A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Hong Kong

Acknowledgements and Prefacial Comments

     This dissertation was written while the author held
a studentship at the University of Hong Kong.
     This research would not have been possible without
the subjects of the study, referred to herein only
through coded anonymity.  Numerous staff at Shenzhen
University facilitated my research.  Many students
assisted in translation and interpretation, and I
gratefully acknowledge the special assistance of Zhang
Jiafeng, Yang Tao, Zhang Jian, and Chen Bixia.  Over the
course of my investigation, I attended seminars, met
informally, or conversed with several of the scholars
whose sources I cite.  When their works are first cited
in the thesis, I present their given name (not just
initials).
     I appreciate the help of all those who encouraged
and supported the writing of this thesis.  The
dissertation was supervised by Cheng Kai-ming (principal)
and Mark Bray.  Gerard A. Postiglione and Paul Morris
provided advice in an unofficial capacity.  The internal
examiners were Cheng Kai-ming and Cheung Kwok Wah.  Ruth
Hayhoe was the external examiner, and I appreciate her
personal appearance during the examination.  Law Wing Wah
chaired the oral examination.
     I formally registered for a research degree in
October 1993.  The dissertation was submitted for
examination in March 1996 and was examined in June 1996.
Revisions were completed by October 1996.  Formal
submission at that time would have rendered me without a
valid student visa; submission was postponed in order for
me to retain Hong Kong residence and finish several
writing projects.  As of this date, I have been unable to
find an academic position.

Michael Agelasto
Hong Kong
1 October 1996

Contents

Declaration.........................................................................................................i
Acknowledgements and Prefacial Comments......................................................ii
Table of Contents..............................................................................................iii
List of Appended Tables....................................................................................iv
Abbreviations....................................................................................................vi
Introduction: Why This Thesis by This Writer at This Time...................................1
Chapter I Methods--Qualitative Techniques Aided by Survey Research..............13
Chapter II
Graduate Employment--From Manpower Planning to the Market Economy........32
Chapter III
Guanxi, Job Search, and Theories in the Literature..............................................87
Chapter IV
The Setting--Shenzhen University and The Shenzhen Special Economic Zone....122
Chapter V
Constraints on a Free Job Market in China's Political Economy.........................132
Chapter VI
Career Counselling--A Centre Obviated by Guanxi...........................................165
Chapter VII
The "Underachiever"--Learning to Work the System.........................................175
Chapter VIII
Women--Minor Players in the Job Hunt via Guanxi...........................................184
Chapter IX
How Students Get Jobs.....................................................................................201
Chapter X
Summary and Conclusion..................................................................................222
Appendices
Appendix A. 1993 Questionnaire (in English).....................................................232
Appendix B. 1993 Questionnaire (in Chinese)....................................................241
Appendix C. 1994 Questionnaire (in English)....................................................250
Appendix D. 1994 Questionnaire (in Chinese)...................................................252
Appendix E. Key Interviews..............................................................................254
Tables:..............................................................................................................257
Works Cited....................................................................................................272

List of Appended Tables

Tables compiled by author.
Tables from other sources are included within thesis text.

 1.1  Constructed variable guanxi.use
 1.2  Guanxi.use categorized
 4.1  Szu 1993 admissions by departments
 5.1  How students found present job
 5.2  Review of transcript by how students found present
 5.3  Place of work in relation to parents' home
 5.4  Whether housing provided by student's gender
 5.5  Whether housing provided by type of workunit
 5.6  Relationship between using guanxi to find a job and getting employer provided housing
 5.7  Relationship between admitting to using the back door and obtaining employer-provided housing
 5.8  Relationship between perception of guanxi use and  obtaining housing
 5.9  Relationship between admitting using guanxi (but not back door) and obtaining housing
 7.1  Self-reported class standing at graduation
 7.2  Guanxi use by class standing
 8.1  Class standing by gender
 8.3  1993 Graduates working at graduation by gender
 8.4  1994 Graduates working at graduation by gender
 8.5  How students found present job by student's sex
 8.6  Whether job was newly created by gender
 8.7  Guanxi use by 1993 graduating seniors
 8.8  Guanxi use by 1993 employed graduating seniors
 8.9  Guanxi use by 1993 unemployed graduating seniors
 8.10 Who introduced students to their employers?
 9.1  Frequency of job change before graduation
 9.2  Influence of use of skills on changing jobs
 9.3  Influence of use of one's study knowledge skills on changing jobs
 9.4  Students' rejecting job offers
 9.5  Guanxi use by number of job offers rejected
 9.6  How students found present job
 9.7  Guanxi use by how crucial the introduction was
 9.8  Guanxi use according to object of introduction
 9.9  Ranked order of guanxi use by type of introduction
 9.10 Guanxi use by strength of tie (personal friend)
 9.11 Guanxi use by strength of tie (personal friend as  separate category
 9.12 Use of field of study in job by student's department
 9.13 Students' guanxi use by department
 9.14 Guanxi use by students' job type
 9.15 Students' type of workunit
 9.16 Guanxi use by student's type of workunit
 9.17 Monthly salary (rmb) according to type of workunit

Abbreviations

CCP - Chinese Communist Party
CEE - college entrance examination
FBIS - Foreign Broadcast Information Service Daily Report -
China
FJV - foreign joint venture
GDJY - Gaodeng Jiaoyu [Higher Education]
GDJYYJ - Gaodeng Jiaoyu Yanjiu [Researches in Higher
     Education], Wuhan unless otherwise noted
GMRB - Guangming Ribao [Guangming Daily]
JPRS - Joint Publications Research Service, China
MOE - Ministry of Education
PC - Planning Committee
prc - People's Republic of China
rmb - renminbi (�, yuan, Chinese currency)
RMRB  - Renmin Ribao [People's Daily]
rpt. - reprinted
SC - state company
SEdC - State Education Commission
SES - socio-economic status
sez - Shenzhen Special Economic Zone
szu - Shenzhen University
tr. - translated
ZGJYB - Zhongguo Jiaoyu Bao [Chinese Educational News]