Danwei
The Danwei ( Chinese 單位 / 单位 , Pinyin dānwèi , literally translated "work unit") was the smallest social unit in the People's Republic of China after the family . When companies provide their employees with factory settlements , an essential condition of Danwei is already fulfilled, namely the unity of living and working. A university faculty also formed a Danwei. A rural community or village was never considered a Danwei, but a state factory, even if it was in a rural area. So in big cities there were village-like mini-communities.
The abolition of anonymity was characteristic . The Danwei was supposed to create identity: On the phone you always answered first with the name of the Danwei, then with your own name. The Danwei was not only a workplace, but also a social and political unit that comprehensively regulated and controlled the lives of its members. The Danwei took on a number of welfare functions, such as retirement provision, medical care, political and social control (including the choice of partner), establishment of kindergartens and in larger Danweis schools. The most important welfare function of the Danwei was the lifelong guarantee of work.
