Small talk in China
Westerners see China as a Third world underdeveloped country. They forget that it is also the oldest civilisation on earth that invented gun powder and porcelain at a time when Europeans were still throwing stones at each other. They have civilised Japan and all their neighbouring nations. They see themselves a s the middle Empire, the centre of the universe, which might become the planet's biggest future market. They do not trust us westerners who in some parts of China are still considered as "foreign devils".
Be patient when doing business in China - how patient this story will illustrate.
A young Chinese was called to his boss who was to retire soon. The old man asked him if he was ready to take his position in the communist party. The young man was overjoyed. "one thing you must remember when dealing with people," said the old man, "always be patient." The young man nodded. The old man repeated his advice three times, when he was going to repeat it a fourth time, the young man said "Do you take me for an idiot? Why do you repeat such a simple thing four times?" And the old man smiled and said "I've said it a few times, and you are already impatient."
Mind your manners:
- Offer gift sin private, not in front of others, as in Arab countries.
- Don't imitate your Chinese partners. Be yourself!
- Don't show off your knowledge of Chinese culture and traditions even if you think you are an expert on Chinese affairs. (By the way, you are not and will never be one.) They might interpret it as western arrogance.
- Be modest! Make excuses that you don't know much about their culture. They will forgive you.
- In China a wise man knows when to shut up. Don't talk too much!
- When an Asian smiles it could be a signal that he is embarrassed about some bad news.
- If a toast is made, there will be a clapping of hands. Clap back and smile.
- Don't refuse food or drinks. Your host will be offended. Learn to eat with chopsticks. Don't be afraid it's a good omen if you drop them on the floor.
- Don't refer to China as Mainland China. It is the People's Republic of China. And Taiwan is not a sovereign state but one of the Republic's provinces.
-
Learn a few words of Chinese to be able to make polite noises. It's good if you know enough Mandarin to understand what your partners and your interpreter say. Don't try to speak it, even if you are under the illusion that you can. They won't appreciate your accent.
In China time is relative, which the following story shows.
A Chinese official informed an ARCO manager that tomorrow China would be the number one nation in the world. The American said that he did not doubt it, considering the size of the country and its population, and the tremendous technical progress being made, but he asked, "When do you think that China will become number one?" The Chinese answered: "Oh, in four or five hundred years."
Reference: Small Talk for big business, Rene Bosewitz
