Alliances between Chinese and foreign usually western universities continue to attract considerable attention and one of the issues which remains of particular interest is the cross cultural dimension of such alliances and, in particular, the importance of understanding various strands and aspects of Chinese culture when negotiating and managing a Sino-western educational alliance. This study focuses on a range of case studies to identify how important various traditional Chinese values were in the maintenance of a successful educational alliance in China. It was found that these concepts, often seemingly so simple and easy to describe, were in reality, complex, interrelated and largely affective in nature. A number of additional cultural dimensions were also identified of importance to these alliances, and it is also noted that at the very core (or heart) of these ventures lay deeply felt guanxi relationships which provided the centre of the alliance "world." (Contains 22 tables, 2 figures, and 2 charts.)