Country Profile of CHINA in English

Info4Migrants
CHINA
Country profile
Project number: UK/13/LLP-LdV/TOI-615
Learnmera Oy www.thelanguagemenu.com
Country profile CHINA
9,596,961
POPULATION
km2
1,357,380,000 bln
GDP per capita
$6,959
CURRENCY
Yuan (CNY)
LanguagesSTANDARD CHINESE,
and other languages spoken by
56 recognized ethnic groups
KAZAKHSTAN
COUNTRY BACKGROUND
RUSSIA
MONGOLIA
Beijing
China
INDIA
BURMA
Capital: Beijing. Besides Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong,
there around 20 mega cities of modern infrastructures, a variety of entertainment, and population over 5 million.
Climate: extremely diverse; tropical in south to subarctic in
north
National Flag
Ethnic Make-up: Han Chinese 91.9%, Zhuang, Uygur, Hui, Yi,

Tibetan, Miao, Manchu, Mongol, Buyi, Korean, and other nationalities 8.1%
Religions: Daoist (Taoist), Buddhist, Muslim 1%-2%, Christian
3%-4%
Government: Communist state
Language: Chinese is spoken by 92% of Chinas population.
There are at least seven major families of the Chinese language, including Mandarin, Cantonese, Wu, Hakka, Gan, Xiang,
and Min
National emblem
Time zones: Despite its size, all of China is in one time zone
CHINA FACTS
The country and the capital
The modern word China most likely derives from the

name of the Qin (pronounced chin) dynasty. First
Emperor Qin Shi Huang (260-210 B.C.) of the Qin dynasty first unified China in 221 B.C., beginning an Imperial
period which would last until A.D. 1912. The name of
Chinas capital has changed over the centuries. At one
time or another it has been known as Yanjing, Dadu, and
Beiping. Peking or Beijing means Northern Capital.
Beijing is the officially sanctioned pinyin spelling based
on the Mandarin dialect. Beijing is the second largest
city after Shanghai.
Collectivism vs. Individualism

In general, the Chinese are a collective society with a need
for group affiliation, whether to their family, school, work
group, or country. In order to maintain a sense of harmony,
they will act with decorum at all times and will not do anything to cause someone else public embarrassment. They
are willing to subjugate their own feelings for the good of
the group.
Non-Verbal Communication
Chinese non-verbal communication speaks volumes.
Since the Chinese strive for harmony and are group dependent, they rely on facial expression, tone of voice and
posture to tell them what someone feels. Frowning while
someone is speaking is interpreted as a sign of disagreement.
Therefore, most Chinese maintain an impassive expression
when speaking. It is considered disrespectful to stare into another persons eyes. In crowded situations, the Chinese avoid
eye contact to give themselves privacy.
CHINA FACTS
Language
Chinese is not a single language but many languages and dialects, some completely unintelligible to one another. There
are 56 ethnic groups in China who speak a total of around
290 languages. Mandarin Chinese is the country standard,
spoken by about 850-900 million people. This is followed by
Wu at about 90 million and Cantonese at about 80 million.
Chinese characters
There are 40,000 plus characters in the Chinese language. An educated adult will only get to learn 5,000 of
them. You need to know 9002,000 Chinese characters
to be able to read a Chinese newspaper.
Internet restrictions
At present, many Web sites, such as Google and Facebook
are blocked by what is called the Great Firewall of China.
Other sites that cannot be accessed in China are Youtube,
Picasa, Twitter, Wordpress, Dropbox and many others.
CHINA FACTS
Chinese New Year
The most important holiday in China is the Chinese New
Year or Lunar New Year. Chinese traditionally believe that
every person turns one year older on the New Year and,
thus, that day is considered to be everyones birthday.
Red is considered a lucky colour in China, and New Years
banners, clothing, and lucky money envelopes are red.
Ancient inventions
The ancient Chinese invented many things we still use
today. Their inventions include the wheel, paper, silk,
matches, gunpowder, porcelain, china, fireworks, medicines, kites, tea, the umbrella, jump ropes, ink, the crossbow, and ice cream amongst others.
Silk
The Chinese have made silk since at least 3,000 B.C. The
Romans knew China as Serica, which means Land of
Silk. The Chinese fiercely guarded the secrets of silk
making, and anyone caught smuggling silkworm eggs or
cocoons outside of China was put to death.
According to a Chinese legend, silk was discovered in
3000 B.C. by Lady Xi Ling Sui, wife of the Emperor Huang
Di. When a silk worm cocoon accidentally dropped into
her hot tea, fine threads from the cocoon unravelled in
the hot water and silk was born.
PUBLIC HOLIDAYS
1 January: New Years Day

The beginning of a new year
based on the Gregorian calendar.
for various activities, and the

more popular ones are tomb
sweeping, spring outings,
and kite flying.
Starts on 21 January - 20
February: Spring Festival
The festival falls on the first
day of the first lunar month
(always somewhere between
January 21 February 20),
and ends with Lantern Festival which is on the 15th day.
This holiday, widely known
as Chinese New Year in the
West, is the most important
traditional festival in China. Firework shows, dragon
dancing and lion dancing are
the most common Chinese
New Year activities. Chinese
New Year is a time for families to be together.
1 May: May Day

Chinas celebration of International Labor Day.
April 4 or 5:
Qingming Festival
Also called Tomb Sweeping Day or Pure Brightness.
Tomb Sweeping Day is a time
5th day of the 5th month

of Chinese lunar calendar:
Dragon Boat Festival
A traditional Chinese festival
with activities such as dragon boat racing and eating
zongzi (sticky rice wrapped
in leaves).
October 1: National Day

The celebration of the
founding of the Peoples Republic of China. The National
Day is celebrated throughout
mainland China, Hong Kong,
and Macau with a variety of
government-organized festivities, including fireworks
and concerts.
The Chinese New Year and

National Day holidays are
three days long. The weeklong holidays on May Day
and National Day began in
2000, as a measure to increase and encourage holiMoveable date in Autumn:
day spending. The resulting
Mid-Autumn Festival
seven-day holidays are
Mid-Autumn Festival is
called Golden Weeks and
held on the 15th day of the
have become peak seasons
eighth month of the Chinese
for travel and tourism. In
calendar, which is in Septem- 2008, the Labor Day holiday
ber or early October in the
was shortened to one day,
Gregorian calendar. A day for and instead three traditionChinese family reunions and
al Chinese holidays were
a harvest festival in China.
added.
CHINA FACTS
China is often considered the longest
continuous civilization, with some historians marking 6000 B.C. as the dawn of
Chinese civilization. It also has the worlds
longest continuously used written language.
China is the fourth largest country in
the world (after Russia, Canada, and the
U.S.). It has an area of 3,719,275 square
miles (slightly smaller than the U.S.) and
its borders with other countries total more
than 117,445 miles. Approximately 5,000
islands lie off the Chinese coast.
Chinas national flag was adopted in September 1949 and first flown in Tiananmen
Square (the worlds largest public gathering place) on October 1, 1949, the day the
Peoples Republic of China was formed.
The red in the flag symbolizes revolution.
The large star symbolizes communism and
the little stars represent the Chinese people.
One in every five people in the world is
Chinese. Chinas population is estimated
to reach a whopping 1,338,612,968 by July
2009. Chinas population is four times that
of the United States.
The early Chinese emperors kept giant
pandas to ward off evil spirits and natural
disasters. China owns all the pandas and
any panda outside of China is on lease.
The Chinese were using the decimal
system as early as the fourteenth century
B.C., nearly 2,300 years before the first

known use of the system in European
mathematics. The Chinese were also the
first to use a place for zero. Chinese mathematics evolved independently of Greek
mathematics and is consequently of great
interest to historians of mathematics.
In 1974, a group of farmers digging for
a well in the Shaanxi province uncovered
some bits of very old pottery. They discovered the tomb of Qin (259-210 B.C.), the
first emperor who united China. The tomb
contained thousands of amazing life-sized
soldiers, horses, and chariots.
The bicycle was introduced into China
around 1891 by two American travellers
named Allen and Sachtleben. The bicycle is now the primary transportation for
millions of Chinese. The last Qing emperor
(Puyi) rode a bicycle around the Forbidden
City in Beijing. China is currently the leading bicycle manufacturer.
The 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing
were the most expensive games in history. While the 2004 Athens Games were
estimated to cost around $15 billion, the
Beijing Games were estimated to cost a
whopping $40 billion.
The number of birth defects in China
continues to rise. Environmentalist and
officials blame Chinas severe pollution
White, rather than black, is the Chinese
colour for mourning and funerals.
ONE-CHILD POLICY
In the late 1970s, the Chinese government
introduced a number of measures to reduce the countrys birth rate and slow the
population growth rate. The most important of the new measures was a one-child
policy, which decreed that couples in China
could only have one child.
Previous Chinese governments had encouraged people to have a lot of children
to increase the countrys workforce. But
by the 1970s the government realised that
current rates of population growth would
soon become unsustainable.
Impact of the policy

The birth rate in China has fallen since
1979, and the rate of population growth is
now 0.7 per cent.
There have been negative impacts too
due to a preference for boys for traditional
reasons, large numbers of female babies
have ended up homeless or in orphanages,
and in some cases killed. In 2000, it was reported that 90 per cent of foetuses aborted
in China were female.
As a result, the gender balance of the
Chinese population has become distorted.
Today it is believed that men outnumber
women by more than 60 million.
The one-child policy, established in 1979,

meant that each couple was allowed just
one child. Benefits included increased access to education for all, plus childcare and
healthcare offered to families that followed
this rule.
Long-term implications
Problems with enforcing the policy:
Those who had more than one child
didnt receive these benefits and were
fined.
The policy was keenly resisted in rural areas, where it was traditional to have large
families.
In urban areas, the policy has been enforced strictly, but remote rural areas have
been harder to control.
Chinas one-child policy has been somewhat more relaxed in recent years. Couples
can now apply to have a second child if
their first child is a girl, or if both parents
themselves are only children.
While Chinas population is now rising

more slowly, it still has a very large total
population (1.3 billion in 2008) and China
faces new problems, including:
the falling birth rate leading to a rise in
Many people claim that some women, who the relative number of elderly people
became pregnant after they had already
fewer people of working age to support
had a child, were forced to have an aborthe growing number of elderly dependants
tion and many women were forcibly steril- in the future, China could have an ageing
ised.
population.
AMAZING STATISTICS
Chinas economy grew 7 times as fast as Americas over the past decade
(316% growth vs. 43%)
Chinas GDP per capita is the 91st-lowest in the world, below Bosnia & Herzegovina
85% of artificial Christmas trees are made in China, so are 80 percent of toys
China has more pigs than the next 43 pork-producing countries combined
Chinese consume 50,000 cigarettes every second
Americas fastest high speed train goes less than half as fast as the new train between Shanghai and Beijing (240 km/h vs 485 km/h)
Chinas enormous Gobi Desert is the size of Peru and expanding 1,400 square miles
per year due to water source depletion, over-foresting, and over-grazing
China has 64 million vacant homes, including entire cities that are empty
The worlds biggest mall is in China, but it has been 99% empty since 2005
Nearly 10,000 Chinese citizens each year are sucked into unsanctioned black jails
By 2030, China will have more new city-dwellers than the entire U.S. population.
China executes three times as many people as the rest of the world combined, with
at least 1,718 executions in 2008
When you buy Chinese stocks, you are financing the Chinese government, as 8 of
Shanghais top 10 stocks are government owned
China uses 45 billion chopsticks per year
200 million people in China live on less than $1 a day
China is not free from Europes medieval plague yet
Chinas Grand Canal is the worlds oldest and longest canal at 1,114 miles (1,795 km)
long with 24 locks and around 60 bridges.
10
IMPORTANT TIPS
Chinese people are delighted if you make any attempt to speak Mandarin, even if its only a couple of words. The best way to introduce yourself is with a warm, broad smile. Even when you might be upset or frustrated, smile. It works.
No
Chinese find no difficult to say. They may

say maybe or well see in order to save
face. Forcing the Chinese to say no will
quickly end a relationship.
The name of the country
Always refer to China as China or Peoples Republic of China, never as Red

China, Communist China or Mainland
China. Always refer to Taiwan as Taiwan
or Province of Taiwan, never China,
Republic of China (the name adapted
by the Nationalist forces after they fled to
Taiwan) or Free China. Do not in any way
suggest that Taiwan is not part of China.
Older people
Show respect for older people. Offer a seat

or right of way through the door to a colleague or older person as a polite gesture.
Personal questions
Do not be insulted if the Chinese ask personal questions, such as How much money do you make?, How many children
do you have? or Are you married? Just
change the subject if you do not want to
answer.
11
Especially for Women
China is a difficult place for anyone to conduct business. A woman may gain acceptance, but it will take time and will not be
easy.
China is a male-dominated society. However, there are many women in business in
China and some occupy high-ranking positions and important managerial jobs. One
of the principles of the Chinese communist
system is to work toward sexual equality.
IMPORTANT TIPS
Negotiating teams may have female members. Women may be used to decline unpopular proposals. Businesswomen attend
business dinners, but rarely bring their
spouses.
appropriate response. Resist the urge to fill

the silence and continue talking.
The Chinese concept of privacy differs
significantly from that in the West, where
people are used to having their own space,
office, room.
The Chinese are not accustomed to this
luxury. Privacy to them relates to their own
thoughts and emotions that they proudly
keep to themselves.
Social Distance
Every culture defines proper distance.

Westerners, particularly Americans, find
that the Chinese comfort zone regarding
distance is a bit too close for their comfort.
Westerners may instinctively back up when
others invade their space. Do not be surprised to find that the Chinese will simply
step closer.
Touching
The Chinese do not like to be touched, particularly by strangers. Do not hug, back slap
or put an arm around someones shoulder.
Chinese women rarely smoke or drink. However, it is acceptable Do not be offended if you are pushed and
for Western women to do so moderately.
shoved in a line. In some circumstances, the
Chinese do not practice the art of lining up,
Silence
and courtesy to strangers in public places is
Silence is used effectively. Not talking while not required.
others do signifies politeness.
Silence in meetings and during discussions People of the same sex may walk hand-ingives one the opportunity to carefully con- hand as a gesture of friendship in China.
sider what is being said and formulate an
12
IMPORTANT TIPS
Gestures & Customs
Do not point with your index finger, use an

open hand instead
Do not use your index finger to call someone, use the hand with fingers motioning
downward as in waving.
Do not snap fingers
Do not put feet on a desk or coffee table. It
is rude to show the soles of the shoes
Do not whistle
Use both hands when handing someone
an object, such as a teacup, a gift, or a business card
Laughter
Although laughter is the response to something humorous, it can also mean someone
feels uncomfortable, or in a situation where
they do not know how to respond. Consider
the situation.
Chinese customs that are confusing to

Westerners:
Waving the hand in front of the face to
indicate no
Pointing to the nose to indicate oneself,
rather than to the chest
Girls covering ones face and giggling to
show embarrassment
Chinese customs that are annoying to
Westerners:
Belching or spitting on the street
Lack of consideration when smoking and
failure to ask permission to smoke
Staring at foreigners, particularly in remote
areas
Slurping food or making noises while eating
Talking while eating
Eating in public places that are not designated for food
Pushing in crowded areas such as railway
stations or bus stop
13
PEOPLE IN CHINA
Deeply rooted in Chinese society is the need to belong and conform to a unit, whether
the family, a political party or an organization. The family is the focus of life for most
Chinese. Age and rank are highly respected. However, to the dismay of older people, todays young people are rapidly modernizing, wearing blue jeans and sunglasses, drinking Coke and driving motorbikes.
Body Language
request, allowing the Chinese to save face.

The Chinese dislike being touched by strang- Chinese point with an open hand. Never
ers. Do not touch, hug, lock arms, back slap point with your index finger.
or make any body contact.
Clicking fingers or whistling is considered
Meeting and Greeting
very rude.
Shake hands upon meeting. Chinese may
Never gesture or pass an object with your
nod or bow instead of shaking hands, alfeet.
though shaking hands has become increasBlowing ones nose in a handkerchief and
ingly common.
returning it to ones pocket is considered
When introduced to a Chinese group, they
vulgar by the Chinese.
may greet you with applause. Applaud
To beckon a Chinese person, face the palm
back.
of your hand downward and move your fin- Senior persons begin greetings. Greet the
gers in a scratching motion. Never use your oldest, most senior person before others.
index finger to beckon anyone.
During group introductions, line up accordSucking air in quickly and loudly through lips ing to seniority with the senior person at
and teeth expresses distress or surprise at a the head of the line.
proposed request. Attempt to change your
14
CHINESE ETIQUETTE
Meeting Etiquette
Greetings are formal and the oldest person is always greeted first.
Handshakes are the most common form of greeting with foreigners.
Many Chinese will look towards the ground when greeting someone.
Address the person by an honorific title and their surname. If they want to move to a
first-name basis, they will advise you which name to use.
The Chinese have a terrific sense of humour. They can laugh at themselves most readily
if they have a comfortable relationship with the other person. Be ready to laugh at yourself given the proper circumstances.
Gift Giving Etiquette
Four is an unlucky number so do not give four of anything. Eight is
the luckiest number, so giving eight of something brings luck to
the recipient.
Gifts are not opened when received. Do not give scissors,
knives or other cutting utensils, as they indicate the severing of the relationship.
Do not give clocks, handkerchiefs or straw sandals, as
they are associated with funerals and death.
Do not give flowers, as many Chinese associate these
with funerals.
Do not wrap gifts in white, blue or black paper.
Dining Etiquette
The Chinese prefer to entertain in public places rather
than in their homes, especially when entertaining foreigners.
If you are invited to their house, consider it a great honour.
If you must turn down such an honour, it is considered polite
to explain the conflict in your schedule so that your actions are
not taken as a slight.
Arrive on time.
Remove your shoes before entering the house.
Bring a small gift to the hostess.
Eat well to demonstrate that you are enjoying the food!
15
CHINESE ETIQUETTE
Tipping Etiquette
Tipping is becoming more commonplace, especially with younger workers, although older
workers still consider it an insult. Leaving a few
coins is usually sufficient.
Table manners
Learn to use chopsticks.
In most traditional Chinese

dining, dishes are communal.
Although both square and
rectangular tables are used for
small groups of people, round
tables are preferred for large
groups, particularly in restaurants, in order to permit easy
sharing.
Wait to be told where to sit. The guest of honour will be given a seat facing the door. The host
begins eating first.
You should try everything that is offered to you.
Never eat the last piece from the serving tray.
Be observant to other peoples needs.
Chopsticks should be returned to the chopstick
rest after every few bites and when you drink or
stop to speak.
The host offers the first toast.
Do not put bones in your bowl. Place them on
the table or in a special bowl for that purpose.
Hold the rice bowl close to your mouth while
eating.
Do not be offended if a Chinese person makes
slurping or belching sounds; it merely indicates
that they are enjoying their food.
16
DOS AND DONTS

N ch le ma?
Ask locals if they have already eaten their
meal when greeting them. Chinese often
use a very common phrase N ch le ma?
which literally means Have you already
eaten? You might find this routine odd,
but food plays a great role in the life of
Chinese people, and asking if they are not
hungry is a sign of kindness and concern.
ing a temple. Showing your legs or neckline

can shock many locals, especially the old
ones, so always make sure you look neat
and modest.
Dont be offended by the Chinese

Locals will often say you are fat, you
should wear more clothes, its getting cold
and also ask how much you earn and how
old your girlfriend or boyfriend is. They are
Dont be surprised to see, and feel pushing only interested in showing that they care
and shoving everywhere
about you and are not trying to offend you.
The Chinese have little knowledge of queuing and personal space. If you leave a gap
Dont draw attention to yourself in
in a queue because of your personal space, a negative way
someone will fill it.
As a foreigner, you will grab everyones
attention, but things like behaving abusively
Dont expose your body
will get you noticed far more and for the
When in China, you should not wear very
wrong reasons.
short shorts when going to school or enterBe punctual
Greet older people first
Chinese cant stand unpunctual people. If
When you greet someone
you make an appointment with someone,
make sure you show up on time. Othermuch older than you in China,
wise, it might be perceived as something
you should lower your head
extremely disrespectful.
in order to show respect and

recognition. When you meet
someone your age, you should
first wave, then smile and
say Ni hao! which means
Hello! Unlike some Western
countries, Chinese do not accept hugs or kisses as a form of
greeting.
17
Dont leave your chopsticks upright in your

bowl or tap your bowl with them
This is the way a bowl of rice is offered to
the spirit of a dead person, at their deathbed or in front of their photograph on the
household Buddhist altar. Moreover, Its
also not considered to be very good form to
cross the working ends of your chopsticks
while eating, so you should pay attention to
how you use them when eating.
DONTS
Never accept a compliment graciously
You may find yourself at a loss for words
when you compliment a Chinese host on a
wonderful meal, and you get a response,
No, no, the food was really horrible. A little less boasting and fewer self-congratulatory remarks go a long way towards scoring
cultural sensitivity points with the Chinese.
Never get angry in public
Public displays of anger are frowned upon
by the Chinese and are most uncomfortable for them to deal with especially if
the people getting angry are foreign tourists, for example. This goes right along with
making someone (usually the Chinese host)
lose face, which you should avoid at all
costs.
Never address people by their first names
first
Chinese people have first and last names
like everyone else. However, in China, the
last name always comes first. The family
(and the collective in general) always takes
precedence over the individual. Joe Smith
in Minnesota is known as Smith Joe (or the
equivalent) in Shanghai. If a man is introduced to you as L Mng, you can safely
refer to him as Mr. L (not Mr. Mng).
Unlike people in the West, the Chinese
dont feel very comfortable calling each
other by their first names. Only family
members and a few close friends ever refer
to the man above, for example, as simply
Mng.
18
Never make someone lose face

The worst thing you can possibly do to Chinese acquaintances
is publicly humiliate or otherwise embarrass them. Doing
so makes them lose face. Dont
point out a mistake in front of
others or yell at someone.
The good news is that you can
actually help someone gain face
by complimenting them and
giving credit where credit is due.
Do this whenever the opportunity arises. Your graciousness is
much appreciated.
Never take food with the wrong end of
your chopsticks
The next time you gather around a dinner
table with a Chinese host, you may discover
that serving spoons for the many communal dishes are non-existent. This is because
everyone serves themselves (or others) by
turning their chopsticks upside down to
take food from the main dishes before putting the food on the individual plates.
Never drink alcohol without first offering a
toast
Chinese banquets include eight to ten
DONTS
courses of food and plenty of alcohol. One way to slow down the drinking is to observe
Chinese etiquette by always offering a toast to the host or someone else at the table before taking a sip yourself. This not only prevents you from drinking too much too quickly,
but also shows your gratitude toward the host and your regard for the other guests.
Never let someone else pay the bill without fighting for it
Most Westerners are stunned the first time they witness the many fairly chaotic, noisy
scenes at the end of a Chinese restaurant meal. The time to pay the bill has come and
everyone is simply doing what theyre expected to do fight to be the one to pay it. The
Chinese consider it good manners to vociferously and strenuously attempt to wrest the
bill out of the very hands of whoever happens to have it. This may go on, back and forth,
for a good few minutes, until someone wins and pays the bill. The gesture of being eager and willing to pay is always appreciated.
Never accept food, drinks, or gifts without first refusing a few times
No self-respecting guests immediately accept whatever may be offered to them in someones home. No matter how eager they may be to accept the food, drink, or gift, proper
Chinese etiquette prevents them from doing anything that makes them appear greedy or
eager to receive it, so be sure to politely refuse a couple of times.
Never show up empty handed
Gifts are exchanged frequently between the
Chinese, and not just on special occasions. If
you have dinner in someones house to meet a
prospective business partner or for any other
pre-arranged meeting, both parties commonly
exchange gifts as small tokens of friendship and
good will. Westerners are often surprised at the
number of gifts the Chinese hosts give. The general rule of thumb is to bring many little (gender
non-specific) gifts when you travel to China. You
never know when youll meet someone who
wants to present you with a special memento, so
you should arrive with your own as well.
19
Never take the first

No, thank you literally
Chinese people automatically
refuse food or drinks several
times even if they really feel
hungry or thirsty. Never take
the first No, thank you literally. Even if they say it once or
twice, offer it again. A good
guest is supposed to refuse at
least once, but a good host is
also supposed to make the offer at least twice.
CORPORATE CULTURE
The Chinese are practical
in business and realize they
need Western investment,
but dislike dependency on
foreigners. They are suspicious and fearful of being
cheated or pushed around
by foreigners, who are perceived as culturally and economically corrupt.
It is very difficult to break through the them

vs. us philosophy (foreign partner vs. Chinese). In personal relationships, the Chinese
will offer friendship and warm hospitality
without conflict, but in business they are
astute negotiators.
Dress
business and should avoid heavy make-up

and dangling, gaudy jewelry.
Good to know
Punctuality is important for foreign business
people. Being late is rude. Meetings always
begin on time.
Conservative, simple, unpretentious, modest

clothing should be worn nothing flashy or English is not spoken in business meetings,
overly fashionable.
although some Chinese may understand English without making it known. Hire an interWomen should avoid bare backs, shorts,
preter or ask for one to be provided.
low-cut tops and excessive jewellery.
Be prepared for long meetings and lengthy
For business, men should wear sport coats
negotiations (often ten days straight) with
and ties. Slacks and open-necked shirts are
many delays.
generally suitable in the summer for business meetings; jackets and ties are not nec- The Chinese will enter a meeting with the
essary.
highest-ranking person entering first. They
will assume the first member of your group
Women should wear dresses or pantsuits for to enter the room is the leader of your
20
CORPORATE CULTURE
delegation. The senior Chinese person

welcomes everyone. The foreign leader
introduces his/her team, and each member
distributes his/her card. The leader invites
the Chinese to do the same.
Seating is very important at a meeting. The
host sits to the left of the most important
guest.
There may be periods of silence at a business meeting; do not interrupt these.
A contract is considered a draft subject to
change. Chinese may agree on a deal and
then change their minds. A signed contract
is not binding and does not mean negotiations will end.
Observing seniority and rank is extremely
important in business.
21
The status of the people who make the

initial contact with the Chinese is very important. Dont insult the Chinese by sending
someone with a low rank.
Chinese negotiators may try to make foreign
negotiators feel guilty about setbacks; they
may then manipulate this sense of guilt to
achieve certain concessions.
Two Chinese negotiating tricks designed to
make you agree to concessions are staged
temper tantrums and a feigned sense of
urgency.
If the Chinese side no longer wishes to pursue the deal, they may not tell you. To save
their own face, they may become increasingly inflexible and hard-nosed, forcing you
to break off negotiations. In this way, they
may avoid blame for the failure.
BUSINESS ETIQUETTE
Relationships & Communication
Business Meeting Etiquette
The Chinese dont like doing business with

companies they dont know, so working
through an intermediary is crucial. This
could be an individual or an organization
who can make a formal introduction and
vouch for the reliability of your company.
Before arriving in China, send materials (in
Chinese) that describe your company, its
history, and literature about your products
and services. The Chinese often use intermediaries to ask questions that they would
prefer not to make directly.
Be very patient. It takes a considerable
amount of time and is bound up with enormous bureaucracy.
The Chinese see foreigners as representatives of their company rather than as
individuals.
Rank is extremely important in business relationships and you must keep rank differences in mind when communicating.
Gender bias is non-existent in business.
Never lose sight of the fact that communication is official, especially in dealing with
someone of higher rank. Treating them
too informally, especially in front of their
peers, may well ruin a potential deal.
The Chinese prefer face-to-face meetings
rather than written or telephone communication.
Meals and social events are not the place
for business discussions. There is a demarcation between business and socializing in
China, so try to be careful not to intertwine
the two.
Appointments are necessary and, if possible, should be made between one-to-two

months in advance, preferably in writing.
If you do not have a contact within the
company, use an intermediary to arrange
a formal introduction. Once the introduction has been made, you should provide
the company with information about your
company and what you want to accomplish at the meeting.
22
You should arrive at meetings on time or

slightly early. The Chinese view punctuality as a virtue. Arriving late is an insult and
could affect your relationship negatively.
Pay great attention to the agenda as each
Chinese participant has his or her own
agenda that they will attempt to introduce.
Send an agenda before the meeting so
your Chinese colleagues have the chance
to meet with any technical experts prior to
the meeting. Discuss the agenda with your
translator/intermediary prior to submission.
Each participant will take an opportunity
to dominate the floor for lengthy periods
without appearing to say very much of
anything that actually contributes to the
meeting. Be patient and listen. There could
be subtle messages being transmitted that
would assist you in allaying fears of on-going association.
Veronica Gelfgren
Yulia Bazyukina
Marja-Liisa Helenius
Learnmera Oy
www.thelanguagemenu.com
Research
Research, layout
Proofreading

Country Profile of CHINA in English

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Country Profile of CHINA in English

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Info4Migrants

Project number: UK/13/LLP-LdV/TOI-615

Country profile CHINA

GDP per capita

Country profile CHINA

Ethnic Make-up: Han Chinese 91.9%, Zhuang, Uygur, Hui, Yi,

Country profile CHINA

The modern word China most likely derives from the

Collectivism vs. Individualism

Country profile CHINA

Country profile CHINA

Country profile CHINA

1 January: New Years Day

for various activities, and the

1 May: May Day

5th day of the 5th month

October 1: National Day

The Chinese New Year and

Country profile CHINA

B.C., nearly 2,300 years before the first

Country profile CHINA

Impact of the policy

The one-child policy, established in 1979,

While Chinas population is now rising

Country profile CHINA

Country profile CHINA

Chinese find no difficult to say. They may

The name of the country

Always refer to China as China or Peoples Republic of China, never as Red

Show respect for older people. Offer a seat

Especially for Women

Country profile CHINA

appropriate response. Resist the urge to fill

Every culture defines proper distance.

Country profile CHINA

Do not point with your index finger, use an

Chinese customs that are confusing to

Country profile CHINA

request, allowing the Chinese to save face.

Country profile CHINA

Country profile CHINA

In most traditional Chinese

Country profile CHINA

DOS AND DONTS

ing a temple. Showing your legs or neckline

Dont be offended by the Chinese

in order to show respect and

Dont leave your chopsticks upright in your

Country profile CHINA

Never make someone lose face

Country profile CHINA

Never take the first

Country profile CHINA

It is very difficult to break through the them

business and should avoid heavy make-up

Conservative, simple, unpretentious, modest

Country profile CHINA

delegation. The senior Chinese person

The status of the people who make the

Country profile CHINA

Business Meeting Etiquette

The Chinese dont like doing business with

Appointments are necessary and, if possible, should be made between one-to-two

You should arrive at meetings on time or