Chinese Business Etiquette

When reading this book I found my self thinking of a businessman sitting on a plane bound for Beijing. He would be sitting there going over in his mind all the things to say and do once he gets there and what a challenge it will be. Once he skims the book and maybe reads the key points at the end of each chapter he realizes he is not at all prepared to address his host in the ways the book lays out. What to do?

I use this example because that would be me having not read the book before embarking on a trip to China. I do not want to call this book a must read but it is defiantly one of those that should be read before trying to do serious relations with the Chinese.

Seligman captures the essence of what it is like to deal with the Chinese quite well I though, well at least to my knowledge. I liked the way he used his own experiences to demonstrate the right and wrong ways of approaching issues. The examples he gave of both himself and friends encountering problems and overcoming them are encouraging to the reader.

I was particularly intrigued by the idea of face. While it is implied in my family I never really thought about what it really meant or how it was given. Seligman really emphasizes it in the book and uses it as sort of a cornerstone of dealing with the Chinese. Personally I think this should be integrated more into American culture. The idea of being respectful to others and spending more time on making other look good rather than the customary putting others down would be a vast improvement. The biggest problem I have with it though is the indirect actions. I would not feel comfortable receiving important news from a messenger, face to face is much more trustworthy.

The amount of structure that is give to meeting and presentations is really over board by western standard. In the fast pace business environment I am used to dealing with, meeting all the demands of these protocols would be tough, especially getting the attention of important officials.

The chapter on hosting the Chinese did not seem too different than what is expected in most all cultures, those that I personally experienced anyway. It seems only appropriate to fully accommodate foreign visitors, especially if they have only been to the country a few times. I know I would expect the same kind of treatment.

One of the issues I though Seligman dealt with well was the idea of maintaining your culture while being polite to there’s. He never once says to abandon your own beliefs to bend to there rules. In by opinion those are words to live by. A person should never disregard where they come for and who they are. If I were to host a Chinese business person here, I would not expect them to act like an American. Yet, Seligman does point out the benefits of expressing interest in the Chinese. This seems like good advice. It seems only respectful to take an interest in your host and your host way of life, especially if you plan on doing business with them often.

The tit-for-tat system would take some getting used to. While I am very willing to do favors for people, I rarely expect favors done in return. To buy or give gifts for this benefit would be a stretch to the culture I am accustomed to.

I can defiantly take some of the lessons for this book and apply them. Since my girlfriend happens to be Chinese a lot of these issues I have already encountered with her family who was born it Taiwan. The face and respect to the eldest son and father are crucial in the family. As a guest I am always encouraged to eat more and try everything that comes my way. Turing it down usually gets me a slap on the leg from my girlfriend, I never really understood why. The gift thing is really interesting to. They are constantly exchanging little trinkets, it really makes sense now. This book has a lot more to it than just business etiquette.

Overall the book did an excellent job of getting me up to speed on how I should carry myself around the Chinese. Had I not read this book I am sure some of the things I will encounter in China would have perplexed me. The quirkily little things such as giving a business card with two hands and using the opposite end of the chopsticks to serve other are great tidbits of informant that will definitely be of use some day.