China Things To Know Before You Go en

1 CHI NA - Thi ngs To Know Bef or e You Go
Things To Know
Before You Go
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Children | Students | Business people | Tourists
Whenever you go to a country or meet people from that country, you always come
across things that are diferent. They eat diferent things, they have diferent ideas
about tme, politeness, how to respect someone, what is important in life. Quite
naturally, and in spite of knowing that all citzens of one country do not all be-
have in the same way, we make generalisatons from what we see and experience.
It helps us make sense of new environments and gives us clues about how to be-
have. Here is a brief overview of some of the things you may experience when vis-
itng China or when talking with Chinese people. Clearly not everyone will behave
as described, but most will have been brought up in an environment where what
we describe is a normal part of social life. What is important is to read this with an
open mind and to use this informaton as a startng point for exploring the riches
of China and its culture.
Preface
Some Brief Background
China is the third biggest country in the world after Russia and Canada
and the biggest country of Asia. The territory of approximately 9.600.000
square kilometres is inhabited by more than 1.300.000.000 of people.
BASIC MODULE |
Cites in China are ofen very large. According
to The ofcial blue book published in 2009
by the Chinese Social Science Academy re-
ports that up to 2008 there are 118 cites
with a populaton over 1 million and 4 cites
over 10 million. The most populated cites
are Chongqing around 29.190.000 in 2011,
Shanghai 23.470.000 in 2011, followed by
Beijing 20.180.000 in 2011, The region of Hong
Kong is inhabited only by around 7.071.576
people.
The country was named China by foreigners.
The Chinese traditonally call it the Middle
Kingdom (Zhongguo). In the past the Chinese
indeed regarded their country the centre of
the world. Today, Chinese people are stll very
proud of their naton and its culture. If you
critcise China to a Chinese, he or she may
feel personally very ofended. So as with any
travel to another country, it is wise to keep
critcal opinions to yourself. This is partcular-
ly the case with subjects that have generated
critcism of China in the West, such as the one
child policy and human rights. Steer clear of
the three Ts Tibet, Taiwan and Tiananmen
as well.
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According to ofcial Chinese government informaton
there are 56 diferent ethnic groups living in China.
The vast majority (more than 90%) are Han Chinese,
leaving 55 minority groups living all over the country.
The Chinese government is concerned to maintain
the identty of these groups and as a consequence of
this, the groups are not subject to populaton control
legislaton.
According to a survey by Purdu University carried out
in 2007 more than a half of Chinese citzens claim
to be atheist. The Cultural Revoluton had a great in-
fuence on this. However, believers of almost every
religion
Taoism,
Buddhism,
Islam, Judaism,

can be found in China.
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An individualistc attude to every human
being is ofen seen as typical for the west-
ern culture. In China people are brought up
in the belief that the community comes frst
its welfare is more important than individ-
ual happiness. Thus, Chinese people ofen do
what others do, think what others think and
make decisions collectvely. Afer all, if every-
one is doing something in a partcular way it
must make sense. Harmony within a group is
the main value. Consequently, standing out
from the crowd, which is seen as positve in
the west, is viewed negatvely in China. There
is acknowledgement that this is changing.
The younger generaton tends to be more in-
dividualist, although the sense of loyalty to
family, to company and to country is stll very
strong.
Ethnic Communities
BASIC MODULE |
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Chinese people regard the principles of Taoism and
Confucianism as fundamental to their culture and
these are stll cherished today. These traditonal val-
ues are essentally concerned with striving for har-
mony with the surrounding world, self-acceptance,
as well as the Confucian fve virtues of propriety, wis-
dom, faithfulness, righteousness and humanity.
The most important thing for a Chinese is to save
face. This can be identfed with the western con-
cepts of dignity, honour and reputaton. Someone
who keeps his own face and helps the others to
keep their face is a respectable person. For a Chinese
loosing face is a tragedy. It may result in the break-
down of a relatonship. Therefore it is important to
make sure that conversatons run smoothly. Direct
critcism, partcularly of a persons point of view
could well result in loss of face and destroy a poten-
tal friendship or business relatonship.
Traditonally, the Chinese hate showing of. They value
modesty and courtesy is understood as underestmat-
ing oneself, which is more or less equal to western
forms of modesty. A Chinese would always under-
estmate himself and emphasize the status of those
around him. When he hears a compliment he would
say it is exaggerated and he doesnt deserve it.
Respect for traditon is very important in Chinese life.
This is not surprising since some Chinese traditons
have lasted uninterrupted for thousands of years.
Chinese people are conscious of how important their
contributon to the development of world civilisaton
is. Indeed, what would humanity do without paper,
pasta, porcelain, the decimal system, umbrellas,
silk, compasses, barrows, printng, gun powder, tea,
toothbrushes and... toilet paper?
Values and Attitudes
BASIC MODULE |
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Children in China
Since the late 1970s, with the gradual introducton of the one
child policy, the average Chinese family raises only one child,
although this policy is now beginning to be relaxed. Partly this
has to do with increase in wealth. Parents can now aford to bring
up two children and some can pay the fnes that are sometmes
imposed for having a second child. The child is the centre of the
family they call them litle emperors - and even in families
which are not very wealthy parents strive to provide the best for
their children. Some say they are incredibly indulged.
In China children are adored. They are not seen as separate beings,
but as descendants progeny of the line. A Chinese is inseparably
and for life, bound with a family that loves and accepts, but also gets
involved in everything and knows about everything
CHILDREN MODULE |
In China usually the grandparents take care
of a baby. Children are traditonally carried
in arms or on the back of adults for much
longer than is usually the case in the West.
They also ofen sleep in their parents room
for much longer than in Western homes.
Some believe that it is this carrying that gives
rise to the spirit of collectvity so prevalent
in Chinese society.
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A small Chinese does not have much free tme.
Chinese parents think that too much free tme has
a negatve efect on learning results. In tme away
from studies, children may fy kites, practce kung-fu,
play table tennis or badminton or other outdoor ac-
tvites. Parents see this as part of the childs overall
development.
Loving Chinese parents care mainly for the develop-
ment of their child. A young Chinese is meant to be
hard working and to strive for excellence. The parents
are supposed to equip their ofspring with skills that
can be useful in adulthood. Just as in many countries
wastng tme either on television, or on video games
is considered wrong, though the younger generaton
is becoming more internet friendly.
Traditionally a Chinese mother does not care much
about her childs self-esteem. Her discontent with
the results of her childs work is expressed frank-
ly and bluntly. She also does not go into raptures
about everything a child is doing some things
are obvious and do not need to be rewarded. True
achievements are admired by the whole family.
Recently, however, this is becoming a cause for
debate in Chinese media.
Parentng puts great emphasis on the traditonal
virtue of dong shi, in other words, teaching
a child to behave appropriately to the situaton at
any tme and without admonishments. Children
should be thoughtul and mature, in the frst place
caring about others and in the next place about
themselves. Young man should also predict the
needs of others.
Children in China
CHILDREN MODULE |
Education
Education is treated extremely seriously it takes priority over
all other things. Chinese have high hopes of their children and
consequently strive to achieve them. From the very early age children
get used to competition and working hard for the highest grades.
STUDENTS MODULE |
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Learning is m
ainly based on m
em
ory practce. From

an early age in order to write, a young Chinese has to
rem
em
ber a large num
ber of characters. So it is quite
understandable that m
em
ory practce is an im
portant
feature of the educaton system
.
tragedy. School grades that are not satsfactory, lead
to hours of additonal exercises at home, according to
the rule that practce makes perfect.
Chinese children are very hard-working they spend
hours with books and most of them atend extra
classes chosen by their parents. These are ofen English
lessons, playing musical instruments, swimming and
other physical exercise.

In China, teachers are treated with great respect. It is
considered to be rude to call them directly by their name.
The normal way to call them is by surname and the word
teacher. So if you have a teacher called Mrs Wang, you
would call her Wang Lao Shi (Wang teacher).
Apart from dong shi there is also the virtue of
zheng jing, or propriety. A young Chinese should
be faithful, honourable, virtuous, righteous, and
obedient. In no way should they stray from the
accepted norms.
In China educaton starts at the age of 3, and so
does almost an obligaton to make the family proud
through good results. An A minus could be a family
There are three levels to the school system - elementary, middle
and high school before taking exams to move on to university.
The university exam is called a higher exam (Gao kao) and is
carried out in June each year in each province. It lasts for 3 days
and includes maths, Chinese language, a foreign language and
an additonal subject for which varies according to the major
a prospectve student wishes to apply.
Education
STUDENTS MODULE |
In China in 2011 there were 2429 approved state and
private universites. This number does not include military
universites nor universites in Hong Kong or Macau. (In China
no distncton is made between colleges and universites)
Around 34.000.000 people study at Chinese universites at the
moment. Afer 4 years students usually receive a bachelors
degree. To obtain a Masters ofen requires a further 2 or 3
years of study. PhDs normally take 3 5 years.
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Although many young Chinese atend university (in 2011
78.7% of all school leavers had the opportunity to go to
university)*, selecton for the top universites is very tough.
Sometmes it requires being a province top student to be
admited to a top university. The competton is tough and
sometmes a fracton of a point may decide if a student is
admited or not. Some universites now operate their own
entrance examinatons on top the Gao Kao, or as a direct
entrance test.
Education
STUDENTS MODULE |
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The Chinese eagerly invite students from abroad. Apart from a desire to share knowl-
edge and experiences, the internatonal profle of a university will be enhanced through
exchanges with, and visits from, overseas students.
Most of Chinese students live on campus. They live in dorms, where rooms almost
always shared. A student may fnd themselves sharing with as many as 8 in the room,
though more ofen there will be 6 or 4. At postgraduate level you may expect 2 students
to a room. Internatonal students usually do not live together with Chinese students.
In China higher educaton is not free. Even state schools charge tuiton fees. For an
average Chinese family it is a large expense. Stll, childrens educaton is a priority for
every family. Even at the cost of great sacrifces parents and grandparents save money
for their grandchilds educaton. Educaton is seen as the pathway to prosperity and
a good job.
Become a doctor, an engineer, or a businessman - these are the wishes of Chinese
parents. These professions are seen as prestgious. One of the reasons they have such
status is because they require many years of educaton and lifelong learning.
Although certain professions such as those
connected with literature, languages or
art were not as highly valued as science,
medicine, or law, nowadays if someone is
able to earn a good living with these skills,
then this is seen as positve. Parents are stll
concerned, though about how stable their
childrens career will be.
A European travelling to China will contact a different world, still the
one with friendly people, clean hotels, with no danger of theft. China
is a relatively safe country for a tourist. It is such a big country that
to get a feel of it you have to travel around. Bear in mind that not
only foreigners, but literally millions of Chinese also like to travel.
TOURISTS MODULE |
Some tmes of the year partcularly
natonal holidays - get booked up early.
At the Spring Festval most Chinese make
the journey back to their home town
and the transport system gets so full
you might think that there is no space
for anyone. Cites themselves, once the
province of bicycles are now full of cars
and trafc jams are commonplace.
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Air travel
There are now an increasing number of relatvely cheap carriers
that can ferry you from one region of China to the next. Flights are
well organized and efcient and for those with litle tme this is
easily the best way to get from A to B. Just as domestc transport
gets booked up early, so internatonal fights and connectons
also sufer during the typical summer holiday period and at
festval tes such as Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving.
Travel and Tourism
Train travel

If you have the tme and feel like an adventure, trains
in China are a great way to travel. They are punctual
and efcient especially with the number of new
high speed trains that are being built though they
are ofen incredibly crowded.
In China tckets for trains are released on sale on
specifc days before departure. This could be 10
or 20 days. You need to know when they go on
sale to be sure of getng a tcket. On holidays it
is almost impossible to buy a tcket people are
camping at the staton and struggle to get on a train.
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On sleeper trains there are sof beds
for the rich travellers, hard berths
for those, who are not that well-of.
There are also sof seats and hard
benches for other social classes.
TOURISTS MODULE |
Travel and Tourism
Festval Date Days Holiday
New Years Day Jan. 1 3 days
Spring Festval Moves according to the lunar cycle 7 days
Qingming Festval Usually in April but moves with the lunar cycle 3 days
May Day May 1 3 days
Dragon Boat Festval the 5th day of the 5th lunar month 3 days
Mid-Autumn Day Aug. 15 according to the lunar calendar 1 day
Natonal Day Oct. 1 7 days
Travel and Tourism
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Chinese Public Holidays
TOURISTS MODULE |
Be aware if you are m
aking
travel arrangem
ents that m
any
Chinese people take tm
e of
work around these holidays to extend them
partcularly the Spring Festval and the Natonal Day. At these tm
es all form
s
of transport are partcu
larly crowded.
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Bargaining
Bargaining is very frequent in China. Wherever you are it doesnt hurt to ask if you can have
a discount. In tourist areas especially you can bargain hard. You could even start from 10%!
Where the stallholders or shopkeepers speak no English, you can easily communicate using
their calculator to show how much you are prepared to pay. As in any country, sometmes
people may use emotonal blackmail to persuade you to buy more or pay more. In the end
it depends on what you feel something is worth and whether you really want it.
Dialects
There are many Chinese dialects, but only two of them count: Mandarin and Cantonese,
though Mandarin is become increasingly accepted as the standard for the country in writ-
ten and spoken form. Both are tonal languages. This means that the meaning of a word
can change according to the tone - and even for the same tone the meaning can change
according to the context! However, it is very useful to know some basic expressions
in Chinese as many Chinese people do not yet speak much English.
Chinese has two faces spoken and writen. This means that the writng is not a transcrip-
ton of how a word sounds (as it is in a western writng system). To help learn Chinese,
there have been many atempts to Romanise it (ie to use a form of western alphabet).
This has culminated in Pinyin (a way of spelling Chinese through sound) and it is used
both in school in China and to help foreigners learn the language. Ever since the com-
puter era begun, users of computers, instead of troubling themselves with calligraphy
of Chinese characters, simply type a word in pinyin and proper characters appear on the
screen. A computer can also read the characters.
TOURISTS MODULE |
Travel and Tourism
Eating out
Chinese cuisine is sophistcated and highly diverse.
The food varies from region to region and some
regional food is more famous than others (like
Sichuan or Guangdong). Rice or noodles are staple
foods of most Chinese dishes. Some dishes are known
internatonally such as Peking duck or dumplings with
meat flling. Do not be surprised if people eat things
that westerners would rarely even consider such as
hens feet or pigs snout. However, the myth that all
Chinese eat everything is just that a myth.
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Restaurants in China are ofen bustling, noisy plac-
es, where the business of eatng is accompanied
by lots of conversaton. In some there are sepa-
rate side rooms for groups of people or for special
occasions and if you are being invited for dinner
by a Chinese host you may well be taken to one
of those. As in any country there is a range for
restaurants from high end luxury to food halls in
shopping malls. The menu you are provided with
is ofen a large book with brightly coloured pic-
tures of the food in it. In some there may be a de-
scripton of the food in English, but in many places
this is stll not the case and you may have to guess
what you are eatng. Chinese cuisine involves a lot
of meat eatng. Pork is popular as is chicken, duck
and fsh. You may even be shown your fsh alive in
a plastc bag before they take it to the kitchen and
cook it for you. If you are vegetarian, however, you
will not go hungry. there is a wide range of very
tasty vegetable dishes to choose from.
For travellers who do not want to taste the local
food, or who want a rest from the communica-
ton challenge of trying out their Chinese in res-
taurants, there is an increasing number of interna-
tonal chains such as Pizza Hut and Macdonalds.
Of course these too have been adapted to suit lo-
cal tastes, so dont expect to fnd exactly what you
get at home.
TOURISTS MODULE |
Travel and Tourism
Different habits
Travelling to any country you will inevitably see things
that people fnd normal, but that you may fnd unusual
and possibly surprising. Equally things you do naturally
may inadvertently ofend. China is no excepton to this.
Although it is considered bad manners, people do spit
in the street more ofen than in Europe, and they ofen
make more noise when eatng. They also sometmes
blow their nose openly without handkerchiefs. In public
toilets, paper is not always provided. You need to take
your own. And many public toilets are squat toilets.
Chinese people think that some European habits are
rather strange too: putng used tssues back to ones
pocket, bitng ones nails, picking in ones teeth, touching
mouth with ones fngers are all considered unhygienic.
Avoid making faces, and gestculatng, partcularly
pointng.
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TOURISTS MODULE |
Travel and Tourism
Negotatons usually last a long tme. One should
be patent, optmistc and calm and remember,
that Chinese people are not used to putng
their opinions straight. Traditonally, they would
rather avoid a confrontaton, tackle an issue
once again and fnd a diferent soluton.
For Chinese businessmen, when making a deal, the most
important thing is the competences of the contractor. They check
his knowledge about a particular field during the first meeting.
Depending on the knowledge of a business partner, they either
respect him, or try take advantage of his lack of knowledge.
BUSINESS MODULE |
Business Life
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Thus, when expressions such as: maybe, we will
come back to this later, or we will see appear,
they should be understood as no. It should be kept
in mind that in Chinese there are no equivalents of
no or yes.
Chinese people treat hierarchy in both private life
and business with utmost respect. Thus, the heads of
delegatons are the frst ones to enter the conference
room and they are negotatng. The partners should
make sure that they represent an equal rank. The
team members should avoid expressing opinions
diferent from the leaders positon.
A violaton of etquete is regarded by the Chinese
as a blemish on honour and may bury the chance
of cooperaton. If you want to do business with the
Chinese, you must not critcise him openly, make fun
of him or treat him in a way that doesnt ft with his
positon in the company.
Punctuality is very much appreciated coming
late to a meetng is a personal ofence. A meetng
begins with a welcome speech of the host the head
of the team. Then a reciprocaton should follow.
Chatng about trivial things is meant to loosen the
atmosphere and make it pleasant. An applause can
be a way to welcome someone in a company. They
should be reciprocated.
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Business Life
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If you want to make business with the Chinese, you
should make yourself plenty of smart business cards
they care a lot about beautful presentaton on the
card. Business cards should be given and taken with
both hands. It is inappropriate to put a business card
into ones pocket in front of the owner. It is ofen
useful to place the business cards on the table in
front of you during a meetng (where there is a table)
as a guide to help you remember names.
You must not gestculate, make faces, touch someone
or pat on a shoulder, giggle or burst into laughter with
no reason! The Chinese value restrained behaviour
and calmness. They hate pointng with fngers if
you want to point at something, do it with an open
hand.
When doing business with Chinese be aware
that negotatons take tme. The Chinese think of
tme in a cosmic context and always make long-
term plans. While a hasty European would like
to get everything done quickly. When deadlines
are being set it is good to have a few weeks in
reserve.
Dress Code
Business dress is conservatve dark suits and
shoes, subdued tes. In business etquete women
are expected to wear dresses or suits, not too
high heels. Mini dresses, gaudy jewellery or
low-cut blouses do not make a good impression
. In summer men do not need to wear tes and
jackets. Dark trousers and a shirt with undone
neckband are acceptable.
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BUSINESS MODULE |
Greetings
Greetngs and farewells should be initated by
a Chinese partner. Usually a western handshake
is accepted. Stll, one can commit a faux pas, as
according to Chinese traditon a bow is enough.
A kiss on the cheek considered far too intmate
especially on frst meetng. It is also advisable
to pay atenton to the way of addressing your
opposite numbers. In China a surname is always
given before a name, if someone has a scientfc
degree it should be given afer a surname. As a sign
of respect, the head of the company is addressed
as the Chairman Please bear in mind that the
Chinese are reluctant to be on familiar terms with
their business partners.
Business Life
Gift Giving
An important part of business and social relatonships are traditonal gifs. The Chinese give
presents and expect the others to do the same. A present needs to be packed beautfully. The
best colours are golden and red, or silver and pink. Be careful with things in white or black, as in
China they are colours of mourning. The Chinese are pragmatc and it shows in their attude to
gifs. Good business gifs are elegant corporate gadgets, handicraf from your country, elegant
desktop accessories. A gif should be neither too cheap, which would show lack of respect, nor
too expensive, as it could be embarrassing if their gif is not as valuable. Some numbers have
a special meaning. Number 4 is forbidden it resembles the word death. Number 8 is
well seen as it is similar to a word meaning prosperity and development.
BUSINESS MODULE |
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Business Life
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Establishing personal relatonships is more important
than ofcial meetngs in ofces. An ability to gain the
Chinese partners trust while spending tme together
is a key to success. Dinners, either formal or informal,
are a way of building relatonships and you may fnd
yourself invited to many of them. This is the place for
wide ranging conversaton not just business. Showing
curiosity about China, without being critcal, is highly
appreciated and is seen as a sign of friendliness.

Business Dinners
The Olympic Games in Beijing begun on the 8th day
of the 8th month in 2008 at 8 oclock. Number 9
represents a long-lastng relatonship.
During home visits it is greatly appreciated if you
hand a gif to the hosts wife. Chocolates or cognac
are appropriate. Presents are not unpacked in front of
the gif-giver. According to one traditon, you should
pretend that you do not want to accept the gif. The
other party should insist. Then it is necessary to
accept a present and melt away in grattude. Presents
are given and accepted with both hands.
Some presents are forbidden. It is unacceptable to
give clocks (they sound like they are condemning
someone to death), an umbrella (it may symbolize a
farewell), a green hat indicates a betrayed husband.
Knives are also not a good gif.
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BUSINESS MODULE |
Business Life
Invitatons to evening banquets are an important
part of personal relatonships. A Chinese expects the
host to welcome him at the door and lead him to
a place at the table corresponding with his positon
in the company. The seat of honour, reserved for the
host or the guest with highest status, is the one in
the center facing east or facing the door. Seatng is
then arranged according to status with those of high-
er status sitng closer to the seat of honour. (When
a family holds a banquet, the seat of honour is for
the guest with the highest status and the head of the
house takes the least prominent seat.)
If round tables are used, the seat facing the door is
the seat of honor. The seats on the lef hand side
of the seat of honor are second, fourth, sixth, etc in
importance, while those on the right are third, ffh,
seventh and so on in importance, untl they join to-
gether.
The menu will be decided for you, or will have been decided beforehand, and you should not
expect to choose your own dishes or even necessarily be asked if you like certain food.
There should be many dishes on the table around 20. It is a way to show hospitality of the
host as well as his respect for the invitees. The host begins a feast putng pieces of the best
dish on a plate of the guest of honour. It befts a guest to try a bit of each dish and leave
some lefovers on a plate it is a sign of having eaten enough. Beware! The Chinese treat
alcoholic abstnence with suspicion. This is ofen put to the test at the end of a meal. Meals
ofen end with a series of toasts. You certainly need to toast your host (this is basic polite-
ness), but you will probably need to toast many people. You will be expected to down your
drink in one and ofen when you leave your glass empty it will be reflled.
BUSINESS MODULE |
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Business Life
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Chopstick etiquette
Using chopstcks is becoming increasingly frequent
in Europe with the growth in oriental restaurants. In
China the etquete surrounding how they are used
has developed over centuries and it is worth know-
ing some of this so as not to send the wrong signals
and not to ofend.

It is poor etquete to tap chopstcks on the edge of
ones bowl; at one tme, beggars made this sort of
noise to atract atenton. It is impolite to spear food
with a chopstck. Anything too difcult to be handled
with chopstcks is traditonally eaten with a spoon. It is
considered poor etquete to point rested chopstcks
towards others seated at the table.Chopstcks should
not be lef vertcally stuck into a bowl of rice because
it resembles the ritual of incense-burning that sym-
bolizes feeding the dead and death in general.
Holding chopstcks incorrectly will refect badly on
a childs parents, who have the responsibility
of teaching their children. Traditonally, everyone
uses his own chopstcks to take food from the dishes
to his own bowl, or to pass food from the dishes to
the elders or guests bowls. Today, serving chop-
stcks community-use chopstcks are used. These
are used to take food directly from serving dishes;
they are returned to the dishes afer one has served
oneself.
When seated for a meal, it is common
custom to allow elders to take up their
chopstcks before anyone else.
Chopstcks should not be used upside-
down; it is acceptable to use them
backwards to str or transfer the dish
to another plate (if the person does
not intend to eat it). This method
is used only if there are no serving
chopstcks.
One should not dig or search through
ones food for something in partcular.
This is sometmes known as digging
ones grave or grave-digging and is
extremely poor form.
Restng chopstcks at the top of the
bowl means Ive fnished. Restng
chopstcks on the side of ones bowl
or on a chopstck stand signifes one is
merely taking a break from eatng.
BUSINESS MODULE |
Business Life
C
h
a
p
t
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5
Chops
In the west, seals were used on important docu-
ments and leters. The seal would indicate who
sent the leter. Sometmes they would indicate the
status of the individual. Sometmes they would in-
dicate the profession. In China they have preserved
their own version of seals called a chop and this is
used to legally authorise business documents. The
company chop is registered with the Administraton
of Industry and Commerce and approved by the
Public Security Bureau. A company may also have
other chops depending on the areas of business and
the size of the organisaton. These may be for con-
tracts or for fnancial documenaton among others.
Only people in positons of trust and authority have
the permission to use the chop. This means that it
can operate as a kind of countersignature measure
and authorisaton within a company.
Smaller companies may not use chops as widely
as larger enterprises. Western companies need
to be aware that they may be asked for seals and
chops on documentaton by Chinese counterparts
who are unaware of difering business practces.
BUSINESS MODULE |
P A R T N E R S
Mescomp Technologies SA
Aleje Jerozolimskie 47
00-697 Warszawa
Poland
www.tech.mescomp.pl
University of Antwerp Management School
Sint-Jacobsmarkt 9-13
2000 Antwerp
Belgium
www.uams.be
Internatonal Certfcate Conference e.V.
Berner Heerweg 183
22159 Hamburg
Germany
www.icc-languages.eu
Fondazione Italia Cina
Palazzo Clerici Via Clerici 5
20121 MILANO
Italy
www.italychina.org
Soros Internatonal House
Konsttucijos ave 23A
08105 Vilnius
Lithuania
www.sih.lt
EduActve
Pileckiego 104/149
02-781 Warsaw
Poland
www.eduactve.pl
Project No. 511727-LLP-1-2010-1-PL-KA2-KA2MP
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.
The contents of this brochure refect the views only of the Chinese for Europeans
Project Partners, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use
which may be made of the information contained therein.

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What are some things to know about etiquette when eating in China?

What is the significance of chopsticks in Chinese culture?

1 CHI NA - Thi ngs To Know Bef or e You Go

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