![]() This ritual, which is designed to show respect for others, is practiced all over Asia. After the glasses are all filled, the guests should raise them to toast each other before they drink. Chinese etiquette stipulates that you should pour drinks for others before you serve yourself. Just because it’s there doesn’t mean that you should drink it. When a group of family, friends and colleagues share drinks and laughter together, the formalities they strive so hard to maintain during the day are subsumed by the alcohol-induced bliss with their fellow beings.Īt the dinner table there is often a small bottle of Baijiu (sorghum distillate, or “firewater”) and a shot glass in front of each person. Enjoying a cocktail or wine in solitary contemplation is considered to be disrespectful to those around.ĭrinking helps to loosen the inhibitions in the protocol-rich Chinese culture. The Chinese believe that drinking is a social activity, so it ought to be shared. Tea, mineral water, soda or juice are the only beverages that one can drink alone. Affinity is primary.Īt a Chinese banquet, alcoholic beverages, including beer, should be consumed only during toasts. Status is less important at the Western table. In old China, the seat to the left of the host was reserved for the honored guest.Īt the Western table, the guests are arranged according to their common interests, such as professions, hobbies or marital status. This is an adaptation of Western dining etiquette. The seat to his right is the power seat reserved for the evening’s honored guest. Across from the head of the table is his co-host or the person who is handling the evening’s program. A guest’s age, his relationship with the host, his professional level and his experience determine where he should sit relative to the host, who normally occupies the seat at the table furthest from the door, facing the entrance. In a formal Chinese banquet, guests are seated round a big round table according to their social status. It has no sharp corners, which is also how a civilized person should conduct himself. ![]() But despite the adaptation of this imported etiquette, the best of China is still reserved for those with the highest status in the social hierarchy, irrespective of their gender, age or physical condition.īecause culture affects how we organize and work, we can use some common activities, such as food and food service, to compare and contrast Chinese and Western work styles.Ĭhinese people prefer to sit around large round tables and have a meal together. The same courtesy is given to children, the elderly, people with disabilities and those who can’t compete with healthy adult men on equal terms. ![]() However, the spirit remains regarding helping the weak and those who are less fortunate. In the West, out of courtesy and fairness, it is important to give women priority, such as opening doors for them or giving them seats. ![]() This may appear as if the Chinese are respecting women more by saluting them ahead of men, but that’s where the similarity ends. In large meetings, the host usually welcomes the participants by uttering the phrase “Ladies and Gentlemen” in Chinese, similar to what hosts normally do in the West. Over time, Western etiquette has been skillfully assimilated into the Chinese mainstream. The pace at which this is happening is at least as fast as the economy is growing. As China modernizes, it imports more and more Western culture and etiquette.
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