Are there still danwei in China?

[J.B. Frog]

A 1997 book, "Beginner's Chinese" by Yong Ho claims in a cultural aside that danwei are really central institutions in urban mainland Chinese lives; you need approval from yours to change jobs or to get married. You get your health care and apartment through them. I asked a friend from Shanghai about these and he said they went out a long time ago. But, I have the impression that Shanghai is atypical of China. I find it hard to believe danwei disappeared in just 8 years - have they in fact gone? How much of a role do they play anymore?

[hifrank001]

hi, there.

"Danwei" still exists in chinese lives. Usually, it means governmental institution and state-owned enterprise. expecially 15 or 20 years ago before CCP carried on economic reform policy. Today, "danwei" has been a common word in spoken-Chinese referring to your work place, no only to governmental institutions. For instance, sometimes, people ask "ni na ge danwei de ? (你哪个单位的?In which Danwei are you working?").

Even in Chinese community aboard, like Montreal where i live now, we often say "danwei". For example, "ni danwei mang bu mang?" (你单位忙不忙?).

And for sure, we also say "gongsi" instead of "danwei".(公司, company)

[liuzhou]

The danwei system is alive and well in China (including Shanghai).

Anyone who works for any government department, college, school, state owned industry or shop etc. is a member of a danwei.

[J.B. Frog]

Thanks, liuzhou & hifrank001; the guy I asked left when he was a child and his parents are kind of wealthy, though one is in fact a doctor. It's maybe not that surprising that he didn't know.

[fallcool]

I think they are different things. Of course, today Chinese still use "danwei" to refer to the company, but its role in chinese sociaty is different from the role 10 or 20 years ago. Those roles only make sense in plan economy, and today's chinese economy is market oriented, generally. Although it is not 100% true yet, I will agree with what your friend at shanghai said.

[39degN]

as well as 爱人 reffering wife/husband, danwei is a little bit old fashion for generations under 30 years old, unless they are 少年老成 , or as above ppl's mentioned, working for government or state owned enterprises.