Shame, Face and Social Relations in Northern China: Ramifications for Social Assistance Provision

Abstract

AbstractWhile it is increasingly recognized that shame is a pernicious component of the experience of poverty, the stigma generally associated with social assistance provision is less marked with respect to China's Minimum Living Security System, also known asdibao. This enigma is explored and illuminated drawing on two streams of indigenous Chinese scholarship and qualitative fieldwork in eight villages in Shanxi province. Economic and political changes prioritizing economic growth and individual wealth have increased the shame associated with poverty, manifest as loss of face, lowmian(status) and lack oflian(integrity). However, this shame does not transfer todibaobecause the scheme has been transformed locally into a universal age supplement that partially fulfils the demands of filial piety and which is seen to reflect and contribute toguanxi(social influence).