The Perfect Gentleman Issue 2 - April 2016 | Page 44

International Gentleman

Manners in China
A Quick Guide
By Ruairidh Bulger

As the world's most populous country, and one
of its biggest markets, China is a major player
on the international stage now, and will
continue to be for the foreseeable future. If
working or traveling internationally, it is
increasingly likely that China will be on your
horizons.
China has been know throughout history as a
centre of tradition and culture, and those
traditions affect life in China today. As a
culture it is very homogeneous, and the desire
for conformity is traditionally very strong.
This can be either conformity to the family,
company, political party, or society as a whole.
Respect for ones elders or superiors is a
constant consideration, and the family unit is
central to Chinese life.

Among these relationships, the last one is the
only one that can be considered to be a
horizontal relationship, the