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If you’re planning on going to China for any reason and doing any kind of business there – or simply interacting with people on any level (”More tea, please!” “Why yes, I think the document you need is right here.”), then it’s a good idea to know something about Chinese etiquette. There are guides aplenty that define important concepts like guangxi (personal connection) mianzi (”face” or reputation) and keqi (modest propriety), or that give pointers on gift giving and how to communicate or how to address people.
What’s interesting lately is that, according to what this humble typist has been reading, China has a new Ms. Manners who’s working on changing China’s public rules of courtesy for the Beijing Olympics.
Earlier this year, Feng Xiaogang, one of China’s most beloved film directors, released eight short television public service announcements demonstrating—by example—proper social behaviors.
Explaining the PSAs, which show things like young folks being scolded into picking up their cigarette butts, Feng made clear that the campaign wasn’t just for China: “Besides showing the world its new image — its architecture, many modernized aspects of the city — Beijing should also show foreigners that the quality of its residents is quite good.”
In other words, it’s for us, the folks who go to China to visit. It’ll be interesting to see how long the effects carry on after the big games – just how westernized everyday behavior can really become in a culture where forming single-file lines at counters is seen as unusual behavior.
If you think about it, this kind of “they do things differently” concept is at the heart of that critique I posted recently about that British documentary. If you’d like to hear more from the filmmakers’ side of things, here’s an excerpt of China’s Stolen Children, and here’s the film’s description by the production company (along with a link for donations to help Chen Jie’s parents find their missing son).
Of course, strange manners are something we adoptive parents know all kinds of things about. This is why Dana Gould is funny. He is one of our tribe. And he knows. (Note for modesty’s sake: That link goes to a video on Comedy Central’s website. Be aware that there are some… euphemisms in Gould’s routine that, while still within the PG-13 guidelines, are kind of in your face. But so are the questions up with which we have to put, which is his point.)
That movie trailer was horrific. Unbelievable.
I think the most important cultural difference to know when you go to China is that Chinese does not have words which translated directly into “yes” or “no”.
The result is that, sometimes even advance English language students make a mistake, saying “Yes” when a native speaker would say “no”.
Rather than depending upon a one word answer….get a sentence. “Yes I do” or “No I don’t”. This will avoid translation errors.