‘Impress your boss in China’ says a recent Bloomberg Businessweek article (picture from article), with some pointers. So of course I could compare notes with my own experience here.
Greetings : (Bloomberg) Reach for your boss’s hand first. (Me) It’s last name then first name, and use the full name, preferably with a title. So Jiang Wang would be mister Wang Jiang for you, mister !
Business Cards : Receive with both hands and have yours ready to give in return.
Numbers : 4 is bad and 8 is good.
Food : Just eat it!
Hand Gestures : This one I still didn’t know (yikes) – do NOT use your index finger to point or gesture. It is very rude. Use your whole hand.
Smoking and Drinking : This I know very well – at dinners one can get away with not smoking; not so with drinking!
Feng Shui : Explains the square ‘dragon’ holes in buildings.
One more. The article fails to mention the important concept of ‘losing face’ in business relations. Avoid confrontations, and the ones that would make someone look bad in front of his boss or colleagues, almost at all costs. (Come to think of it, this applies almost anywhere in the world).
