Face is used to rile the public, but it's rarely the motivation of those calling the shots. If face were at play Xi wouldn't have suddenly opened up with covid, backed down after threats when Pelosi visited, or let the Diaoyu Island situation go.
In China tens of millions watched the live stream Pelosi's plane flying to Taiwan, expectantly waiting for it to be shot out of the air like their leadership insinuated. Those people believe in face saving efforts, while those in charge buy homes in Japan and send their children to American universities.
You could call it a combination of pride and appearances. Ego. It's not completely foreign to American society, but it is more pronounced in Asian societies. In these cultures, some perceive it as a sign of weakness to admit fault.
As an East Asian myself, the amount of stupidity that goes on in all of the East Asian countries at all levels because of “face” is astounding.
Call it “honor” or “nationalism” or “XXX Pride” - ultimately all the same thing.