Entertainment

Work and social life tends to remain separate in the west, whereas much of a Chinese person’s social life will be used to further personal and business relationships.  In China some three quarters of business deals are sealed outside of working hours. Tea houses, Karaoke bars and restaurants can all be locations where discussions and deals are made. 

Banquets have traditionally been an essential part of doing business in China, although practice varies depending on where you are and who you are dealing with. Very senior people who have not previously made an appearance may be present at a banquet. They may be key to the approval of the business in hand, but be too senior to be involved in the actual negotiations. The banquet is an opportunity to impress them and get a feel for how things are going.

• Most Chinese are unenthusiastic about Western food, and prefer Chinese food. Typical official entertainment for a foreign visitor will take the form of a banquet with several courses, often consisting of exotic delicacies not usually eaten in the West – or in China, for that matter!
• If you are the host at a Chinese restaurant, at the customary round table, your seat should face the door, with the Chinese guest of honour on your right. Guests are seated further away from the host in descending order of seniority, with the most junior having their back to the door. Thought should be given to placing interpreters between guests who cannot speak each other’s languages.
• If in doubt about the placement of your guests, a friendly invitation for assistance when they arrive often solves the problem.
• It is traditional (but now less common) for the host to serve food to the guest. If you are the host and offer a guest a second helping, do not automatically take no for an answer. They may just be being polite.
• It is polite to try a little of each dish if it is offered to you. Otherwise, you can discreetly leave any dishes that do not appeal to you.
• Frequent toasts, to good health, Sino-British friendship and so on are standard. Locally produced wines or bai jiu (a strong spirit) are the usual drinks for toasts. However, many people in China have a low capacity for alcohol. If you host a meal, plenty of soft drinks should be available.
• Never arrive late for a Chinese meal. It is common for people to arrive up to 15 minutes early. They also tend to leave en masse as soon as the last dish has been eaten. Chinese hosts make it quite clear when the meeting is over and you will not be expected to linger.
• The Chinese eat earlier than we do. Lunch is served from 11.30am onwards, and dinner from about 6.00pm. Most official banquets run from 6.00pm to 8.00pm.
• Table manners are a matter of fitting in. If in doubt, follow your host’s example. One gaffe to avoid – do not leave your chopsticks pointing into the bowl, as this resembles an offering of incense to the ancestors or the funerary flags on a recently dug grave. Place them horizontally on the rest provided.
• If you are invited to a banquet, it is polite to reciprocate. A good time to have a return banquet is on the eve of your departure or at the conclusion of the business in hand. Many senior officials in southern China are moving away from the typical banquet scenario and are now more likely to be found playing tennis (with a top coach) or golf. Find out what form of entertainment your key contacts prefer, as this can help you decide how best to build your relationship with them.