Impress Your Chinese Clients: 4 Hacks for Business in China

Although I am a Chinese teacher, not a business trainer, a topic frequently arises in my classes: How can I do business in China? Why is it so hard to do business with Chinese? What do I need to know about the Chinese people and culture before I undertake this challenge?

I've been a part of business projects in both the USA and China. Business culture varies greatly between the two countries. In addition, I have heard stories and followed developments among my foreign students pursuing business ventures here in China. There are many important things to know before getting started in Chinese business culture.

If you are doing business in China, I would highly recommend doing four things to help make your business ventures with Chinese clients run a bit smoother in the future.

1. Understand Chinese Business Etiquette

China has a different culture from that which you are familiar. To the Chinese, we probably also think that there are problems trying to do business with foreign cultures. Business in China, and indeed in most Asian countries, doesn't work the same way as it does in the West. So if you are going to business here, it is the responsibility of both parties to mutually understand the etiquette of each other. It is tough, but it isn't impossible. Here are some reading materials on Chinese business etiquette. Have a read and it just might help your situation:

商务问候礼仪 Business Greeting Etiquette
商务介绍礼仪 Business Etiquette–Business Card Exchanges and Introduction
商务电话礼仪 Business Etiquette—Make a phone
商务就餐礼仪之敬酒 Toasting Etiquette at a Business Dinner
商务座次礼仪 Seating Arrangement Etiquette
中国商务送礼禁忌 Taboos of Giving Business Gifts in China
Key Business Etiquette You Can Put to Use in China

2. Build Relationships or "关系 Guanxi"

Establishing good "关系Guanxi" with Chinese partners can contribute to your business success in China. Eat and drink(wine or tea) is one of social engagement features, as well as 送礼(sònglǐ) Business Gifts. Dining together is a common thing to do when the Chinese are getting together, which provides an opportunity for them not only to enjoy a meal, but also to communicate. Many Chinese people build close relationship though kind of social activities. They can help both sides get more trust and mutual respect.

Tips on how to build positive "关系Guanxi" with Chinese Partners...Read more

Sometimes a reason to keep learning Mandarin is to take a good look at well-known people who have learned it, and study the way they achieved fluency. Let's take a look at these famous people who have taken the time to learn how to read, write and speak Mandarin:

1. Mark Zuckerberg 马克.扎克伯格.Everyone knows Mark Zuckerberg, the founder and creator of Facebook. He is married to a Chinese woman who also speaks Mandarin. He initially set a goal in 2010 to learn how to speak Mandarin and has been practicing daily ever since. Initially, he said he did it alone at his kitchen table. But then he decided to hire a tutor--who was no doubt a world class teacher. This caused him to increase his learning pace. This shows how invaluable it is to work one-to-one with a qualified teacher, and how this will jump start your Chinese learning better than anything else. Mark Zuckerberg ended up having to study daily for over 4 years before he was able to give his talk in fluent Mandarin at Tsinghua University in 2014. The tutoring obviously worked--he was able to speak with the correct tones, grammar and vocabulary. These three areas are where you really want to focus in your individual study so that your fluency is up to par with native Mandarin speakers.

2. Ali Fukuhara 福原爱.Ali is famous in Asia as well as around the world for being one of the best table tennis players. She medaled in the Olympics and travels the globe showing off her amazing skills. Ali is from Japan and grew up speaking Japanese. But she also began to learn Mandarin when she was very young, as she studied table tennis in China and was coached by Chinese instructors, surrounded by Chinese athletes and immersed in the local culture. Eventually she went on to marry a Taiwanese table tennis player, named Chiang Hung-Chieh.

In short, there are many ways you can achieve fluency in Mandarin--but here are a few that seem to help the most...Read more