Abstract

Inspired by Max Weber’s thesis on the Protestant ethic, ‘Overseas Chinese Christian Entrepreneurs in Modern China’ sets out to understand the role and influence of Christianity on Overseas Chinese businesspeople working in contemporary China. Through its in-depth interviews and participant observations (involving 60 Overseas Chinese entrepreneurs from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Southeast Asia and the United States), the text discusses how Christianity has come to fulfill an increasingly visible and dynamic function in the country, most notably as a new source of business morality.

Inspired by Max Weber’s thesis on the Protestant ethic, ‘Overseas Chinese Christian Entrepreneurs in Modern China’ sets out to understand the role and influence of Christianity on Overseas Chinese businesspeople working in contemporary China. Through its in-depth interviews and participant observations (involving 60 Overseas Chinese entrepreneurs from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Southeast Asia and the United States), the text discusses how Christianity has come to fulfill an increasingly visible and dynamic function in the country, most notably as a new source of business morality.

Recognizing that China’s economic transition toward a market-oriented economy was not initiated by Christians (or indeed any other religious group), this volume demonstrates the importance of exploring the impact of religious ethics on economics at micro and organizational levels, via the subjective understandings of individuals and small businesses. Significant but often neglected facets of Weber’s thesis arise as a result. Of key importance is the issue of gender differences within the Christian ethos – a crucial aspect of the Protestant ethic that has yet to be systematically studied, but which offers great potential to enhance our understanding of Weber’s work. As a result, the text’s novel application of Weberian sociology to the context of contemporary China can be seen to offer a double return, elucidating both the theory and its subject.

“Joy Tong not only captures the dynamism of the Chinese economy today, but also the importance of Christianity in China as a social force and an economic driver. ‘Overseas Chinese Christian Entrepreneurs in Modern China’ is a fascinating case study of a compellingly interesting topic.” —Professor Jack Barbalet, Head of Sociology, Hong Kong Baptist University

Joy Kooi-Chin Tong is Assistant Professor of Intercultural Studies at Indiana Wesleyan University, and was previously a postdoctoral research associate at the Center on Religion and Chinese Society at Purdue University, USA.

“[This] study is a welcome first exploration of a series of fascinating, understudied subjects.” —Carsten T. Vala, “China Journal” 

“This well-written and carefully argued book deepens the research on Weber’s Protestant ethic thesis, creatively examining the impacts of religious motivations, ethics and networks on the economic behaviors of Overseas Chinese businesspeople in China, and challenging the presumptuous but unproven claims of Confucian values for the economic miracles in East Asia.” —Professor Fenggang Yang, Purdue University

“[T]his carefully executed case study provides several well-stated interesting findings, which should not be missed by those who are interested in Overseas Chinese, Christianity in China, and economic behaviors related to religious values.” —Ke-Hsien Huang, “Journal of Chinese Religions”

“Exploring relationships between Christianity and Chinese entrepreneurial endeavors, this meticulously researched study will be an informative, significant and engrossing book for anyone with the slightest interest in religion, economic development and/or contemporary China. I’m sure Weber would have enjoyed it.” —Professor Eileen Barker, London School of Economics

“The topic explored in this volume is fascinating, particularly in light of China’s rapid transformation from a planned socialist economy into a capitalist system connected to the world. […] ‘Overseas Chinese Christian Entrepreneurs in Modern China’ takes a step towards making sense of how religious values shape business behaviour in reform era China. It is significant in highlighting the religious life of the overseas Chinese and in illuminating the new ties they are forming with a cultural homeland that was, until very recently, inaccessible.” —Sin Wen Lau, “Asian Studies Review”

“The book’s tightly interwoven threads of theory and empirical scrutiny combine to produce a readable and stimulating work […] At the outset, the theoretical orientation of the book is established in a discussion of the complex debate about the relationship between religion and economics and a framing of the study in explicitly Weberian terms […the book] connects constantly with issues of broad theoretical significance and most crucially with a nuanced interpretation of Weber’s economic sociology.” —Michael Hill, “Journal of Contemporary Religion”