By Nannette Ripmeester

Although modern times are catching up quickly within the cities of China, understanding the roots of this ancient and complex culture is essential when doing business there. In part II of ‘doing business in China’ Nannette Ripmeester takes a closer look at some of the cultural nuances your expats in China need to be aware of.

When Dutch Jenny van Baden visited China for a holiday from her expat location in Taiwan she was struck by the fascinating developments in the country. “When you are out of Shanghai for one week, a new building or highway might have popped up in front of your window when you return,” she says.

Although modern times are catching up quickly within the cities of China, “understanding their history is essential to comprehend the Chinese and the way they respond to things.” says van Baden, who works for ASML in Shanghai. Read the rest of “Successful business in China (part II)” or post a comment

Every now and again the real truth comes out. Once while I was in grad school (at the now infamous NIU) writing my thesis on Thai/Chinese Corporate Culture my thesis advisor broke her academic façade and turned to me and said, “It’s all just B.S. isn’t it? I mean, it’s all just bribery, no matter what we call it, right?” She then went back into her academic mode and continued talking about “gift giving” and we never talked about “bribery” again.

Read the rest of “Inside Chinese Business-Book Review” or post a comment >>

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