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要知道的幾件事在訪問中國之前

2008年5月26日由中國企業成功案例

由Huiping Iler

中國禮節風俗以現在北京奧林匹克較少比外90天,旅客足够幸運相處票-或那些正義想要看城市主持比賽-與企業人想要擴展考慮中國。

中國的悠久的歷史和富有的文化幫助了塑造它的現代社會的形成。 雖然中國在最近30年取得了進展,正因為「脫獄」是流行展覽會和青年人穿戴藍色牛仔褲不意味著它不是文化上非常分明的。

同樣地,當去中國和知道文化上可能使旅行那裡更加成功時,訪客為事務和樂趣必須考慮那文化。

基本的風俗。 中國是一個等級制度的社會; 功率流從上面下來。 決定由人做出在上面和由人民跟隨在他們之下。 同樣地,當應付中國組織,事務或否則,它是重要瞭解時誰是負責的,并且誰真正地被批准做出決定。 太眾多的是跟隨人告訴他們, 「我可能交付中國西部企業的傳說」,對仅發現人是最好看門人,在最壞情況下,騙子。

這意味著二件事: if you’re dealing with someone at the bottom of the totem pole, they will have little ability to assist you out of the normal course of businesses. 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.

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3 Responses to “A few things to know before visiting China”

  1. Tim Smith Says:

    Good article. One more piece of advice I would give is learn a few sentences of Chinese. Putting in a little effort to learn how to say “I am sorry I don’t understand”, “bu hao yisi. wo ting bu dong” is appreciated and will help solve misunderstandings that arrive because of cultural differences.

  2. Sandra Says:

    Nice article. I did not know the fact about the shoes worn without socks - that’s why women wear these thin socks here. Another thing to add which is important is the way business cards are handed over: with both hands and very politely. Business cards are then if possible put on the table next to each other (not on top). This is something few foreigners (including me) get right in the beginning.

  3. Christina Says:

    Good article.
    A useful source also for short-time visitors in BJ is a magazine called ‘That’s BJ’(when I lived there you used to get a free copy in big hotels, shops etc) - you find tips from restaurants to events (i.e. tea ceremonies, tai chi practise in the park etc..)- whilst most tourists probably only have time to visit the major sights I believe you can see more of the real chinese customs attending some of the events mentionned above. Also the Chinese Culture Club/close to Swiss Hotel is very active.
    And perhaps the same happens to you that I experienced - you arrive as a tourist and end up extending your stay for months…or years !

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