China

Did you know?

• Saving face is very important in China. This means avoiding confrontation and trying not to embarrass yourself or other people. It means avoiding negative topics in conversation and smiling a lot.
  
  
• Smiling can mean “I am happy”; “I am sorry”; “I am sorry, but you are wrong” or “Things are bad, but I might as well smile anyway”.
  
  
• Also important to save face is avoiding the word “no”. If an Asian says yes, it can mean “I hear what you say, but I don’t agree with you”. The only way to understand what is really meant is to consider the context and tone of voice, and to ask lots of questions.
  
  
• For the same reason, critical feedback should be avoided if you are doing business in China. It can lead to a loss of face for the person being criticized.
  
  
• Mandarin, the language spoken across most of northern and south-western China, has more native speakers than any other language. It is spoken by about 15 per cent of the world’s population.
  
  
• The Chinese have had a written language for more than 3,000 years.
  
  
• China is also one of the oldest nations in the world, having had an organized government since the Shang Dynasty in the late 1700s.