Traditional Culture
Chinese culture literally took a beating during the Cultural Revolution – the country has yet recovers completely. It should be noted that there is cultural gap between Hong Kong and Macau and the rest of China. Hong Kong and Macau, while outwardly more modern, are also more traditionally Chinese because the Cultural Revolution didn’t have such an effect there. Some of the more notable aspects of traditional Chinese culture are mentioned below.

Face Loosely defined as ‘status’, ‘ego’ or ‘self-respect’ the concept of ‘face’ is by no means alien to foreigners. Essentially it’s about avoiding being made to look stupid or being forced to back down in front of others.

A negotiated settlement of differences that provides benefits to both parties is always preferable to confrontation. Outright confrontation should be reserved as a last resort(Chinese are not shy of using it) and problems should first be tackled with smiling persistence – if one tack fails, try another.

Handing Paper
If you want to impress your Chinese hosts, always use both hands when presenting them with a piece of paper(this includes namecards). This gesture shows respect.

Fortune Telling
Being a fortune teller was not a safe occupation during the Cultural Revolution. Most of them either quickly changed their profession or spent 20 years breaking rocks at a labor camp in Qinghai.

It’s a different case in Hong Kong and Macau. The lucrative business of fortune telling is how many temples in Hong Kong and Macau pay their bills Palmists (who also read your face) set up in some of the night markets.

Dos & Don’ts Speaking Frankly
People often don’t say what they think, but rather what they think you want to hear or what will save face for them. Thus, for example, a staff member at an airport may tell you that your flight will be here ‘very soon’ even if they know the flight will be delayed for two days.

Smiling
A smile doesn’t always mean happiness. Some Chinese people smile when they are embarrassed or worried. This explains the situation where the foreign tourist is ranting and raving at the staff in the hotel lobby, while the person behind the desk stands there grinning from ear to ear.

Guanxi
Within their daily life, Chinese people often have to complete for goods or services in short supply and many have been assigned jobs for which they have zero interest and often no training. Those who have guanxi(connections) usually get what they want because the connections network is, of course, reciprocal.

Obtaining goods or services through connections is informally referred to as ‘going through the back door’. Cadres and officials are very well placed for this activity, but exploiting guanxi can lead to corruption. Typical displays of guanxi are lavish banquets, fuelled by baijiu. As foreign investment in China has grown, gift giving for guanxi has become more and more profuse.

Negotiate Over Dinner If you are planning to cut any business deals in China, you’d best invite the relevant official or business partners to dinners. Proposals that were ‘impossible’ a few hours earlier can suddenly become very possible when discussed over a plate of Beijing duck and a bottle of Johnnie Walker.

Gift Giving This is a complicated issue whit the Chinese. It’s good manners when visiting people at their homes to bring some sort of gift, especially if you’ve been invited for a meal. Fruit or flowers are OK, or a box og chocolates. Money would be insulting, but imported goods have much presitige value will help you win points in the face game.

Tobacco Displomacy At least in the case of male-to-male relationships, it’s always polite to offer a cigarette when meeting somebody. You are under no obligation to smoke, but if refusing always remember to do so politely with a smile and a wave of the hand.

When offering a cigarette to someone, you must extend the open pack with a cigarette protruding from it – it would be impolite to remove a single cigarette from the pack and hand it over.

If you want to butter up your host or make connection, prestigious foreign brands like Marlboro, and 555 are almost mandatory. The Chinese are obsessive about cigarette brands, and it’s really not good from to show up at a banquet with a pack of Tiantan or a local brand that cost 30 cents. Take along a pack of Marlboro or a famous local brand such as Hongtasha, otherwise there could be embarrassment. A carton of cigarette for your host is seriously good dispiomacy.

The Chinese light up whenever they feel like it at mealtime, so you can as well. Offer your cigarettes around before smoking though.