Chinese Business Etiquette

A Guide to Protocol, Manners, and Culture in the People's Republic of China
By Scott D. Seligman

When I first decided to give this book a try as my final book review book, I was a bit worried. My main concern was its publish date of 1999. I wondered: would the book be out of date with the many changes of the last nine years? However, I was pleasantly surprised by the book's timelessness. It focused on the cultural aspects of the way in which the Chinese conduct business, which hasn't changed much in the past nine years or the past 2,500 years as I learned in Seligman's first chapter.

The book is organized into several chapters covering everything from how to interact with the Chinese in China to how to host the Chinese in America. Seligman starts with the basics of forming the all-important relationship with the Chinese, getting in touch and the meet and greet being important first steps. Following the first steps, he takes the reader through the etiquette of business meetings and banquets. Allowing the reader to delve into the way the Chinese make deals. Seligman also goes on to address the importance of saving face in China. This is much more important for Chinese and they spend much more time thinking about it than Americans do. For this reason it is important not to forget to always use proper titles, since these forms of address have been very important to the Chinese for centuries.

Seligman brings this knowledge to his readers from both personal experience and experiences of others he has learned about through his professional interactions. One of the things that struck me as I was reading was the book's professionalism. It never "chose sides," simply giving readers a guide to understanding the business aspects of the Chinese culture. Seligman never gave an opinion about whether the traditionally American way of doing business was better than the Chinese way. Instead, he focused on a mutual respect for both cultures and finding a common ground for them to mesh successfully.

Overall, I felt the book had few weaknesses. There were some rather cliched references to sports examples often used by American males, which I felt were not good examples. They seemed stereotyped and meant only for a male reader. Also, I would love to see the book updated to include more "netiquette" information regarding business in China. In several sections Seligman gives an example of an American using a fax as a way of communication with the Chinese. Although, this scenario could still be possible today, e-mail certainly seems to be a more likely choice. Many, even those in the business world, need to learn the importance of "netiquette" and the consequences of not taking e-mail seriously.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is planning on doing business in China or even to someone simply interested in gaining some insight into the Chinese. It is well-organized and easy to read. Because it is separated into chapters and subheadings, it is also easy to go back and reference for further information. Seligman obviously spent some time on this book as it was very thorough. It is a great book to have read before our trip to China - I only wish it was a little smaller, so I could carry it in my pocket for reference.