Synopses & Reviews
andlt;bandgt;Embrace the culture and get the most out of your time in China.andlt;/bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Going to China for the first time can be an intimidating experience, even for those who have studied the language. In fact, traveling to China for the second, third, or fourth time can also be a challenging experience, especially if you intend to be fully immersed in daily life, get off the beaten path, and experience the "real" China.andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;This China etiquette and culture guide is about how to get things done in China. andlt;iandgt;Decoding Chinaandlt;/iandgt; gives you down-to-earth information on how to deal with everyday situationsand#8212;like eating at a restaurant or shopping at an outdoor marketand#8212;that present unique and unexpected challenges for foreign visitors. andlt;ulandgt;andlt;liandgt; Why being polite when you board a bus is a big mistakeandlt;/liandgt;andlt;liandgt; Finding a toilet (and what to bring along!)andlt;/liandgt;andlt;liandgt; How to bargain for anything in a Chinese marketandlt;/liandgt;andlt;liandgt; Which train ticket to buyand#8212;hard seat? Soft seat?andlt;/liandgt;andlt;liandgt; How the Chinese view privacy, and why it may make you seem suspiciousandlt;/liandgt;andlt;liandgt; Working in a Chinese office, and the politics of lunchandlt;/liandgt; andlt;/ulandgt;As the Academic Director at the Chinese Flagship Center of Brigham Young University, Dr. Matthew B. Christensen has seen countless foreigners arrive in Chinaandhellip;and fail to accomplish simple tasks like ordering food, boarding a bus, or making friends with a Chinese colleague. Why? Because they didn't understand China's basic cultural codes. This travel book will help you crack these codes. And with it, you'll soon be able to navigate your way in any situation.
Review
"This makes a change from all the big-picture studies that allegedly empower people who want to do business in Beijing. Instead of once-over lightly explanations of China's eternal values, Christensen explains how to order dinner and get on with people you need to know. There is a mass of information on business etiquette and the routines of lifeandhellip;" and#8212andlt;bandgt;Stephen Matchett, andlt;iandgt;The Australianandlt;/iandgt;andlt;/bandgt;
Review
"Based on his own experience of teaching and traveling in China in the past decades, Christensen's book Decoding China serves as a reminder to anyone who will be living, studying and working in China that understanding the culture codes that help develop and maintain relationships is more important than just mastering a bundle of linguistic skills." u Shanghai Daily
Synopsis
Embrace the culture and get the most out of your time in China. Going to China for the first time can be an intimidating experience, even for those who have studied the language. In fact, traveling to China for the second, third, or fourth time can also be a challenging experience, especially if you intend to be fully immersed in daily life, get off the beaten path, and experience the "real" China.
This China etiquette and culture guide is about how to get things done in China.
Decoding China gives you down-to-earth information on how to deal with everyday situations like eating at a restaurant or shopping at an outdoor market that present unique and unexpected challenges for foreign visitors.
- Why being polite when you board a bus is a big mistake
- Finding a toilet (and what to bring along )
- How to bargain for anything in a Chinese market
- Which train ticket to buy hard seat? Soft seat?
- How the Chinese view privacy, and why it may make you seem suspicious
- Working in a Chinese office, and the politics of lunch
As the Academic Director at the Chinese Flagship Center of Brigham Young University, Dr. Matthew B. Christensen has seen countless foreigners arrive in China and fail to accomplish simple tasks like ordering food, boarding a bus, or making friends with a Chinese colleague. Why? Because they didn't understand China's basic cultural codes. This travel book will help you crack these codes. And with it, you'll soon be able to navigate your way in any situation."
Synopsis
Do you want to know the unspoken conversations around you when visiting other countries? Are you someone who likes to travel on your own termsand#8212;from finding that special restaurant to negotiating a better price for a prized antique in a local flea market? If so, andlt;Iandgt;Decoding Chinaandlt;/iandgt; is the hands-on communication guide for you!andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Decoding Chinaandlt;/iandgt; will teach you the basic "rules of the road" on how to operate in Chinese culture. Like every country, China has its own unique set of cultural "codes," ways of behaving on a daily basis that all Chinese automatically know. These codes frame every personal interaction in China. By learning to recognize these key words and phrasesand#8212;and use them correctlyand#8212;everything you do in China will go a lot more smoothly.andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;In practical chapters organized by topic, Dr. Christensen shows you how to get things done in China, even with very minimal knowledge of the language. Make your China experience work for, rather than against you with andlt;iandgt;Decoding Chinaandlt;/iandgt;.
Synopsis
Do you want to know the unspoken conversations around you when visiting other countries? Are you someone who likes to travel on your own terms—from finding that special restaurant to negotiating a better price for a prized antique in a local flea market? If so,
Decoding China is the hands-on communication guide for you!
Decoding China will teach you the basic "rules of the road" on how to operate in Chinese culture. Like every country, China has its own unique set of cultural "codes," ways of behaving on a daily basis that all Chinese automatically know. These codes frame every personal interaction in China. By learning to recognize these key words and phrases—and use them correctly—everything you do in China will go a lot more smoothly.
In practical chapters organized by topic, Dr. Christensen shows you how to get things done in China, even with very minimal knowledge of the language. Make your China experience work for, rather than against you with Decoding China.
About the Author
Dr. andlt;bandgt;Matthew B. Christensenandlt;/bandgt; is the Academic Director of the Chinese Flagship Center at Brigham Young University, where he is also a Professor of Chinese in the Department of Asian and Near Eastern Languages. The Flagship program is a partnership among the federal government, education, and business which helps graduates take their place among the next generation of global professionals. His focus on the usefulness of cultural codes results from his frequent observations in China of students' difficulties when they tryand#8212;and fail!and#8212;to use U.S. cultural codes there.