CHINA ^^ Jonna ja Helinä

Basic Facts  Capital: Beijing  Climate: extremely diverse; tropical in south to subarctic in north  Population: 1,350,695,000 (July 2012 est.)  Ethnic Make-up: Han Chinese 91.9%, Zhuang, Uygur, Hui, Yi, Tibetan, Miao, Manchu, Mongol, Buyi, Korean, and other nationalities 8.1%  Religions: Daoist (Taoist), Buddhist, Muslim 1%-2%, Christian 3%-4%  Government: Communist state

Chinese society and values -Confucianism is a system of behaviours and ethics. It values harmony, benevolence,righteousness, courtesy, wisdom, honesty, sincerity, loyalty, honour, respect for age and seniority and filial piety. -Chinese are a collective society. Each person is encouraged to be an active player in society, and to do what is best for society as a whole rather than them selves. -Chinese emphasize family and work group goals above individual needs or desires.

”Face”  Face represents a person’s reputation within multiple circles, including the work place, the family, personal friends and society at large.  It is a very important concept in China and it is critical to avoid losing face or causing loss of face at all times.  If someone disagrees with another person, rather than disagree publicly, the person will remain quiet to avoid losing the other persons face.

Communication  Chinese have a high context and nonverbal style of communication.  Rather than valuing directness the chinese are more likely to be polite but vague  Chinese rely on facial expression, tone of voice and posture to tell what someone feels  Chinese maintain an impassive expression when speaking and frowning while someone is speaking is taken as a sign of disagreement  It is disrespectful to stare into another person’s eyes

Masculinity and status  Values masculinity. Chinese male members are responsible for the general welfare of the family. Female member are generally responsible for taking care of all the family members and nurturing.  Traditionally a person’s status in the society was based importantly on inherited characteristics such as age, gender and family. There has been some change in this though.

Power distance -China is a high power distance culture. -When meeting chinese people greetings are formal and the oldest person is always greeted first. Also address the person by an honorific title and their surname. -People are most comfortable in the presence of a hierarchy in which they know their position and the customs/rules for behavior in the situation. -Actions of authorities should not be challenged or questioned.

Dining and gift giving etiquette  The chinese prefer to entertain in public places  If invited to their house, consider it a great honour  Arrive on time and bring a small gift to the host  Don’t start eating before the highest person starts. Eat well to demonstrate that you’re enjoying the food.  Meals and social events are not the place for business discussions  It is a custom to bring a gift to the host or business partner. Wine, cigarettes or a basket of food is typical.  Don’t give four of anyting because it’s an unlucky number  Always present gift with two hands  Gifts may be refused three times before they are accepted

Small talk and safe topics -Small talk is especially important at the beginnig of a meeting. -Chinese will often ask questions concerning your age, income and marital status. Safe topics: -Chinese scenery, landmarks -Weather, climate, geography in China -Your travels in other countries -Your positive experiences traveling in China -Chinese art and history -Talking about your and your host’s famillies -Avoid talking about politics, Taiwan and don’t praise the Japanese.

Lähteet   avoidance-in-china-2/ avoidance-in-china-2/  identity       