Chinese Etiquette

Impressions about Chinese etiquette vary. Many come to China with heads full of a richly cultural country, filled with traditions and customs celebrated for thousands of years. Though there remains a veil of this laying on top of modern day China, it is thin and sometimes hard to see.

In fact, what most do see upon stepping off the plane is a lot of what is generally considered quite rude in the West. People spitting and littering on the street, men relieving their bladders just behind the bushes (or not behind anything, as is often the case), and a general disregard of the fine art that we call queuing are all common sights. At the dinner table it is not much better, as it isn't considered out-of-the-norm to eat with your mouth open, while trying desperately to say as much as you can before you need to swallow.

There is however a rather intricate etiquette system in China, that has developed over a couple thousand years, and it is a good idea to at least attempt to understand it - though mastery of it is often out of reach for visitors.