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Global Intelligence: China & the Chinese
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Photo courtesy of Jenny Bai, The Red
Connect
_______________________________________________________
Shake or Bow?
Demystifying Chinese Culture and
Communications
(Part 1 of 10)
by Dr. Jian Li
When the Chinese greet each
other, do they shake hands or
bow?
The short answer is,
neither. Initial
greetings in China can be
simple;
however, there are many
unwritten rules of greeting
depending on
age, gender, urban/rural,
and formal/informal
settings. Being aware
of the nuances of Chinese
greetings will help you make
good
first impressions.
Age and Seniority
When I grew up in Shanghai, I
used to greet my neighbors of my
parent's generation with
"greetings, auntie" (Ahyi
hao) or "greetings,
uncle"
(shushu
hao). Using kinship terms
as a form of greeting is still
common
between neighbors and friends.
Older people are traditionally
respected in China. One way of
showing deference to an older/
senior person is to use nin hao
instead of
ni hao. The difference
between
nin hao and
ni hao is like
tu and
vous in French, the later
is a more polite form of "you"
than the former. Another way of
showing respect and deference is
to bow slightly while shaking
hands with an older/senior
person.
When shaking hands with an older
Chinese, avoid shaking hands
vigorously;
very strong handshakes are
considered rude and
disrespectful to older
people. In the Chinese
tradition, a gentle handshake
denotes respect rather
than lack of confidence, as it
might be interpreted in the
West. Your "confident" Texas
handshake can be seen as too
aggressive if your counterpart
is not accustomed to Westerners.
Gender
"Women hold up half of the sky,"
Mao declared shortly after the
PRC was founded in 1949. Women
constitute almost half of
China's workforce although fewer
are in the managerial positions
than men. "Ladies first" doesn't
translate very well in China
since seniority usually trumps
gender. In a group setting, a
senior person, either by age or
position, is usually the first
to be greeted in line.
Urban/Rural
Customs and fads change faster
in cities than in rural areas,
and this is especially true in
China. People tend to use a
formulaic greeting style in
cities: they say
ni hao; they shake
hands, or just nod. In rural
China, people are still more
used to "situational greetings,"
that is, they often inquire or
make an observation of the other
party. For example, "where are
you going?" "Have you eaten?, or
"Are you busy?" These kinds of
situational greetings may sound
rather strange or even nosy to a
Westerner, but they are
perfectly accepted among rural
Chinese and also can be heard
among friends and colleagues in
urban settings. Situational
greetings show affection to the
other as if part of the family,
instead of a stranger or a
distant colleague.
Formal and Informal
In informal settings, greetings
can be as simple as a smile, a
ni hao, or a nod.
However, in a formal business
meeting, you need to pay
attention to seniority ranks
within the group. How do you
tell who is who? One way is to
gather the information before a
meeting. Another common way of
finding out a person's status is
simply to exchange business
cards. (Business cards should be
handed out and received with
both hands). Upon receiving the
card, pay attention to titles
and address people accordingly.
Although there are many
unwritten rules in Chinese
greetings, you will win instant
friendship by remembering just
one word in Chinese:
ni hao. Say it with a
smile and a nod in China, Taiwan
or Hong Kong.
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The Skinny on Guanxi
by Cynthia
Brink
Last week, a real North Texas company
was at the end of a final round of
negotiations with a Chinese buyer. As
they prepared the final contract to be
signed the next day, the buyer asked for
a favor: the U.S. seller was to buy
$3,000 in cigarettes at a store
indicated by the Chinese side before the
contract signing.
What would you do in this situation?
Will you lose the relationship if you
don't buy the cigarettes?
You already know that relationships are
indispensable to doing business with the
Chinese. What many of our American
clients find difficult is that with
these relationships come certain
reciprocal responsibilities. How far
should these obligations reach? More
importantly, how do you know what is
real and what is "hustle"?
The following are
excerpts from an excellent article on
the principle of guanxi, or personal
connections, in China.
______________________________________________
(For the full article, see
Guanxi
& Corporate Security by Stratfor
Strategic Forecasting, Inc.)
"Chinese business ethics is built on the
basis of guanxi, which places
relationships above other
considerations, including an employer's
code of conduct and even the law. The
idea that taking a job with a company,
particularly a non-Chinese company,
cancels obligations toward people with
whom someone has long-term relationships
and to whom one owes much guanxi is seen
not only as alien but as the essence of
immorality."
"If one's relationship obligations
require that "gifts" be provided in
return for certain favors, that practice
is considered quite acceptable under
guanxi. Not only is this considered
ethical, but the Chinese legal system
would have trouble seeing this action as
violating the law. In China, it is
culturally understood that written law
makes room for guanxi."
"It is important to understand that
guanxi is not a license to steal. As
with all ethical principles in China,
guanxi is guided by the principle of
moderation. Excessive guanxi is
considered unethical and illegal."
"Guanxi defines relationships, how
business is done in China, and on a
deeper level, it outlines the way the
Chinese view ethics."
Special thanks to Elizabeth Harris at
the Dallas ISBDC for this article link.
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