing the relationship on Lila’s terms.   

Lila remained isolated from much of society for a majority of her life; Because of this, her natural inclination was to avoid interaction with any individuals, with exception for Doll. Lila’s natural trust default tilted towards distrust. She is hesitant to place her trust in others due to an inherent fear of exploitation. While conversing with Reverend Ames, Lila asserts “I just don’t go around trusting people. Don’t see the need” (80). Lila pretends to give off the appearance of not wanting to receive help from others and constantly insists on being self-reliant, however Lila’s inability to place trust in others harkens back to her biggest insecurity, fear of exploitation. Chinese businesses share Lila’s fear of exploitation, a Chinese business executive asserted “In China you build trust first, once that is achieved, only then you do business (Harvard).” In short, Trust must be established in order to remove the fear of exploitation. Once the fear of exploitation is gone, business may advance.      

By examining the inner-workings of the business culture in China, one is able to further analyze and understand the thought processes of both Reverend Ames and Lila. The process of the Chinese business deal parallels the formation of Lila and Reverend Ames relationship. Both Lila and Chinese businessmen view trust as a method of establishing safety and security. Whereas Reverend Ames and the Western attitude on trust is more along the lines of exploration and giving another the benefit of the doubt. These two different philosophies conflict with each other and as a result cultivating relationships takes time. Westerners and Reverend Ames must be patient and wait until Lila and the Chinese are comfortable advancing the relationship. Analyzing the complete process of a Chinese business deal enables one to better understand the formation and slow cultivation of Lila and Reverend Ames unique relationship as well as their reasoning behind their actions. 
