The Search for the One Who Knows Everyone
Archive for March, 2010
The Chinese Thrill of Giving
Understanding one of the most important aspects of Chinese culture
The Chinese can be very generous people. In fact, they are some of the most generous people I know. They never arrive empty-handed, and won’t let you leave without taking gifts or food. From fighting for the check at a restaurant to playing the gracious host, the Chinese’ spirit of generosity is one of their greatest cultural treasures. Stemming from the old village traditions, this attribute continues to impact everything from the birthday of an Anhui farmer’s baby to Foreign Ministry negotiations in western Africa. Read the rest of this entry »
The Power of Poverty
A little-known jewel of Chinese wisdom that is opening doors to great opportunity
China has a historical tradition of great old sages. However, they generally weren’t characterized by the flowing silk robes and serene walled gardens that the Western mind imagines. Instead, art and history always depict them as wearing tattered rags and living in mountain caves, cold and poor. Lao Zi, Ji Gong, Zhuang Zi, and the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove are all models for this stereotype. They were men who “Saw the Tao,” and realized that because entropy was inherent in all things, poverty was the only “sustainable” lifestyle that could be proposed. In this philosophy, therefore, the building of palaces and the ruling of nations was pointless – unless one realized that they are pointless, at which point they become great fun! Read the rest of this entry »
Business in China – the Way of the Chopstick
If the best way to understand a culture is to understand its food, then dining with chopsticks is certainly instructive when doing business in China
The immortal chopstick. Used as a symbol of the Orient, evidence of chic cosmopolitanism, or even as convenient hair accessories, chopsticks can be cool or cliché, depending upon your perspective. However, they are much more then mere eating utensils, because chopsticks are integral to an entire style of cuisine and system of dining. The concepts behind East Asian culinary philosophy reflect those within the culture itself, and by learning these principles in chopstick usage, the shrewd observer can become skilled in cross-cultural dealings with China. Read the rest of this entry »
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