More so that most cultures, the Chinese cling to their long past and are still
greatly influenced by important historical figures and philosophies. In order to truly understand another
culture it is necessary to explore the sources of the values of that culture. This is especially true of
Chinese culture. As Wong (2005) has proposed, management researchers have failed to appreciate the
importance of history in explaining the management practices of the Chinese. A deeper understanding of
a culture is achieved when one explores the historical antecedents of the beliefs and values of the people
comprising the culture. In the case of China, one must investigate the importance of Confucius.