Cultural Awareness Infographic

Know before you go

China

China is a major business parter to the United States. This is a few basic pieces of information regarding China's cultural customs, food, verbal or body language, and business protocols.

CulturalCustoms

Foods

Verbal or body language

Works cited

business protocols

China's Cultural Customs

Family

• Chinese people respect hierarchy and appreciate proper social relations, full of harmony and with minimal conflict.
• Fidelity and loyalty are highly valued by most Chinese families.
• Male family members are commonly thought of as the core role in a family.
• It is not uncommon for the grandparents to live with the family.

Holidays

Some of the major holdidays celebrated in chinese culture are

• Chinese New Year/ Spring Festival: This is the longest and most important festivity in the Chinese lunar calendar.
• Qing Ming/ Tomb Sweeping Day: This is a time for people to go outside and enjoy the greenery of springtime and tend to the graves of their deceased loved ones.
• Dragon Boat Festival/ Duanwu Festival: The three most widespread activities for this festival are eating zongzi, drinking realgar wine, and racing dragon boats.
• National Day: This day many families will go for a short trip or pay visits to relatives.
• Mid-Autumn Day: This is a popular harvest fastival as well as a holiday for family and friends to get together.

China's Food

• Chinese meals usually consist of vegetables, rice noddles, and a meat dish.

• Traditional chinese plates may include Peking duck, Mongolian hotpot, and jiaozi.

• Tea has become a part of daily life in China.

• It can be very challenging to follow a vegetarian diet in China because meat is often used a a flavor enhancer.

• Animal organs such as feet, heads, liver, and some insects are also part of China's food culture.

China's verbal and body language

• Mandarin Chinese is spoken by more than 70% of people in China.
• Chinese people usually praise and show respect to others and avoid being inappropriate or shamed.
• People in China tend to be attentive to posture, expression, and tone of voice to draw meaning.

• When relaying bad news, a Chinese person may smile or laugh to diffuse the uncomfortable situation.

• Men generally speak louder than women, If a woman talks loudly, she may be considered to have bad manners.

• The Chinese tend to be comfortable standing just over an arm's length from one another.

• They generally do not touch people that are strangers to them, unless it is unavoidable.

• Indirect eye contact, silence, pointing, and beckoning tend to not be considered rude.

• Feet, whistling, and waving can be seen in a negative or rude way.

China's Business Protocols

• Business in China relies heavily on personal relationships

• The Chinese value punctuality , so arrive on time or even slightly early for meetings or other occasions.
• Business often gets conducted during meals.
• Dressing in formal dark colors is considered professional compared to bright colored clothing.
• Handshake is a polite gesture, then an exchange of business cards.
• Small talk in chinese words is highly appreciated.
• Red ink is a symbol of protest or criticism.
• Posture should always be formal and attentive as it signals self-control.
• Gift giving etiquette is one of the customs in Chinese business culture.

Works Cited

"Business Etiquette in China". https://www.tradecommissioner.gc.ca/china-chine/107932.aspx?lang=eng, 16 November 2021.

"Exploring Chinese Customs and Culture". AFS-USA. https://www.afsusa.org/countries/china/, Accessed 07 September 2023.

Kelly, Jessica. "Understanding Chinese Business Etiquette". Dragon Social. https://www.dragonsocial.net/blog/chinese-business-etiquette/, 18 January.

Scroope, Chara, Nina Evason. "Communication". Cultural Atlas. https://culturalatlas.sbs.com.au/chinese-culture/chinese-culture-communication, 2017.