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China and Beijing information
Dos
and Don'ts when in China:
Many travelers from America and Europe are confused
and frightened by Chinese customs. This handy
reference tool makes it easy for newcomers to
Beijing to fit right in.
So
come along, my "foreign" friends! Welcome
to China!
The
order of Chinese names is family name first, then
given name. Among some 440 family names, the 100
most common ones account for 90% of the total
population. For example, if your name is TOM JONES,
then a local Chinese person may call you Mr. Tom.
So you must explain your correct name. If you
are introduced to a Chinese person and his name
is WANG DAFENG, then his name is Mr. Wang. It's
almost hopeless to explain it every time though,
and you will inevitably be call Mr. Tom, Mr. Bill,
Mr. John, etc... Don't worry about it.
Women
in China do not adopt their husband's surnames.
Often a businessman or new Chinese friend may
introduce you to a woman. She may actually be
the wife of the man who introduces her, but may
not be introduced as his wife, and you would never
know it because their surnames are different.
Just be careful that any remarks you make are
in good taste.
Among
Chinese, a popular way to address each other,
regardless of gender, is to add an age-related
term of honor before the family name. These include
: lao (honorable old one), xiao (honorable young
one) or occasionally da (honorable middle-aged
one). This is not used too often now among the
younger people. You'll hear it a lot from people
over forty years old.
Unlike the Japanese, Chinese do not commonly bow
as a form of greeting. Instead, a brief handshake
is usual. While meeting elders or senior officials,
your handshake should be even more gentle and
accompanied by a slight nod. Sometimes, as an
expression of warmth, a Chinese will cover the
normal handshake with his left hand. As a sign
of respect, Chinese usually lower their eyes slightly
when they meet others.
Moreover,
embracing or kissing when greeting or saying good-bye
is highly unusual. Generally, Chinese do not show
their emotions and feelings in public. Consequently,
it is better not to behave in too carefree a manner
in public. Also, it is advisable to be fairly
cautious in political discussions.
Chinese do not usually accept a gift, invitation
or favor when it is first presented. Politely
refusing two or three times is thought to reflect
modesty and humility. Accepting something in haste
makes a person look aggressive and greedy, as
does opening it in front of the giver. Traditionally
the monetary value of a gift indicated the importance
of a relationship, but due to increasing contact
with foreigners in recent years, the symbolic
nature of gifts has become accepted.
Present
your gifts with both hands. Either presenting
or accepting a gift with one hand is a symbol
of a half-hearted presentation. When presenting
or accepting business cards, do the same; use
two hands.
And
when wrapping gifts, be aware that the Chinese
ascribe much importance to color. Red is lucky,
pink and yellow represent happiness and prosperity;
white, grey and black are funeral colors.
The
popular gift items include cigarette lighters,
stamps (stamp collecting is a popular hobby),
T-shirts, and exotic coins also make good gifts
for the Chinese. Years ago I gave a set of 1960
American coins to someone in China. They have
remembered this fondly for more than twelve years.
And
the following gifts should be avoided:
1.White
or yellow flowers (especially chrysanthemums),
which are used for funerals.
2.Pears.
The word for Pear in Chinese sounds the same as
separate and is considered bad luck.
3.Red
ink for writing cards or letters. It symbolizes
the end of a relationship.
4.Clocks
of any kind. The word clock in Chinese sounds
like the expression the end of life.
China
is one of those wonderful countries where tipping
is not practiced and almost no one asks for tips.
Sometimes if you leave a tip on the table and
go out of the restaurant the waitress will run
out into the street following you to give it back.
So, as much as you might like to give a tip, you
don't need to try. The same thing goes even in
Hong Kong and Macao, except in some luxurious
hotels.
Traditionally
speaking, there are many taboos at Chinese dining
tables, but these days not many people pay attention
to them. However, there are a few things to keep
in mind, especially if you are a guest at a private
home.
1.
Don't stick your chopsticks upright in the rice
bowl. Instead, lay them on your dish. The reason
for this is that when somebody dies, the shrine
to them contains a bowl of sand or rice with two
sticks of incense stuck upright in it. So if you
stick your chopsticks in the rice bowl, it looks
like this shrine and is equivalent to wishing
death upon person at the table! (not really, but
it doesn't look good).
2.
Make sure the spout of the teapot is not facing
anyone. It is impolite to set the teapot down
where the spout is facing towards somebody. The
spout should always be directed to where nobody
is sitting, usually just outward from the table.
If you do this at lunch with some business friends
they will be amazed at your knowledge of local
customs.
3.
Don't tap on your bowl with your chopsticks. Beggars
tap on their bowls, so this is not polite. Also,
in a restaurant, if the food is coming too slow
people will tap their bowls. If you are in someone's
home, it is like insulting the cook.
Surprisingly,
the Chinese love to talk about things like basketball,
the NBA and soccer. If you are interested in these
things it's a good topic for conversation. You'll
also find that many Chinese are very familiar
with American and European literature and classic
films.
Many
of the Chinese do not understand the American
style of telling jokes, so it's better that you
don't try. You'll probably just see a lot of blank
stares. It's also very difficult to translate
and may not end up with the meaning that you intended.
Drinking
and smoking: If you attend a dinner party with
some business or casual friends in China, they
will most likely put a pack of cigarettes next
to your plate or offer you one from their pack.
If you smoke, fine, accept it. If you don't then
just say no, thank you. They may continue to push
you to accept, but just keep saying no. That's
perfectly OK to refuse. But they feel it is also
important to make sure you really don't want it.
Regarding drinking alcohol; there are some pretty
potent beverages in China. If you do drink they
will keep raising their glasses to you in a never-ending
series of toasts for any number of subjects. If
you want to stop you've got to be firm about it
or you may end up with a very bad hangover the
next day. If you don't drink at all, it's better
to say "I can't drink". Somehow this
this will be interpreted as semi-medical in nature
and they will probably let you get away without
any "bottoms-up!" Beer is almost considered
a non-alcoholic beverage in China. You can ask
for fresh made fruit juice such as watermelon
juice or orange juice or kiwi juice. It's great,
and made in many restaurants while you wait. However,
they may try to switch the drink on you, so you've
got to be strong, or just give in and make it
a memorable experience. I once had to drink with
ten people at a table of officials in north-western
China, and by the time the Mayor arrived I was
finished. Definitely a "memorable experience"!
It's
better to avoid political conversations as the
local people really don't like to get into those
kinds of conversations. On very rare occassions
some people may ask you very pointed and somewhat
embarassing questions in front of a group of people,
usually at a dinner table or casual setting. It's
mostly done out of curiosity, but if you feel
in the least uncomfortable about the question,
it's better that you just say "I'm sorry
I really don't know much about it". You can
also say, "I'm only here on business, I don't
know anything about politics or those subjects".
Who
pays the dinner bill?! This is a great lesson
in Chinese culture. If you want to get fast results
as being culturally accepted in China, just fight
to pay the bill. Everyone does it. If you don't
they will begin talking about you, saying to each
other, "Why doesn't he ever pay the bill
or invite us to dinner?" You may have asked
to pay the bill but they said no. You thought
you were doing the right thing by saying OK, thank
you. What they really wanted you to do is fight
them to pay the bill. If you don't believe it,
look closely next time you're in some local Chinese
restaurants and you'll see people actually pushing
each other out of the way to pay the bill. (Don't
go that far).
You'll
find that in general, the Chinese people like
fun and pleasant activities and conversations,
and don't like to talk about old history, they
really prefer to talk about some new opportunities
for either business, travel or cultural cooperation.
You'll
find Beijing to be one of the most energetic and
exciting cities in the world. It's definitely
at the top of the list for an incredible variety
of restaurants of every style.
Welcome
to Beijing. Follow the local traditions, especially
regarding courtesy. You'll be sure to have lots
of fun!
CHINESE
NATIONALITIES:
The
People's Republic of China officially describes
itself as a multi-ethnic unitary state and as
such officially recognizes 56 '''nationalities'''
or '''Mínzú''' (??), within China:
the Han being the majority (>92%), and the
remaining 55 nationalities being the national
minorities. In addition to the 56 official nationalities,
there are some Chinese who classify themselves
as members of unrecognized nationalities. Also,
foreign nationals who have become Chinese citizens
form yet another separate group. Technically,
the term "nationality" is incorrect
and misleading, rather "ethnicity" is
correct, in that none of these groups have their
own nation, and thus Self-determination, and the
use of the word "nationality" is a word
to downplay the fact the PRC is an Empire. The
direct translation of (??) would be "peoples".
In general, the system of 56 nationalities is
applied only within Mainland_China although Taiwanese
aborigines are classified as one of the 56 nationalities
- Gaoshan. Hong_Kong and Macau do not use this
ethnic classification system, and figures by the
PRC government do not include Hong Kong and Macau.
The official PRC point of view is that all of
these above nationalities are part of a broader
"civil ethnicity" known as Zhonghua_Minzu.
==Nationalities== Although most of the nationalities
can be seen as ethnic groups, the correspondence
is not one to one. For example, many Hui_Chinese
are indistinguishable from Han_Chinese except
for the fact that they practice Islam. Conversely,
Hakka are often thought of as an ethnic group,
but they are generally considered to be within
the Subgroups_of_the_Han_ethnicity. While Han
Chinese make up the vast majority of China's total
population, the population distribution is highly
uneven with large parts of western China having
Han Chinese as a minority. In addition the lumping
of most Chinese into the majority Han, obscures
some of the large linguistic, cultural, and genetic
differences between persons within that group.
The multi-ethnic nature of China results in part
by territories incorporated by the Qing_dynasty,
whose emperors were themselves Manchu and not
members of the majority Han. Chinese ethnicities
theory is heavily influenced by that of the Soviet_Union.
Official policy is against Assimilation and maintains
that each ethnic group should have the right to
develop its own Culture and Language. The degree
of integration of minority nationalities with
the national community varies widely from group
to group. With some groups, such as the Tibetans
and the Uyghurs there is a great deal of resentment
against the majority. Other groups such as the
Zhuang, Hui_Chinese, and ethnic Koreans are well
integrated into the national community. See List_of_China_administrative_regions_by_ethnic_group
for the ethnic composition of each province-level
division of China. In order of population, the
nationalities of China are: * Han (?? : Hàn
Zú) * Zhuang (?? : Zhuàng Zú)
* Manchu (?? : Man Zú) * Hui (?? : Huí
Zú) * Miao (?? : Miáo Zú)
(Hmong) * Uygur (???? : Wéiwúer
Zú) * Yi (?? : Yí Zú) * Tujia
(??? : Tujia Zú) * Mongol (??? : Menggu
Zú) * Tibetan (?? : Zàng Zú)
* Buyei (??? : Bùyi Zú) * Dong (??
: Dòng Zú) * Yao (?? : Yáo
Zú) * Chosen (??? : Cháoxian Zú),
meaning Koreans. * Bai (?? : Bái Zú)
* Hani (??? : Haní Zú) * Li (??
: Lí Zú) * Kazak (???? : Hasàkè
Zú) * Dai (?? : Dai Zú, also called
Dai Lue, one of the Tai_ethnic_groups) * She (??
: She Zú) * Lisu (??? : Lìsù
Zú) * Gelao (??? : Gelao Zú) * Lahu
(??? : Lahù Zú) * Dongxiang (???
: Dongxiang Zú) * Va (?? : Wa Zú)
(Va) * Sui (?? : Shui Zú) * Naxi (??? :
Nàxi Zú) (includes the Mosuo (??
: Mósuo)) * Qiang (?? : Qiang Zú)
* Tu (?? : Tu Zú) * Xibe (??? : Xíbó
Zú) * Mulao (??? : Mùlao Zú)
* Kirgiz (????? : Keerkèzi Zú) *
Daur (???? : Dáwòer Zú) *
Jingpo (??? : Jingpo Zú) * Salar (??? :
Salá Zú) * Blang (??? : Bùlang
Zú) * Maonan (??? : Màonán
Zú) * Tajik (???? : Tajíkè
Zú) * Pumi (??? : Pumi Zú) * Achang
(??? : Achang Zú) * Nu (?? : Nù
Zú) * Ewenki (???? : Èwenkè
Zú) * Gin (?? : Jing Zú), meaning
Vietnamese or Kinh people. * Jino (??? : Jinuò
Zú) * De'ang (??? : Déáng
Zú) * Uzbek (????? : Wuzibiékè
Zú) * Russ (???? : Éluosi Zú)
* Yugur (??? : Yùgù Zú) *
Bonan (??? : Baoan Zú) * Monba (??? : Ménba
Zú) * Oroqen (???? : Èlúnchun
Zú) * Derung (??? : Dúlóng
Zú) * Tatar (???? : Tataer Zú) *
Hezhen (??? : Hèzhé Zú) *
Lhoba (??? : Luòba Zú) * Gaoshan
(??? : Gaoshan Zú), meaning Taiwanese_aborigines{{fn|1}}
*Youtai (??? : Yóutài Rén).
== Complications == Undistinguished_nationalities
(?????: Wèi Shíbié Mínzú)
are ethnic groups that have not been officially
recognized or classified by the central government.
The group numbers more than 730,000 people, and
would constitute the 20th most populous nationality
of China if taken as a single group (which it
is not). The vast majority of this group is found
in Guizhou province. The group of "Undistinguished
nationalities" does '''not''' include groups
that have been controversially classified into
existing groups. For example, the Mosuo are officially
classified as Naxi, and the Chuanqing are classified
as Han_Chinese, but they reject these classifications
and view themselves as separate nationalities.
Citizens of Mainland_China (i.e., excluding the
former European colonies of Hong_Kong and Macau)
who are of foreign origin are classified using
yet another separate label: "Foreigners Joining
in Chinese Nationality" (???????). However,
if there is an existing group among the 56 nationalities
that describes the citizen of foreign origin (e.g.,
Han Chinese, Korean, Russian, Gin, Kazakh, etc.),
then he or she is classified into that nationality
rather than the special label. ==Religions== Note
that some of these nationalities hold belief systems
that cannot be distinctly classified based upon
the following system (in alphabetical order).
* Buddhism: the Dai, Mongolian, Naxi (including
Mosuo), Tibetan and Yugun. * Eastern_Orthodox_Christianity:
the Russians * Islam: the Bonan, Dongxiang, Hui,
Kazak, Kirgiz, Salar, Tajik, Tatar, Uygur and
Uzbek. * Judaism: the Youtai * Shamanism: the
Daurs, Ewenkis, and Oroqens. ==Notes== * {{fnb|1}}
The PRC government refers to all Taiwanese aborigines
as ''Gaoshan'', meaning "High Mountain",
whereas the government in Taiwan recognizes a
dozen groups of Taiwanese aborigines. The term
''Gaoshan'' has a different connotation in Taiwan
(see Taiwanese_aborigines for details). While
several thousands of these aborigines have migrated
to China's Fujian province, most remain in Taiwan;
whether the ones in Taiwan should be considered
citizens of China is a controversial issue of
Taiwan's legal status and political status. ==See
also== * Chinese citizenship law * Demographics_of_China
* Languages_of_China * Chinese ethnic groups of
the past * Zhonghua_minzu * List_of_ethnic_groups
* Central_University_for_Nationalities * China_National_Ethnic_Song_and_Dance
==External links and references== * Chinese National
Minorities * The Ethnic Publishing House: on customs
and autonomous places (in Simplified_Chinese)
* China National Ethnic Song & Dance Ensemble
* De:Völker_Chinas Eo:Nacioj_de_Cxinio Fr:Nationalités_de_Chine
It:Etnie_cinesi Ja:??????? Fi:Kiinan_etniset_ryhmät
Sv:Kinas_nationaliteter Zh:????
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