people [1]
Fri, 22 Sep 2006 14:41:25 -0500 | Beijing Visitor Olympics 2008
Etiquette
* Don?t lose your temper.
* If you?re invited to a home, bring a present like fruit, sweets or tea. Avoid giving clocks or pears! (see below).
* The floor is seen as dirty, don?t sit on it, if you want to, put newspaper down.
* Use your common sense- if someone doesn?t seem to like a certain topic of conversation, don?t force the issue.
* Take care not to criticise people too harshly in front of others.
* Don?t expect vast amounts of privacy ? there?s not enough space for it!
* Try not to worry about people spitting, they are not doing it to insult you.
Cultural Misunderstandings!
Most people who haven?t been to China imagine a country with very complex, formal etiquette. Then when they visit China they come away with the impression that Chinese people are rather rude! The true situation is that Chinese people are just like any others- friendly and open once you get to know them, more careful when you first meet.
One of the first things a visitor may note is the areas of conversation that are and are not taboo. It?s perfectly acceptable to ask someone you don't know very well if they?re married, and if not why not. The same applies to the question of children. On the other hand, Chinese people tend to stray away from more in depth conversations about relationships, and questions of politics. The reluctance to discuss politics is not only a consequence of China's recent history, but is something also present, although to a lesser extent, in the greater Chinese diaspora. It stems from the Confucian ideas of respect for elders and rulers, and the tradition or ideal of rule by scholars and educated people.
When foreigners first visit China, not understanding a word of Chinese, it?s easy to think of Chinese people as loud, brusque and argumentative. It?s true Chinese people seem to talk louder than everyone else, but apart from that, all of these things are cultural misunderstandings, and here?s why:
The English word ?polite? is usually translated into one of two ways. The first word is L?m
Fri, 22 Sep 2006 14:36:43 -0500 | Beijing Visitor Olympics 2008
Chinese Etiquette at Mealtimes
* Fill your neighbours? teacup when you fill your own, and don't leave the pot with the spout pointing directly at anyone.
* Try and finish all the rice in your bowl.
* But as for the dishes, when you?re full, stop eating, don?t eat to be polite.
* Don?t blow your nose at the table.
* Don?t reach for food with rice on chopsticks.
* If you invited them to dinner, you pay the bill. If you didn?t, you can offer to pay, but will be refused.
* Relax and enjoy yourself. For Chinese people, eating is an enjoyable experience to be shared with friends. If you spend your time worrying about offending people, you?ll miss out.
Eating in China is meant to be fun, and some of your best stories to take back home may concern the things you ate and the conversation that went on over the dinnertable. The most important thing, therefore, is to remember not to get too hung up about things. Your Chinese host is much more interested in impressing you with his nation?s culinary wonders than making sure you use your chopsticks properly. Noone will mind in the least if you don?t know any of things below, we?re just telling you them so you better understand what?s going on.
If you walk into a private room in a fairly nice restaurant, the table will be laid out already with chopsticks, condiments etc. You may notice that the napkins are folded rather ornately, and not all folded in the same way. One in particular may look rather phallic... Tempting though it may be, don?t grab the seat next to the cotton schlong- that?s the seat for the host. It might well be directly opposite the door you came in from, so that the host can see when people come in, and finds it easier to catch the waitress?s eye.
In China, eating is a thing to be done with friends. Everyone is given a small bowl or plate of their own, and the food is on dishes in the middle of the table. There are no serving spoons, everyone just picks food off the plates with their chopsticks. Once you get used to it, it?s a lot easier than fiddling around serving yourself a big spoonful of everything, but if you really find the prospect distasteful, you have two options. If you say directly that you don?t want to eat this way, you might be thought of as a prude. You could instead try something a little bit cunning ? say that you have a cold, and ought to use a serving spoon to avoid infecting other people. If your host overrides you and says it doesn?t matter, ask the waiter directly. Your other alternative is to say that you can?t really use chopsticks, then you can use the knife and fork to shovel food your way before everyone else digs in. By the end of your time in China, you?ll have forgotten your worries and will be diving in like a native.
When you start eating, dishes will be brought to the table one by one, cold ones first. If there?s a turntable, the host will probably spin it round to offer the first taste to whoever?s the most important guest. If it?s you, and you?re feeling confident, you could join in and try spinning it on to someone else who you think should eat first, or back to the host. Don?t say that they?re more important, just say that they should eat first ?N? xi?n ch?-???!? It doesn?t actually matter remotely who does eat first, it?s just a nice way of being polite, and for the host to show that he wants you to have a nice meal, and doesn?t want you to feel you have to hold back or stand on ceremony.
Throughout the meal a good host will encourage his guest to eat, telling them to ?try a bit of this? (Ch
Sun, 17 Sep 2006 21:58:35 -0500 | Beijing Visitor Olympics 2008
Tiananmen Square
If Beijing is the centre of the Chinese universe, then Tiananmen Square (????? - Ti?n?nm
Sun Dec 24 08:54:19 2006 | China Blog List
News and reports collected on China and ordinary Chinese people's living conditions.
Sun Dec 24 08:48:20 2006 | China Blog List
Telling the world real life of Chinese people. How Chinese people's belief and culture affect their business behavior.
World Briefing | Asia: Sri Lanka: Thousands Flee Fallen Rebel Town
Fri, 19 Jan 2007 23:16:40 EDT | New York Times
Thousands of civilians waving white flags fled from heavy fighting in the east of the country as government forces captured a strategic town held by the separatist Tamil Tigers after weeks of fierce fighting. The town, Vakarai, on the northeastern coast, is a main link between the northern and eastern areas controlled by the rebels. ?Since dawn, 6,000 to 8,000 people have been moving on foot, by tractor and by sea,? a United Nations spokeswoman, Ola Clinton, said. ?They were waving white flags and handkerchiefs.? She said that as fighting intensified in recent weeks, 25,000 people had already fled Vakarai, and she estimated that another 2,000 to 2,500 civilians remained, with food in short supply.
Kuomintang Party, People First Party Allied
| CRIENGLISH.com
Taiwan's Kuomintang Party and People First Party signed an alliance agreement Monday to strengthen close cooperation of "pan-blue" camp.
