Introduction to Chinese Dining Etiquette

Series Summary

In today's international business environment, knowing everyone's cultural customs is crucial. Offending someone from another country can make or break a business deal. Most of the offending can be avoided by doing some simple homework. Meals are one area to be very careful of. You may not ever realize how badly you've offended someone at a meal until it's too late. In this free etiquette video series, let a international business consultant show you the proper ways of Chinese dining etiquette. He takes you through each step explaining the importance of the meal invitation, the seating arrangement, the entrance and ordering. He also explains proper manners when serving meals and drinking. You'll know how to properly behave and not offend your Chinese business partners and friends after watching this video series.

Video Transcript

"Hi. I'm Mark Kemsley, and we're talking about etiquette of eating in China. Why is this important that merits a whole section of video? That's because meals in China are extremely important and it's the whole part of the, sort of culture, and what's happening. And, it's very important that you understand the right way and the wrong way to do things, so that you'll fit it; whether it's an business environment or a social environment. In this series, we'll talk about how to invite, the importance of how to walk into a room, the seating arrangements, the menu, everything that you'll need to know in order to make sure that you're not a foreigner, but that you're part of the group. If you're inviting your Chinese friends to a meal outside at a restaurant, what restaurant you choose is what will depend how long they've been in the country. If they've just arrived in the United States for a day or two, they will be interested and curious in eating American food. If they've been here for a few days though, they'll be tired of American food and you're better off bringing them to a simple Chinese restaurant where they can eat like they do at home. Having said that, if you invite them into your home and you're preparing a meal, it's o.k. to prepare whatever you'd like to, but it would be a nice gesture if you prepare some seafood which they consider a high class meal."