Chinese Business Etiquette: A Guide to Protocol, Manners, and Culture in thePeople's Republic of China

by Scott D. Seligman

East-West business is booming as thousands of people flock to China. The author, with 25 years of experience dealing with the Chinese, provides up-to-date advice on how to succeed, avoid gaffes, interpret behaviour and make positive impressions.

Genres: Business, China, Nonfiction, Reference, Travel

305 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1999

Reviews

[Bella Isom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great for introducing anyone to the world of Chinese business.

[Cameron Moon · Rating 1 out of 5]

Felt a bit outdated. Also I hate my Business Chinese class so this is a biased review

[☆ jodie]

read for chinese class

[Joel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Assessing a culture's behavior is a delicate endeavor but Seligman handles the task well. I found Chinese Business Etiquette to be helpful in learning the basics of Chinese customs. The books's efficacy probably depends on the age of the person and location of the company within China: The content will be more applicable with middle-aged and older groups and probably in Western China. I suspect that some of the poor reviews the book has received were by readers interacting with younger demographics in cosmopolitan areas, in which case the advice could be dated. Even in these circumstances though, I found the historical perspective interesting, as it still provides insight into the foundations of Chinese interactions. When the young Chinese interacted with the old, the tenets of the book still seemed true to me.

The bullet point summaries at the end of each chapter were helpful and could serve as a quick lesson for anyone interested. A few subjects that stuck with me are the importance of connections(guanxi), the work unit (danwei), face (mianzi), reciprocity, and the lack of privacy. I found the last point entertaining during a recent trip to China. I brought my one-year daughter to Shenzhen and often carried her in a backpack. Locals freely stopped, stared, did a tight loop around me with a look of amazement, snapped countless pictures, and left, never having directly acknowledged my personal existence. It never felt rude, just different and amusing.

[Ashley Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would say there are definitely more reasons to not read this book then to actually read it. I wouldn't say it's a terrible source, but at this point it feels extremely outdated. If you were to use this as your only source of Chiense etiguette, I think you would be making quite a few faux pas. That aside, I also felt that it was very redundant and general. I didn't find the generalizations all that helpful and even the specifics felt to me more like one-time events rather than examples to learn from.

It was fine, but there a lot of other, better, sources out there for the same material.

[Patrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

A decent guide to doing business in China... for 2002. As it is, this book is 10 years out of date, and many of the etiquette rules mentioned by Seligman have been nowhere displayed in my few weeks here. I think there's a lot to learn if you can get past the specifics and examine the philosophy behind them, but I would probably be thought of as extremely old-fashioned if I tried to follow the advice here to the letter.

There are probably better books that capture etiquette in modern China, although things seem to be changing so quickly here that maybe there aren't.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating and informative brass tacks guide for Westerners doing business in the PRC by an American businessman who has resided and worked there for the past 28 years. Reviewed and lauded by various international business nabobs. While not geared to the casual traveler, it is an insider's view of the how's and why's of Chinese culture that would be helpful to anyone who is interested in visiting China or understanding the culture of Chinese immigrants in one's own country. As a book that promotes understanding and harmony between cultures, this one gets kudos from me!

[Joshua · Rating 3 out of 5]

Advisable read to anyone with no experience dealing with the Chinese. A lot of it is contradictory to other books.
This book alone will not help you navigate through the intricate landscape of the PRC. I recommend reading other books on the subject, consulting people with experience and combining all the data you have into actionable protocols.
I've read a lot and have lived briefly in the PRC and am still very confused about it...

[Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, but a bit outdated. Really helps to get inside the mindset of Chinese culture and how they think, more than the specific advice they give. Helpful for someone going to China for the first time, but from other things I've learned, the advice is a little old. I haven't been to China yet, so I can't say, but it wouldn't hurt to learn a little about how they think from this book.

[KimberlyAsal · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this for class, and while it has some useful information (mainly for laowai with no prior experience travelling/working in China or studying Chinese culture), I found the tone awkward and patronizing, and the content often culturally insensitive. An updated edition may correct some of that, but as it is I wouldn't recommend more than a skim through.

[Bill Hackenberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Practical useful advice

Filled with practical advice that will help you in mainland China or in the U.S. Some of this information may not apply if you're never going to host a Chinese company delegation. But, there's lots more tips and insight that's applicable in any business situation including people of Chinese descent.

[Marsha Altman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seems good, and is certainly thorough, but it's from 1999, which means that it's probably pretty outdated by now.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good for basics, but out of date.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall good in covering the foundational tenets of Chinese culture, but many of the details are now outdated, particularly for the business traveler in major industrial or commercial centers.

[Tim Knox]

Think Face/Black Heart is a better primer for doing business in a closed society.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

An out of date guide... but most mentioned business protocols and customs are still in practice, even if less so among natives and laowai nowadays.

[Gonzalo Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very useful to people who want to learn the chinese way