Multilingua 20–3 (2001), 285–310 061–8507/01/0020–0285 © Walter de Gruyter, Berlin Interpersonal harmony and textual coherence in Chinese business interaction LI WEI, ZHU HUA, AND LI YUE Abstract This paper focuses on the key Chinese cultural concept of ‘harmony’ and investigates how Chinese speakers endeavor to achieve interpersonal harmony in face-to-face interaction. The data on which this study is based comes from a business meeting amongst four native speakers of Mandarin Chinese in Beijing. Through a detailed Conversation Analysis of a sequence from the closing stage of the meeting, we demonstrate the ways in which the Chinese speakers work together to achieve conversational coherence which in turn contributes to the harmonious relationship they aim to build with each other, even though their business interests and objectives may be different. Implications for cross- cultural business communication are discussed. ‘I’m astounded by people who want to know the Universe when it’s hard enough to find your way around Chinatown.’ Woody Allen Introduction Cross-cultural communication has in the last two decades become some- thing of a global enterprise, with its own investors, shareholders, regula- tors, market researchers, publicists, and so forth. For any enterprise, the success of the business depends on the sale of the product. And in order to sell a product to the mass market, an idea needs to be put into the con- sumer’s mind that one’s social, psychological, and even physical condition depends on the possession of that product. This is then followed by a ‘the- answer-to-all-problems’ advertizing campaign, with a catchy one-liner, promoting the particular product (Jeannet and Hennesay 1992; Majaro 1992; Usunier 1996; Czinkota and Ronkainan 1998). Despite the gentle