Abstract: A study of 285 Chinese compliments in a remote village speech community in Hebei Province, China has yielded the following findings:1) Language and gender not only co-vary with macro socio-cultural context but also with micro situational variables (gender groups, participant relationships, topic, etc.) ;2) There are not only gender differences but also gender similarities in gender interaction;3) Gender differences are employed by the interactants to construct expected gender identities, thus acquiring a socio-pragmatic function;4) The concept of speech community is still illuminative in some network-based communities where outer intervention remains weak.