Agenda - building communications in China (2023)

FAQs

What is the preferred method of communication in China? ›

Verbal. Indirect Communication: As an extension of the need to maintain harmonious relations, the Chinese rely heavily on indirect communication. They rely less on words and are more attentive to posture, expression and tone of voice to draw meaning. Their speech is often ambiguous, and they may understate their point.

The Chinese communicate no through a range of phrases and supporting facial expressions, gestures, silence and deferral of the issue at hand. Essentially, the goal of a Chinese speaker is to remain polite and save face for everyone involved in the discussion.

Probably most foreigners know WeChat. Well, all Chinese people know about it, all use it, and all love it! This is the number-one most used communications app in China, and it is essential.

Small talk topics that are acceptable to talk about are: the weather, travelling in China, art, culture and food. Always talk about positive impressions of China! These topics not only magnify the positive impressions of Chinese culture but also emphasize how much you appreciate it.

Verbal communication is the use of language to transfer information through speaking or sign language. It is one of the most common types, often used during presentations, video conferences and phone calls, meetings and one-on-one conversations. Verbal communication is important because it is efficient.

Face-to-face verbal communication is usually the preferred method of communication; however, it is not always realistic due to time constraints or the location of people.

Although the 1982 constitution guarantees freedom of speech, the Chinese government often uses the "subversion of state power" and "protection of state secrets" clauses in their law system to imprison those who criticize the government.

Language policy

Mandarin has been promoted as the commonly spoken language for the country since 1956, based phonologically on the dialect of Beijing. The North Chinese language group is set up as the standard grammatically and lexically.

Meeting & Greeting:

Handshakes are the most common form of greeting with foreigners. Many Chinese will look towards the ground when greeting someone. Address the person by an honorific title and their surname. If they want to move to a first-name basis, they will advise you which name to use.

Don't discuss things of gross nature or culturally sensitive topics. Avoid flirtatious talk as it could be misinterpreted. Don't choose topics that are sexually inappropriate. To ensure you have success in conversing with Chinese people, by all means reframe from rude comments and use manners.

What is considered rude in China business? ›

Body Language

– Body posture should always be formal and attentive as it demonstrates self-control and respectfulness. – Be careful about what you do with your hands as well – putting your hands in your mouth, biting your nails, removing food from your teeth and similar practices are considered rude.

Making eye contact in China is a sure-fire way to make enemies, not friends. The Chinese people view eye contact as a necessary tool, but not in the same way that other cultures do. In China, people make eye contact when they are angry. It is meant to challenge the other person and is a sign of disrespect.

Verbal communication makes conveying thoughts faster and easier and is the most successful method of communication.

The four main types of communication are verbal, non-verbal, visual and written communication. This article discusses all four types below, but first, let's consider why communication is important at work. Communication is effective when a message is sent and received clearly.

Direct communicators often use clear messages that require few words to express. They often focus on the clarity of their message rather than its interpretation. For example, a direct communicator might simply say "no" to requests they don't want to do or ones that make them uncomfortable.

When did the one-child policy end? The end of China's one-child policy was announced in late 2015, and it formally ended in 2016. Beginning in 2016, the Chinese government allowed all families to have two children, and in 2021 all married couples were permitted to have as many as three children.

Is living in China safe? Yes, many expats, especially women, find living in China is much safer than in cities like London or New York. Street harassment and catcalling is virtually unheard of for foreigners, and streets tend to be well lit at night.

Media in China is strictly controlled by the CCP, with the main agency that oversees the nation's media being the Central Propaganda Department of the CCP. The largest media organizations, including the China Central Television, the People's Daily, and the Xinhua News Agency, are all controlled by the CCP.

Is Netflix Available in China? No, it isn't. The situation is that only certain countries have been licensed to stream Netflix content and China is not one of them. Although Netflix's website is accessible, unlike Facebook or Twitter, you'll see a notice like “Sorry, Netflix hasn't come to this part of the world yet”.

Is Google blocked in China? ›

Yes, Google is one of many websites blocked in China, as confirmed by EXPERTE.com's Internet censorship check. Our tool checks the availability of websites in China using servers located in Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen. Blocked websites are a result of the Chinese government's censorship measures.

2010–2016: Giving up search service

In January 2010, Google announced that, in response to a Chinese-originated hacking attack on them and other US tech companies, they were no longer willing to censor searches in China and would pull out of the country completely if necessary.

In rural areas you'll see and hear less English.

This is also true if you decide to explore the more local neighborhoods of cities. Keep in mind that many Chinese are hesitant to speak even basic English for fear of making mistakes. Further west, and in remote areas of China, it's possible English will be nonexistent.

So will Mandarin replace English as the next global language? Answer: not yet. English rose to prominence through the British Empire and as a result there are native English speakers to be found across the globe. English is the language of shared popular culture – music, film, even sport.

For decades, English has been a compulsory subject in all Chinese schools from primary school through high school — the only class to receive this status apart from Chinese and math.

Thank You. To symbolize thank you in China, you let either palm rest on the fist of the other hand. In some parts of the country, this is followed by a slight bow. If a waiter is serving you tea, coffee or any food, you tap your first two fingers on the table to show appreciation for their good service.

A simple, soft handshake, a smile, and a friendly 'hi' or 'ni hao' (or 'nin hao' to greet older Chinese people) will often suffice. When addressing Chinese people, address the eldest or most senior person first. Also, address the newly-met people with their honorific title and family name.

Basic Etiquette

The correct decorum during interactions in China always entails showing deference to those who are older. It is expected that one bows their head slightly and speaks softly when conversing with someone elderly. The advice or opinion of the elderly should never be contested.

Across multiple sources, Mandarin Chinese is the number one language listed as the most challenging to learn. The Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center puts Mandarin in Category IV, which is the list of the most difficult languages to learn for English speakers.

National surveys conducted in the early 21st century estimated that some 80% of the population of China, which is more than a billion people, practice some kind of Chinese folk religion; 13–16% are Buddhists; 10% are Taoist; 2.53% are Christians; and 0.83% are Muslims.

Is it difficult to learn Chinese? ›

Mandarin Chinese

Interestingly, the hardest language to learn is also the most widely spoken native language in the world. Mandarin Chinese is challenging for a number of reasons. First and foremost, the writing system is extremely difficult for English speakers (and anyone else) accustomed to the Latin alphabet.

Mandarin is the lingua franca and the sole official language of China, so if you plan on doing business in China or traveling around the country, Mandarin is the language to learn.

Children in China speak Mandarin and sometimes a local Chinese dialect at home. They then learn English at primary school but parents often pay for English classes at a younger age outside of school. Currently, English is considered the language of business with international companies from every country in China.

In 2022, there were around 1.5 billion people worldwide who spoke English either natively or as a second language, slightly more than the 1.1 billion Mandarin Chinese speakers at the time of survey. Hindi and Spanish accounted for the third and fourth most widespread languages that year.

The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) said sexually explicit pictures and text, including nude photos and erotic animation, and stories of “one-night stands, wife-swapping, sexual abuse and other harmful information” will be subject to punishment.

Verbal. Indirect Communication: As an extension of the need to maintain harmonious relations, the Chinese rely heavily on indirect communication. They rely less on words and are more attentive to posture, expression and tone of voice to draw meaning. Their speech is often ambiguous, and they may understate their point.

Clicking fingers or whistling is considered very rude. Never put your feet on a desk or a chair. Never gesture or pass an object with your feet. Blowing one's nose in a handkerchief and returning it to one's pocket is considered vulgar by the Chinese.

Similar to Western culture, waving hands when saying goodbye or hello is very common in China as well. It's more likely to be used between close friends or people your age.

If you're from a culture that encourages smiles when greeting strangers or service people, or saying hello to strangers on the street, you may need to adjust this practice if you plan on venturing to China. The Chinese do not smile at strangers, foreign or not.

Why is winking rude in China? ›

In China, the gestures of winking and whistling have very negative connotations. They are aggressive in nature and there is a sexual meaning behind them so it's best to avoid them.

Mandarin Chinese alone is the most widely spoken native language in the world: nearly a billion within China alone and 1.2 billion worldwide—a few hundred million people more than the next most widespread languages, Spanish and English.

Chinese Social Media FAQs

Instead, the social media sites Chinese use are WeChat, Sina Weibo, Tencent QQ, Tencent Video, Xiao HongShu, Douban, Zhihu, Meituan, Toutiao, and DouYin (TikTok). What is the most popular social media in China? WeChat is the most popular social media in China.

Foreign Languages Spoken in China

The English language is prevalent in urban areas such as Hong Kong. Apart from English, Portuguese is also a popular language in China. It is the official language in Macau.

If you are meeting someone in a business context, shake hands and smile. If it is someone older than you with some sort of rank, you may do a very slight bow from the shoulders (as opposed to a full-fledged bow from the waist) as a sign of respect. Do accept business cards with two hands. It's a sign of respect.

Basic Etiquette

The correct decorum during interactions in China always entails showing deference to those who are older. It is expected that one bows their head slightly and speaks softly when conversing with someone elderly. The advice or opinion of the elderly should never be contested.

Baidu is China's largest and most widely used search engine, much like Google in the U.S.

Instead, there's a different version of TikTok — a sister app called Douyin. Both are owned by Beijing-based parent company ByteDance, but Douyin launched before TikTok and became a viral sensation in China.