Door Huiping Iler

Met Olympics van Peking nu denken minder dan 90 dagen weg, reizigers gelukkige genoeg om kaartjes - of die te krijgen die enkel de stad willen zien ontvangend de Spelen - samen met bedrijfsmensen die zich willen uitbreiden over China.

De rijke cultuur van China hebben de lange geschiedenis en gestalte gegeven de vorming van zijn moderne maatschappij geholpen. Hoewel China een lange manier in de laatste 30 jaar is gekomen, enkel omdat de „Onderbreking van de Gevangenis“ een klap is toon en de jonge mensen dragen blauwe jeans bedoelen niet dat het niet cultureel zeer verschillend is.

Als dusdanig, moeten de bezoekers voor zowel zaken als genoegen die cultuur overwegen wanneer het gaan naar China, en bewust zijn kan cultureel een reis daar meer succesvol maken.

Basis douane. China is de hiërarchische maatschappij; machts stromen vanaf top down. De besluiten worden genomen door mensen bij de bovenkant, en door de mensen onder hen gevolgd. Als dusdanig, wanneer het behandelen van Chinese organisaties, zaken of anders, is het belangrijk om te begrijpen wie verantwoordelijk is, en wie echt gemachtigd is om besluiten te nemen. Veel te talrijk zijn de verhalen van Westelijke ondernemingen die de persoon die hen vertelde, „ik kunnen China leveren,“ om volgden slechts te weten te komen dat de persoon in het gunstigste geval een portier, in het slechtste geval, een conkunstenaar was.

Dit betekent twee dingen: als u iemand bij de bodem van de totempaal behandelt, zullen zij weinig capaciteit hebben om u uit de normale cursus van ondernemingen bij te staan. That means it’s hard for them to get you a good price, a meeting with the minister or to let you sneak down to the good seats at the Opening Ceremonies. If you need something done, make sure you’re talking to the boss, or at least to someone who is talking to the boss.

Etiquette. An awareness of Chinese customs will help any visitor, and respect for them often helps to get travelers out of a jam, or at very least, better service.

Western visitors are sometimes upset by situations they encounter in China. For example, queuing is not universal, so hold your ground when approaching a service counter. It’s a function of living in an overcrowded nation more than a lack of manners.

Although probably not an issue during the Olympics, spitting is a common habit visitors find off-putting. It stems from aspects of Chinese medicine regarding removing waste from the body. Beijing’s government has become sensitive to the issue and the impact it has on the city and country’s image. It happens far less now than even a few years ago, but has yet to be eradicated.

In business situations and most social situations, men shake hands. Social introductions are far less formal than in the West, and sometimes people won’t even bother introducing others if their contact is considered to be limited. Except for high-ranking women in business situations, or those who have spent time in Western companies or countries, women will generally feel uncomfortable shaking hands. A polite nod will suffice instead.

In China, the ground is considered to be unequivocally dirty, as is anything that comes in contact with it. Therefore, people change their shoes to slippers when entering a home, unless specifically asked not to. Putting your feet on something, like a chair or table, is offensive. If for some reason you need to climb on a seat to fetch something, take your shoes off and stand on it with socked (never bare) feet. Also, shoes worn without socks are frowned upon, as only poorer people in China cannot afford to wear socks, and also unsocked feet get dirty much faster and therefore should not come in contact with anything else.

The trickiest etiquette in just about any country is table manners. Chinese people do not expect foreigners to have mastered chopsticks prior to arrival, but it’s nice to try. Hands are generally not used while eating, although they’re fine for Beijing Duck. Unlike in the West, bones are spit onto a separate plate, the table or the floor, depending on the quality of the restaurant, but they should not go on your own dining plate. Follow your hosts’ lead as much as possible.

There is no need to tip in China anywhere except with a tourist guide, if they have done a particularly good job, or with bell boys at hotels, who have come to expect tips. It is not part of the culture sometimes the offering of a tip can be seen as an insult.

If involved in a dispute, remain calm and try to find someone who can translate while resolving the matter. Do not assume you have genuinely wronged the other person just because they say so. Ask your hotel ahead of time how much a taxi fare to or from the airport or other major destination is – and don’t pay 10 percent more than that.

Common sense and basic caution are the best rules of thumb while traveling. Don’t advertise yourself as a target by wearing lots of jewelry; do be polite and maintain proper manners within your own societal norms. A visit to China should be fun and productive, relax and enjoy it!

Huiping Iler, owner of wintranslation.com, is a popular speaker at international conferences on the cultural aspect of doing business with China and going global on the web. She received her M.A. in Intercultural Communication from Canada. Bilingual in Mandarin and English, Iler spent the first twenty years of her life in China and the last fifteen in Canada. Her articles have been published in Multilingual, Target Marketing, Marketingprofs.com, Asian Enterprise, National Post, Montreal Gazette, etc.
Wintranslation , a translation agency located in Canada, provides translation, typesetting and localization services in Chinese and other 70 languages.