By Jocelyn Eikenburg

Imagine doing jail time — or worse — just because you were related to the offending party.

If you want to understand just how far collectivism goes in China, look no further than lianzuo — or collective responsibility. Throughout China’s 2,000-year feudal history — from at least 7th-century BC all the way to the turn of the 20th century — people were guilty by association. That is, if you were a blood relative or close business associate of the guilty, you would be taking a fall along with them. This China Daily article refers to it as families that hang together — and we don’t mean “hanging out” in the modern sense, either.

The interesting thing is, group responsibility still has a hold on Chinese culture today — even if it is considered a little unfair. Read the rest of “We all go down together: lianzuo (collective responsibility) in China” or post a comment

We introduced Greg Bissky to you in some earlier posts ( if you missed those, you can find them here: ‘Western and Chinese business-More Than 1 Way To Communicate‘ and ‘Communication in Chinese Offices‘). This time Greg talks about Chinese meetings. According to Greg, there are three times to a Chinese meeting, before the meeting, after the meeting and during the meeting. And the one time Chinese do not decide things, is during the actual meeting. Meetings are for maintaining harmony and relationships, decisions and arguments are made before and after.

Watch “Western-Chinese Business: What are Chinese Meetings for?” or post a comment >>

By Heather J. Hasan

Huge, mythical beasts with piercing eyes and gigantic, roaring mouths stand guard at many of China’s most important buildings and ancient structures. The name of these imposing creatures is “Fu Dogs” or Rui Shi (”auspicious dog” in Mandarin), also known as Imperial Guardian Lions.

Started during the Han Dynasty (206 B.C. – 220 A.D.), the tradition of placing two large statues of male and female lions near the entrance of an establishment was intended to ward off evil spirits and protect from enemies, and thieves. These statues were created from marble, bronze, iron, and granite and the cost was expensive, therefore only the wealthy could afford Fu Dog protection. Because of this, Fu Dogs became a symbol of wealth and prosperity. Read the rest of “Rui Shi - The Imperial Guardian Lions” or post a comment

Profiling the Chinese consumer

By Nick Debnam & George Svinos, KPMG

While hard work and plain living have been revered virtues of the Chinese people for generations, there has been a growth in demand for foreign-branded or imported goods.(19) But running counter to the growing habit of consumption in China is the traditional propensity to save. Though luxury consumption is growing, for most the dominant social idea is still prudent consumption and undertaking no more than you can perform. (20)

Research suggests that while the emerging middle class will continue to save heavily, they will also spend increasing amounts of money. (21) This is consistent with trends that suggest that China’s younger generation of teenagers and twenty-somethings show less of the caution of their parents and grandparents, and far more inclination to spend than to save. Read the rest of “Luxury Brands in China, Part II” or post a comment

By Alex Cureton-Griffiths

For most foreigners, networking with Chinese can be a little tough. Well, thanks to a question we posted on LinkedIn Answers, we’re hoping to make things a little clearer. In brief:

They’re not that different

People often get so caught up in the differences that they fail to see the similarities between Chinese and western cultures. Just be yourself and don’t worry about skipping across the cultural minefield. Just as most of us would go easy on any local who made a social faux pas without knowing, local Chinese aren’t going to bite your head off if you accidentally put your foot in it. Read the rest of “What the Chinese Want You to Know about Networking” or post a comment