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Chinese Business Etiquette: The Practical Pocket Guide, Revised and Updated

Stefan H. Verstappen

4.27 · Rating details · 26 ratings · 2 reviews

"No one doing business with the Chinese should be without [it]."—Midwest Book Review

This insider's pocket reference covers common business and social protocols for traveling and doing business in China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. It is also ideal for anyone hosting Chinese business visitors. This new edition has been updated with current trends, Internet and phone tips, interv ...more

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Paperback, 176 pages

Published June 2nd 2015 by Stone Bridge Press (first published June 1st 2008)

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Jul 07, 2015 Darren rated it it was amazing

At first one was sceptical towards this book about Chinese business etiquette, probably because one has seen far too many etiquette guides that were far from being useful. This one just seemed different.

Maybe it is the matter-of-fact, informative style adopted by the author. Maybe it is the avoidance of “oh look at these strange foreigners and their strange antics”. Or maybe it is just that a practical, common-sense and informative approach has been taken. In any case, the author has produced a At first one was sceptical towards this book about Chinese business etiquette, probably because one has seen far too many etiquette guides that were far from being useful. This one just seemed different.

Maybe it is the matter-of-fact, informative style adopted by the author. Maybe it is the avoidance of “oh look at these strange foreigners and their strange antics”. Or maybe it is just that a practical, common-sense and informative approach has been taken. In any case, the author has produced a great little book that is available for a very affordable price. You literally only need to get a tip or two from this and you’ll easily have your money’s worth – one suspects that the typical reader of this book who has a need for this information will get a lot more!

You don’t need to be actually travelling to China to benefit from this book either. You might be visiting Hong Kong or Taiwan, you might be hosting Chinese visitors or you might just be curious about other cultures. China is, of course, a massive country with different cultures and differences yet the author has made a good attempt at giving helpful, actionable advice. A book like this can help correct many misconceptions or misunderstandings as well as act as a bit of a magnet to make you want to go and experience the “real China”, far from the well-trodden tourist path with western restaurants to come to the rescue.

With some of the advice you may need to re-programme your way of doing things, such as getting used to joining in the applause aimed in your direction as a sign of welcome (it is a sign of reciprocation). If your company has had dealings in China, how many “own goals” might it have made? Of course, Chinese people will try and accommodate and understand cultural misunderstandings, yet if you can get things right from the get-go it allows them to focus on your proposal or reason for being there without a distraction. If your company has used a PowerPoint presentation, for example, have they thought about the significance of each colour…? Maybe they chose an unlucky colour by accident. Black and white might suddenly be a lot more attractive. The way questions are posed and the answers given can also be a challenge too.

By the end of this all-too-slim book you will have surely amassed a lot of knowledge and possible corrections to your behaviour! Like a good Chinese meal, you can be full but still open to the idea of more…

Chinese Business Etiquette: The Practical Pocket Guide, written by Stefan H. Verstappen and published by Stone Bridge Press. ISBN 9781611720204, 176 pages. YYYYY ...more

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