It's all Chinese to me: an overview of culture & etiquette in China

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1. Chinese History (Condensed Version). Imperial China

Four Great Inventions of Ancient China

End of the Empire.2. Politics and Society. Booming China: A Highly Localized Phenomenon

Emerging Problems

Iron Fisted Rule. 3. Major Influences in Chinese Thought: Taoism, Buddhism, Confucianism.Taoism

Buddhism

Confucianism

The Confucian Hierarchy

The Importance of Scholarship

The Chinese Education System

University Life

Focus on the Family

Advantages

Disadvantages. 4. Rituals and Superstitions. 5. Guanxi and Mianzi: Two Concepts Crucial to Understanding Chinese People. Guanxi

Mianzi: Face

The Top 12 Ways of Giving or Gaining Face

The Top 12 Ways of Losing Face or Making Someone Else Lose Face. 6. Culture Shock. The Honeymoon Phase

The Frustration Phase

The Acceptance and Resignation Phase

Overcoming Culture Shock. 7. General Peculiarities. First Impressions

Issues of Personal Space

Some Common Interactions

Standards of Beauty: Male/Female Relationships

Attitudes on Race. 8. Out and About: Encountering the Peculiar. Communication

Being a Celebrity

Visiting and Dining

Shopping

Health and Medicine

Traditional Chinese Medicine: TCM. 9. Transportation Issues. China's Thirst for Oil

Pollution

Safety

Public Transportation. 10. Do's and Don'ts. 11. Doing Business in China. Business Negotiations

Chinese Negotitation Tactics

Post-Negotiations. Afterword: Beautiful China.