When you talk about privacy to Chinese, a common reaction you get is: “What privacy?” For many traditional Chinese families, privacy is an alien concept. Whenever I wanted to have some time alone and closed my bedroom door, my mother would ask: “Do you have something to hide? ” In Chinese hospitals, the lack of …
Many foreigners have lived the embarrassing experience when entering an elevator in China: “Hi, good morning”, you greet those already inside as you normally do in your own country. But very often, the Chinese stay impassive and simply ignore you … … After years in Paris, I begin to tell “bonjour (hello)” to every single …
Many foreigners were caught off guard by the water dispenser while riding the rails in China. Instead of the usual options for cold and room temperature water, the machine had only one button for “BOILING HOT WATER”. It is so different from the US, where we find ice-cube dispensers almost on each hotel floor. Chinese …
Go to any park in China, you will cross elderly Chinese walking backwards. Why ? There is an old belief that walking backwards for 100 steps is equal to walking forwards for 1000 steps. According to traditional medicine, backward walking exercises muscles that are not used in ordinary walking. It’s more tiring, therefore it gives …
In Beijing, I use chopsticks for everything. In Paris, I am still trying not to make mistakes 😊 https://www.linkedin.com/posts/luxuefei_china-linkedin-chinese-activity-6678944066635411456-cGmL
My clients from the luxury industry are perplexed by certain behaviors from Chinese tourists. For example, they rarely respond to your greetings, and seem not at all interested in the brand’s story and its aspirations (that shop vendors are trained to tell). Instead, they just show you the product model on their smartphone, “I want …
What is the rule of Chinese names? If one day you happen to run out of topics with your Chinese partner at a dinner table, ask him the meaning of his name. It’s a quick and natural way to break ice and establish relationship. 1. Surname comes before given name. 2. Each given name has …
Why do the Chinese prefer round dining tables? A round table allows everybody to see everybody and everybody to be seen, without differentiation. But it does not mean that seating is egalitarian. The most important people (VIP) are seated facing the entrance, and the least important sit with their backs to the door. The legend: …
My teenage son and I often have little to share in terms of music or film. The confinement forced us to find common ground. He recommended Netflix’s most watched Spanish TV series, la Casa de Papel. I accepted mindlessly by thinking it must be a horrible teens stuff. I quickly found myself, however, getting fascinated …
Reciprocity is a key Chinese concept. It’s automatic, compulsory and omnipresent in all aspects of Chinese society. I have a French teenager son. He wanted to offer a gift to his mentor by the end of an internship. I suggested him to do it before the assessment. “Why?”, he asked. “To make your mentor happy …
