Getting to grips with Chinese culture

Getting to grips with new cultures and etiquettes is often the scourge of western tourists.

With eastern etiquette proving particularly problematic, British Airways has produced some tips on Chinese culture to help travellers avoid potentially embarrassing or uncomfortable situations.


Food

Mealtimes are a big source of potential embarrassment, particularly with a number of practices considered good manners in the west meaning quite the opposite in China. Follow the below and your chances of causing offence will be reduced.

Don't eat everything on your plate. Leaving a 'clean plate' is perceived to mean that you were not given enough food and will be considered insulting by your hosts.

On the other hand, leaving an untouched plate of food will also cause offence.

When drinking tea, if you do not want a 'refill', leave some in your cup.

Scorpions, locusts and snake skin are considered delicacies.


Chop Sticks and table manners

There are a number of rituals involving chop sticks that are important to be aware of:

Standing chop sticks straight up in a rice bowl is considered rude, because in this position they resemble the joss sticks that are used in Chinese religious rituals.

Placing chopsticks in parallel on top of your bowl is believed to bring bad luck.

Dropping chop sticks is also a sign of bad luck.

Slurping and belching at the table are perfectly acceptable as they are perceived as signs that you are appreciating the meal.


Numbers
Certain numbers have significance in Chinese culture:

The number four is taboo because it means death.

Eighty-four is taboo because it means 'having accidents'.

Eight is considered one of the luckiest numbers in Chinese culture, so if you receive eight of an item consider it a gesture of goodwill.

Six is considered a blessing.

Seventy-three means 'the funeral' and is not warmly received.


Greetings and relationships
When you are introduced to people in China there are several do's and don'ts:

Kissing someone on the cheek or on the hand is not an acceptable greeting in China.

Hugging is only an acceptable greeting for people who are very good friends.

Causing embarrassment or loss of composure should be avoided as 'saving face' is a very important concept in Chinese culture – a person's reputation and social standing rests on this.

British Airways has been flying to Shanghai from London Heathrow five times a week since the beginning of June. It also flies six times a week to Beijing.

Virgin Atlantic also operates flight to Shanghai five times a week, and will be flying to Beijing daily from October.