Transcript
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Info4Migrants
CHINACountry prole
Project number: UK/13/LLP-LdV/TOI-615
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9,596,961 km2
1,357,380,000 blnPOPULATION
GDP per capita
CURRENCY
$6,959
Languages STANDARD CHINESE,
and other languages spoken by
56 recognized ethnic groups
Yuan (CNY)
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COUNTRY BACKGROUND
Capital: Beijing. Besides Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong,
there around 20 mega cies of modern infrastructures, a vari-ety of entertainment, and populaon over 5 million.
Climate: extremely diverse; tropical in south to subarcc in
north
Ethnic Make-up: Han Chinese 91.9%, Zhuang, Uygur, Hui, Yi,
Tibetan, Miao, Manchu, Mongol, Buyi, Korean, and other na-
onalies 8.1%
Religions: Daoist (Taoist), Buddhist, Muslim 1%-2%, Chrisan
3%-4%
Government: Communist state
Language: Chinese is spoken by 92% of China’s populaon.
There are at least seven major families of the Chinese lan-
guage, including Mandarin, Cantonese, Wu, Hakka, Gan, Xiang,
and Min
Time zones: Despite its size, all of China is in one me zone
Natonal Flag
Natonal emblem
China
Beijing
MONGOLIA
RUSSIA
K A Z A K H S T A
N
INDIA
BURMA
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CHINA FACTS
The country and the capitalThe modern word “China” most likely derives from the
name of the Qin (pronounced “chin”) dynasty. First
Emperor Qin Shi Huang (260-210 B.C.) of the Qin dynas-
ty rst unied China in 221 B.C., beginning an Imperial
period which would last unl A.D. 1912. The name of
China’s capital has changed over the centuries. At one
me or another it has been known as Yanjing, Dadu, andBeiping. Peking or “Beijing” means “Northern Capital.”
Beijing is the ocially sanconed pinyin spelling based
on the Mandarin dialect. Beijing is the second largest
city aer Shanghai.
Collecvism vs. Individualism
In general, the Chinese are a collecve society with a needfor group aliaon, whether to their family, school, work
group, or country. In order to maintain a sense of harmony,
they will act with decorum at all mes and will not do any-
thing to cause someone else public embarrassment. They
are willing to subjugate their own feelings for the good of
the group.
Non-Verbal Communicaon
Chinese non-verbal communicaon speaks volumes.
Since the Chinese strive for harmony and are group de-
pendent, they rely on facial expression, tone of voice and
posture to tell them what someone feels. Frowning while
someone is speaking is interpreted as a sign of disagreement.
Therefore, most Chinese maintain an impassive expression
when speaking. It is considered disrespecul to stare into an-
other person’s eyes. In crowded situaons, the Chinese avoideye contact to give themselves privacy.
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CHINA FACTS
Chinese charactersThere are 40,000 plus characters in the Chinese lan-
guage. An educated adult will only get to learn 5,000 of
them. You need to know 900–2,000 Chinese characters
to be able to read a Chinese newspaper.
Internet restriconsAt present, many Web sites, such as Google and Facebook
are blocked by what is called the Great Firewall of China.
Other sites that cannot be accessed in China are Youtube,
Picasa, Twier, Wordpress, Dropbox and many others.
LanguageChinese is not a single language but many languages and di-
alects, some completely unintelligible to one another. There
are 56 ethnic groups in China who speak a total of around
290 languages. Mandarin Chinese is the country standard,
spoken by about 850-900 million people. This is followed byWu at about 90 million and Cantonese at about 80 million.
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CHINA FACTS
SilkThe Chinese have made silk since at least 3,000 B.C. TheRomans knew China as “Serica,” which means “Land of
Silk.” The Chinese ercely guarded the secrets of silk
making, and anyone caught smuggling silkworm eggs or
cocoons outside of China was put to death.
According to a Chinese legend, silk was discovered in
3000 B.C. by Lady Xi Ling Sui, wife of the Emperor Huang
Di. When a silk worm cocoon accidentally dropped into
her hot tea, ne threads from the cocoon unravelled in
the hot water and silk was born.
Chinese New YearThe most important holiday in China is the Chinese New
Year or Lunar New Year. Chinese tradionally believe that
every person turns one year older on the New Year and,
thus, that day is considered to be everyone’s birthday.
Red is considered a lucky colour in China, and New Year’s
banners, clothing, and lucky money envelopes are red.
Ancient invenonsThe ancient Chinese invented many things we sll use
today. Their invenons include the wheel, paper, silk,matches, gunpowder, porcelain, china, reworks, medi-
cines, kites, tea, the umbrella, jump ropes, ink, the cross-
bow, and ice cream amongst others.
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1 January: New Year’s Day
The beginning of a new year
based on the Gregorian cal-
endar.
Starts on 21 January - 20
February: Spring Fesval
The fesval falls on the rst
day of the rst lunar month
(always somewhere between
January 21 – February 20),
and ends with Lantern Fes-
val which is on the 15th day.
This holiday, widely known
as Chinese New Year in the
West, is the most important
tradional fesval in Chi-
na. Firework shows, dragon
dancing and lion dancing are
the most common Chinese
New Year acvies. Chinese
New Year is a me for fami-
lies to be together.
April 4 or 5:
Qingming FesvalAlso called Tomb Sweep-
ing Day or Pure Brightness.
Tomb Sweeping Day is a me
for various acvies, and the
more popular ones are tomb
sweeping, spring oungs,
and kite ying.
1 May: May Day
China’s celebraon of Inter-
naonal Labor Day.
5th day of the 5th month
of Chinese lunar calendar:
Dragon Boat Fesval
A tradional Chinese fesval
with acvies such as drag-
on boat racing and eang
zongzi (scky rice wrapped
in leaves).
Moveable date in Autumn:
Mid-Autumn Fesval
Mid-Autumn Fesval is
held on the 15th day of the
eighth month of the Chinese
calendar, which is in Septem-
ber or early October in the
Gregorian calendar. A day forChinese family reunions and
a harvest fesval in China.
October 1: Naonal Day
The celebraon of the
founding of the People’s Re-
public of China. The Naonal
Day is celebrated throughout
mainland China, Hong Kong,
and Macau with a variety of
government-organized fes-
vies, including reworks
and concerts.
The Chinese New Year and
Naonal Day holidays are
three days long. The week-
long holidays on May Day
and Naonal Day began in
2000, as a measure to in-
crease and encourage holi-
day spending. The resulng
seven-day holidays are
called “Golden Weeks” and
have become peak seasons
for travel and tourism. In
2008, the Labor Day holiday
was shortened to one day,
and instead three tradion-al Chinese holidays were
added.
PUBLIC HOLIDAYS
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CHINA FACTS
…China is oen considered the longest
connuous civilizaon, with some histo-
rians marking 6000 B.C. as the dawn of
Chinese civilizaon. It also has the world’s
longest connuously used wrien lan-
guage.
…China is the fourth largest country in
the world (aer Russia, Canada, and theU.S.). It has an area of 3,719,275 square
miles (slightly smaller than the U.S.) and
its borders with other countries total more
than 117,445 miles. Approximately 5,000
islands lie o the Chinese coast.
…China’s naonal ag was adopted in Sep-
tember 1949 and rst own in Tiananmen
Square (the world’s largest public gather-ing place) on October 1, 1949, the day the
People’s Republic of China was formed.
The red in the ag symbolizes revoluon.
The large star symbolizes communism and
the lile stars represent the Chinese peo-
ple.
…One in every ve people in the world is
Chinese. China’s populaon is esmatedto reach a whopping 1,338,612,968 by July
2009. China’s populaon is four mes that
of the United States.
…The early Chinese emperors kept giant
pandas to ward o evil spirits and natural
disasters. China owns all the pandas and
any panda outside of China is on lease.
…The Chinese were using the decimal
system as early as the fourteenth century
B.C., nearly 2,300 years before the rst
known use of the system in European
mathemacs. The Chinese were also the
rst to use a place for zero. Chinese math-
emacs evolved independently of Greek
mathemacs and is consequently of great
interest to historians of mathemacs.
…In 1974, a group of farmers digging fora well in the Shaanxi province uncovered
some bits of very old poery. They discov-
ered the tomb of Qin (259-210 B.C.), the
rst emperor who united China. The tomb
contained thousands of amazing life-sized
soldiers, horses, and chariots.
…The bicycle was introduced into China
around 1891 by two American travellersnamed Allen and Sachtleben. The bicy-
cle is now the primary transportaon for
millions of Chinese. The last Qing emperor
(Puyi) rode a bicycle around the Forbidden
City in Beijing. China is currently the lead-
ing bicycle manufacturer.
…The 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing
were the most expensive games in histo-
ry. While the 2004 Athens Games were
esmated to cost around $15 billion, the
Beijing Games were esmated to cost a
whopping $40 billion.
… The number of birth defects in China
connues to rise. Environmentalist and
ocials blame China’s severe polluon
…White, rather than black, is the Chinese
colour for mourning and funerals.
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• China’s economy grew 7 mes as fast as America’s over the past decade(316% growth vs. 43%)
• China’s GDP per capita is the 91st-lowest in the world, below Bosnia & Herzegovina
• 85% of arcial Christmas trees are made in China, so are 80 percent of toys
• China has more pigs than the next 43 pork-producing countries combined
• Chinese consume 50,000 cigarees every second
• America’s fastest high speed train goes less than half as fast as the new train be-tween Shanghai and Beijing (240 km/h vs 485 km/h)
• China’s enormous Gobi Desert is the size of Peru and expanding 1,400 square milesper year due to water source depleon, over-foresng, and over-grazing
• China has 64 million vacant homes, including enre cies that are empty
• The world’s biggest mall is in China, but it has been 99% empty since 2005
• Nearly 10,000 Chinese cizens each year are sucked into unsanconed ‘black jails’
• By 2030, China will have more new city-dwellers than the enre U.S. populaon.
• China executes three mes as many people as the rest of the world combined, withat least 1,718 execuons in 2008
• When you buy Chinese stocks, you are nancing the Chinese government, as 8 ofShanghai’s top 10 stocks are government owned
• China uses 45 billion chopscks per year
• 200 million people in China live on less than $1 a day
• China is not free from Europe’s medieval plague yet
•China’s Grand Canal is the world’s oldest and longest canal at 1,114 miles (1,795 km)long with 24 locks and around 60 bridges.
AMAZING STATISTICS
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IMPORTANT TIPS
No
Chinese nd “no” dicult to say. They maysay “maybe” or “we’ll see” in order to save
face. Forcing the Chinese to say “no” will
quickly end a relaonship.
The name of the countryAlways refer to China as “China” or “Peo-
ple’s Republic of China,” never as “Red
China,” “Communist China” or “Mainland
China.” Always refer to Taiwan as “Taiwan”
or “Province of Taiwan,” never “China,”
“Republic of China” (the name adapted
by the Naonalist forces aer they ed to
Taiwan) or “Free China”. Do not in any way
suggest that Taiwan is not part of China.
Older peopleShow respect for older people. Oer a seat
or right of way through the door to a col-
league or older person as a polite gesture.
Personal quesonsDo not be insulted if the Chinese ask per-
sonal quesons, such as “How much mon-
ey do you make?”, “How many children
do you have?” or “Are you married?” Just
change the subject if you do not want toanswer.
Especially for WomenChina is a dicult place for anyone to con-
duct business. A woman may gain accep-
tance, but it will take me and will not be
easy.
China is a male-dominated society. How-
ever, there are many women in business in
China and some occupy high-ranking posi-
ons and important managerial jobs. Oneof the principles of the Chinese communist
system is to work toward sexual equality.
Chinese people are delighted if you make any aempt to speak Manda-
rin, even if it’s only a couple of words. The best way to introduce your-
self is with a warm, broad smile. Even when you might be upset or frus-
trated, smile. It works.
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IMPORTANT TIPS
Negoang teams may have female mem-bers. Women may be used to decline un-
popular proposals. Businesswomen aend
business dinners, but rarely bring their
spouses.
Chinese women rare-
ly smoke or drink. However, it is acceptable
for Western women to do so moderately.
SilenceSilence is used eecvely. Not talking while
others do signies politeness.
Silence in meengs and during discussionsgives one the opportunity to carefully con-
sider what is being said and formulate an
appropriate response. Resist the urge to llthe silence and connue talking.
The Chinese concept of privacy diers
signicantly from that in the West, where
people are used to having their own space,
oce, room.
The Chinese are not accustomed to this
luxury. Privacy to them relates to their own
thoughts and emoons that they proudly
keep to themselves.
Social DistanceEvery culture denes proper distance.
Westerners, parcularly Americans, nd
that the Chinese comfort zone regarding
distance is a bit too close for their comfort.
Westerners may insncvely back up when
others invade their space. Do not be sur-
prised to nd that the Chinese will simply
step closer.
TouchingThe Chinese do not like to be touched, par-
cularly by strangers. Do not hug, back slapor put an arm around someone’s shoulder.
Do not be oended if you are pushed and
shoved in a line. In some circumstances, the
Chinese do not pracce the art of lining up,
and courtesy to strangers in public places is
not required.
People of the same sex may walk hand-in-hand as a gesture of friendship in China.
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IMPORTANT TIPS
Gestures & Customs• Do not point with your index nger, use an
open hand instead
• Do not use your index nger to call some-
one, use the hand with ngers mooning
downward as in waving.
• Do not snap ngers
• Do not put feet on a desk or coee table. It
is rude to show the soles of the shoes
• Do not whistle
• Use both hands when handing someone
an object, such as a teacup, a gi, or a busi-
ness card
Chinese customs that are confusing to
Westerners:
• Waving the hand in front of the face toindicate “no”
• Poinng to the nose to indicate “oneself,”
rather than to the chest
• Girls covering one’s face and giggling to
show embarrassment
• Chinese customs that are annoying to
Westerners:
• Belching or sping on the street
• Lack of consideraon when smoking andfailure to ask permission to smoke
• Staring at foreigners, parcularly in remote
areas
• Slurping food or making noises while eat-
ing
• Talking while eang
• Eang in public places that are not desig-
nated for food
• Pushing in crowded areas such as railwaystaons or bus stop
LaughterAlthough laughter is the response to some-
thing humorous, it can also mean someone
feels uncomfortable, or in a situaon where
they do not know how to respond. Consider
the situaon.
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Deeply rooted in Chinese society is the need to belong and conform to a unit, whether
the family, a polical party or an organizaon. The family is the focus of life for most
Chinese. Age and rank are highly respected. However, to the dismay of older people, to-
day’s young people are rapidly modernizing, wearing blue jeans and sunglasses, drink-
ing Coke and driving motorbikes.
Body LanguageThe Chinese dislike being touched by strang-
ers. Do not touch, hug, lock arms, back slap
or make any body contact.
Clicking ngers or whistling is considered
very rude.
Never gesture or pass an object with your
feet.
Blowing one’s nose in a handkerchief and
returning it to one’s pocket is considered
vulgar by the Chinese.
To beckon a Chinese person, face the palm
of your hand downward and move your n-
gers in a scratching moon. Never use your
index nger to beckon anyone.
Sucking air in quickly and loudly through lips
and teeth expresses distress or surprise at a
proposed request. Aempt to change your
request, allowing the Chinese to save face.
Chinese point with an open hand. Never
point with your index nger.
Meeng and GreengShake hands upon meeng. Chinese may
nod or bow instead of shaking hands, al-
though shaking hands has become increas-
ingly common.
When introduced to a Chinese group, they
may greet you with applause. Applaud
back.
Senior persons begin greengs. Greet the
oldest, most senior person before others.
During group introducons, line up accord-
ing to seniority with the senior person at
the head of the line.
PEOPLE IN CHINA
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CHINESE ETIQUETTE
Meeng Equee
Greengs are formal and the oldest person is always greeted rst.
Handshakes are the most common form of greeng with foreigners.
Many Chinese will look towards the ground when greeng someone.
Address the person by an honoric tle and their surname. If they want to move to a
rst-name basis, they will advise you which name to use.
The Chinese have a terric sense of humour. They can laugh at themselves most readily
if they have a comfortable relaonship with the other person. Be ready to laugh at your-self given the proper circumstances.
Gi Giving Equee
Four is an unlucky number so do not give four of anything. Eight is
the luckiest number, so giving eight of something brings luck to
the recipient.
Gis are not opened when received. Do not give scissors,
knives or other cung utensils, as they indicate the sev-ering of the relaonship.
Do not give clocks, handkerchiefs or straw sandals, as
they are associated with funerals and death.
Do not give owers, as many Chinese associate these
with funerals.
Do not wrap gis in white, blue or black paper.
Dining Equee
The Chinese prefer to entertain in public places rather
than in their homes, especially when entertaining for-
eigners.
If you are invited to their house, consider it a great honour.
If you must turn down such an honour, it is considered polite
to explain the conict in your schedule so that your acons are
not taken as a slight.
Arrive on me.
Remove your shoes before entering the house.
Bring a small gi to the hostess.
Eat well to demonstrate that you are enjoying the food!
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Tipping Equee
Tipping is becoming more commonplace, es-
pecially with younger workers, although older
workers sll consider it an insult. Leaving a few
coins is usually sucient.
Table manners
Learn to use chopscks.
Wait to be told where to sit. The guest of hon-
our will be given a seat facing the door. The host
begins eang rst.
You should try everything that is oered to you.
Never eat the last piece from the serving tray.
Be observant to other peoples’ needs.
Chopscks should be returned to the chopsck
rest aer every few bites and when you drink or
stop to speak.
The host oers the rst toast.
Do not put bones in your bowl. Place them on
the table or in a special bowl for that purpose.
Hold the rice bowl close to your mouth while
eang.
Do not be oended if a Chinese person makesslurping or belching sounds; it merely indicates
that they are enjoying their food.
CHINESE ETIQUETTE
In most tradional Chinese
dining, dishes are communal.
Although both square and
rectangular tables are used for
small groups of people, round
tables are preferred for large
groups, parcularly in restau-
rants, in order to permit easy
sharing.
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DOS AND DON’TS
Nǐ chē le ma?
Ask locals if they have already eaten their
meal when greeng them. Chinese oen
use a very common phrase “Nǐ chē le ma?”
which literally means “Have you already
eaten?” You might nd this roune odd,
but food plays a great role in the life of
Chinese people, and asking if they are not
hungry is a sign of kindness and concern.
Don’t be surprised to see, and feel pushing
and shoving everywhere
The Chinese have lile knowledge of queu-
ing and personal space. If you leave a gap
in a queue because of your personal space,
someone will ll it.
Don’t expose your body
When in China, you should not wear very
short shorts when going to school or enter-
ing a temple. Showing your legs or neckline
can shock many locals, especially the old
ones, so always make sure you look neat
and modest.
Don’t be oended by the Chinese
Locals will oen say “you are fat,” “you
should wear more clothes, it ’s geng cold”
and also ask how much you earn and how
old your girlfriend or boyfriend is. They are
only interested in showing that they care
about you and are not trying to oend you.
Don’t draw aenon to yourself in
a negave way
As a foreigner, you will grab everyone’s
aenon, but things like behaving abusively
will get you noced far more and for the
wrong reasons.
Be punctual
Chinese can’t stand unpunctual people. If
you make an appointment with someone,
make sure you show up on me. Other-
wise, it might be perceived as something
extremely disrespecul.
Don’t leave your chopscks upright in your
bowl or tap your bowl with them
This is the way a bowl of rice is oered to
the spirit of a dead person, at their death-
bed or in front of their photograph on the
household Buddhist altar. Moreover, It’s
also not considered to be very good form to
cross the working ends of your chopsckswhile eang, so you should pay aenon to
how you use them when eang.
Greet older people rst
When you greet someone
much older than you in China,
you should lower your head
in order to show respect and
recognion. When you meet
someone your age, you should
rst wave, then smile and
say “Ni hao!” which means
“Hello!” Unlike some Western
countries, Chinese do not ac-
cept hugs or kisses as a form of
greeng.
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DON’TS
Never accept a compliment graciously
You may nd yourself at a loss for words
when you compliment a Chinese host on a
wonderful meal, and you get a response,
“No, no, the food was really horrible.” A lit-
tle less boasng and fewer self-congratula-
tory remarks go a long way towards scoring
cultural sensivity points with the Chinese.
Never get angry in public
Public displays of anger are frowned upon
by the Chinese and are most uncomfort-
able for them to deal with — especially if
the people geng angry are foreign tour-
ists, for example. This goes right along with
making someone (usually the Chinese host)
lose face, which you should avoid at all
costs.
Never address people by their rst names
rst
Chinese people have rst and last names
like everyone else. However, in China, the
last name always comes rst. The family
(and the collecve in general) always takes
precedence over the individual. Joe Smithin Minnesota is known as Smith Joe (or the
equivalent) in Shanghai. If a man is intro-
duced to you as Lî Míng, you can safely
refer to him as Mr. Lî (not Mr. Míng).
Unlike people in the West, the Chinese
don’t feel very comfortable calling each
other by their rst names. Only family
members and a few close friends ever referto the man above, for example, as simply
“Míng.”
Never take food with the wrong end of
your chopscks
The next me you gather around a dinnertable with a Chinese host, you may discover
that serving spoons for the many commu-
nal dishes are non-existent. This is because
everyone serves themselves (or others) by
turning their chopscks upside down to
take food from the main dishes before put-
ng the food on the individual plates.
Never drink alcohol without rst oering atoast
Chinese banquets include eight to ten
Never make someone lose face
The worst thing you can possi-
bly do to Chinese acquaintances
is publicly humiliate or other-
wise embarrass them. Doing
so makes them lose face. Don’t
point out a mistake in front ofothers or yell at someone.
The good news is that you can
actually help someone gain face
by complimenng them and
giving credit where credit is due.
Do this whenever the opportu-
nity arises. Your graciousness is
much appreciated.
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DON’TS
courses of food and plenty of alcohol. One way to slow down the drinking is to observe
Chinese equee by always oering a toast to the host or someone else at the table be-
fore taking a sip yourself. This not only prevents you from drinking too much too quickly,
but also shows your gratude toward the host and your regard for the other guests.
Never let someone else pay the bill without ghng for it
Most Westerners are stunned the rst me they witness the many fairly chaoc, noisy
scenes at the end of a Chinese restaurant meal. The me to pay the bill has come and
everyone is simply doing what they’re expected to do — ght to be the one to pay it. The
Chinese consider it good manners to vociferously and strenuously aempt to wrest the
bill out of the very hands of whoever happens to have it. This may go on, back and forth,
for a good few minutes, unl someone “wins” and pays the bill. The gesture of being ea-
ger and willing to pay is always appreciated.
Never accept food, drinks, or gis without rst refusing a few mes
No self-respecng guests immediately accept whatever may be oered to them in some-
one’s home. No maer how eager they may be to accept the food, drink, or gi, proper
Chinese equee prevents them from doing anything that makes them appear greedy or
eager to receive it, so be sure to politely refuse a couple of mes.
Never show up empty handed
Gis are exchanged frequently between the
Chinese, and not just on special occasions. If
you have dinner in someone’s house to meet a
prospecve business partner or for any other
pre-arranged meeng, both pares commonlyexchange gis as small tokens of friendship and
good will. Westerners are oen surprised at the
number of gis the Chinese hosts give. The gen-
eral rule of thumb is to bring many lile (gender
non-specic) gis when you travel to China. You
never know when you’ll meet someone who
wants to present you with a special memento, so
you should arrive with your own as well.
Never take the rst
“No, thank you” literally
Chinese people automacally
refuse food or drinks several
mes — even if they really feelhungry or thirsty. Never take
the rst “No, thank you” liter-
ally. Even if they say it once or
twice, oer it again. A good
guest is supposed to refuse at
least once, but a good host is
also supposed to make the of- fer at least twice.
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CORPORATE CULTURE
It is very dicult to break through the “them
vs. us” philosophy (foreign partner vs. Chi-
nese). In personal relaonships, the Chinese
will oer friendship and warm hospitality
without conict, but in business they are
astute negoators.
DressConservave, simple, unpretenous, modest
clothing should be worn – nothing ashy or
overly fashionable.
Women should avoid bare backs, shorts,
low-cut tops and excessive jewellery.
For business, men should wear sport coats
and es. Slacks and open-necked shirts are
generally suitable in the summer for busi-
ness meengs; jackets and es are not nec-
essary.
Women should wear dresses or pantsuits for
business and should avoid heavy make-up
and dangling, gaudy jewelry.
Good to know
Punctuality is important for foreign business
people. Being late is rude. Meengs always
begin on me.
English is not spoken in business meengs,
although some Chinese may understand En-
glish without making it known. Hire an inter-
preter or ask for one to be provided.
Be prepared for long meengs and lengthy
negoaons (oen ten days straight) with
many delays.
The Chinese will enter a meeng with the
highest-ranking person entering rst. Theywill assume the rst member of your group
to enter the room is the leader of your
The Chinese are praccal
in business and realize they
need Western investment,
but dislike dependency on
foreigners. They are suspi-
cious and fearful of being
cheated or pushed aroundby foreigners, who are per-
ceived as culturally and eco-
nomically corrupt.
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CORPORATE CULTURE
delegaon. The senior Chinese person
welcomes everyone. The foreign leaderintroduces his/her team, and each member
distributes his/her card. The leader invites
the Chinese to do the same.
Seang is very important at a meeng. The
host sits to the le of the most important
guest.
There may be periods of silence at a busi-ness meeng; do not interrupt these.
A contract is considered a dra subject to
change. Chinese may agree on a deal and
then change their minds. A signed contract
is not binding and does not mean negoa-
ons will end.
Observing seniority and rank is extremelyimportant in business.
The status of the people who make the
inial contact with the Chinese is very im-portant. Don’t insult the Chinese by sending
someone with a low rank.
Chinese negoators may try to make foreign
negoators feel guilty about setbacks; they
may then manipulate this sense of guilt to
achieve certain concessions.
Two Chinese negoang tricks designed tomake you agree to concessions are staged
temper tantrums and a feigned sense of
urgency.
If the Chinese side no longer wishes to pur-
sue the deal, they may not tell you. To save
their own face, they may become increas-
ingly inexible and hard-nosed, forcing you
to break o negoaons. In this way, theymay avoid blame for the failure.
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Relaonships & Communicaon
The Chinese don’t like doing business with
companies they don’t know, so working
through an intermediary is crucial. This
could be an individual or an organizaon
who can make a formal introducon and
vouch for the reliability of your company.
Before arriving in China, send materials (inChinese) that describe your company, its
history, and literature about your products
and services. The Chinese oen use inter-
mediaries to ask quesons that they would
prefer not to make directly.
Be very paent. It takes a considerable
amount of me and is bound up with enor-
mous bureaucracy.
The Chinese see foreigners as represen-
taves of their company rather than as
individuals.
Rank is extremely important in business re-
laonships and you must keep rank dier-
ences in mind when communicang.
Gender bias is non-existent in business.
Never lose sight of the fact that communi-
caon is ocial, especially in dealing with
someone of higher rank. Treang them
too informally, especially in front of their
peers, may well ruin a potenal deal.
The Chinese prefer face-to-face meengs
rather than wrien or telephone commu-
nicaon.
Meals and social events are not the place
for business discussions. There is a demar-
caon between business and socializing in
China, so try to be careful not to intertwine
the two.
Business Meeng Equee
Appointments are necessary and, if possi-
ble, should be made between one-to-two
months in advance, preferably in wring.
If you do not have a contact within the
company, use an intermediary to arrange
a formal introducon. Once the introduc-
on has been made, you should providethe company with informaon about your
company and what you want to accom-
plish at the meeng.
You should arrive at meengs on me or
slightly early. The Chinese view punctuali-
ty as a virtue. Arriving late is an insult and
could aect your relaonship negavely.
Pay great aenon to the agenda as eachChinese parcipant has his or her own
agenda that they will aempt to introduce.
Send an agenda before the meeng so
your Chinese colleagues have the chance
to meet with any technical experts prior to
the meeng. Discuss the agenda with your
translator/intermediary prior to submis-
sion.
Each parcipant will take an opportunity
to dominate the oor for lengthy periods
without appearing to say very much of
anything that actually contributes to the
meeng. Be paent and listen. There could
be subtle messages being transmied that
would assist you in allaying fears of on-go-
ing associaon.
BUSINESS ETIQUETTE
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