Doing Business in China For Dummies®

Chinese Business Values

✓	Guan xi (relationships): The Chinese like to do business with people they know and trust. China has 1.3 billion people, so almost everyone you meet can claim to have connections with somebody who sounds impressive. Be somewhat skeptical. We discuss guan xi in detail in Chapter 15.
✓	Trust: Do what you say you’re going to do. Don’t expect to win the trust of the Chinese really soon — building confidence takes time.
✓	Patience: Succeeding in China requires a lot of preparation. It also requires that everyone takes time when making key decisions. Cutting corners to speed things up can come back to haunt you in a big way.
✓	Status and honor: Face is basically one’s status in the eyes of others. You can gain face, and you can lose face. Don’t ever cause a Chinese person to lose face. See Chapter 11 for details.
✓	Hierarchy: China has long been a hierarchical society in which rank is very important. Many junior employees feel uncomfortable if you blur the distinctions between you and them too much. Watch out for the tendency of Chinese employees to become so focused on hierarchy that they spend more time plotting how to move up the ladder than working.
✓	Timeliness: We can’t say it enough: be punctual for business meetings and banquets. Remember, China’s unruly traffic can be a real enemy when you’re trying to show up on time.

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