Modern Day China Dining Etiquette
Expect food to be delivered family-style in large bowls from which each diner serves himself. Avoid showing surprise when these foods appear; westernized Chinese dishes bear no resemblance to foods served in China. Be inordinately polite. Don't flinch if your host uses his chopsticks to serve you from a common bowl. Place your chopsticks vertically across your food bowl when they're not being used, as standing them upright is part of Chinese funeral rituals. Avoid eating every morsel of food or your host may order more thinking you're still hungry. Don't offer to pay the tab unless you're the host.
Modern Day China Business Tips
Print a supply of calling cards, a necessity in Chinese business culture. Have your card printed in both English and Chinese; expect to hand a card to everyone you meet. When the gesture is reciprocated, hold his card in both hands and act impressed as you read it. Acknowledge people in order of their seniority in a company when you make introductions; keep tabs on the flow of conversation, so you understand patterns of deference.
Modern Day China Gift-Giving Customs
Think of gift giving as a politeness--rather than a means of reciprocity--in modern day China. Always present family members or business associates with gifts. Start with the senior member of the group and hand gifts to others in declining order of seniority. Don't worry about the dollar amount you've spent. Handing the same item to a Chinese host and subordinates automatically confers a higher value upon the gift, according to the order in which it was given. Refusing a gift in modern day China is considered insulting.
Modern Day China Socializing Protocols
You will be considered rude if you don't drink with Chinese hosts in modern day social settings, but be forewarned that drinking contests are popular. If you wish to keep your liver intact, come prepared with a medical excuse. Fortify yourself for after-dinner karaoke, saunas, social talk and, on occasion, all-night partying. While engaging in these social settings, steer clear of these topics: an independent Taiwan, your preference for Japanese over Chinese relationships and condemnation of the current head of state.
Modern Day China Holiday Observances
Although the names remain unchanged from thousands of years ago, modern day China's political climate, social environment and physical limitations have morphed celebrations from religious to thematic, putting creative twists on old customs. Chinese New Year, Lantern, Double Seventh, Double Ninth, Mid-Autumn, Qingming and Dragon Boat Festivals are still held in accordance with the Lunar Calendar, but celebrations are generally stripped of their religious connotations, which is why a family may still tidy graves during Qingming, now an excuse for a picnic.
