It's All Chinese to Me

by Ostrowski, Pierre

• ISBN13: 9780804840798
• ISBN10: 0804840792
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-10-10
• Publisher: Tuttle Pub

Summary

Ready to gain insight into Chinese culture in a fascinating way? This comprehensive introduction to Chinese culture lets you peer into what makes China unique-its people. Firsthand tips, background info, and illustrations give you graphic impressions of the real China, and allow you to get a feel for not only what it's like, but how to survive the cultural differences. You'll find out about:

Author Biography

Pierre Ostrowski studied Chinese at Providence University in Taichung, Taiwan, and has traveled to over twenty Asian countries.

Gwen Penner, the recipient of numerous awards in painting, drawing and printmaking, has spent years living in Asia.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. vii
Introduction	p. viii
Chinese History (Condensed Version)	p. 3
Imperial China	p. 3
Four Great Inventions of Ancient China	p. 6
End of the Empire	p. 8
Politics and Society	p. 10
Booming China: A Highly Localized Phenomenon	p. 11
Emerging Problems	p. 11
Iron Fisted Rule	p. 15
Major Influences in Chinese Thought: Taoism, Buddhism, Confucianism	p. 20
Taoism	p. 21
Buddhism	p. 22
Confucianism	p. 24
The Confucian Hierarchy	p. 25
The Importance of Scholarship	p. 26
The Chinese Education System	p. 28
University Life	p. 32
Focus on the Family	p. 33
Advantages	p. 34
Disadvantages	p. 34
Rituals and Superstitions	p. 38
Guanxi and Mianzi: Two Concepts Crucial to Understanding Chinese People	p. 48
Guanxi	p. 48
Mianzi: Face	p. 54
The Top 12 Ways of Giving or Gaining Face	p. 56
The Top 12 Ways of Losing Face or Making Someone Else Lose Face	p. 62
Culture Shock	p. 68
The Honeymoon Phase	p. 69
The Frustration Phase	p. 70
The Acceptance and Resignation Phase	p. 71
Overcoming Culture Shock	p. 72
General Peculiarities	p. 76
First Impressions	p. 81
Issues of Personal Space	p. 84
Some Common Interactions	p. 87
Standards of Beauty: Male/Female Relationships	p. 90
Attitudes on Race	p. 95
Out and About: Encountering the Peculiar	p. 100
Communication	p. 100
Being a Celebrity	p. 107
Visiting and Dining	p. 110
Shopping	p. 113
Health and Medicine	p. 119
Traditional Chinese Medicine: TCM	p. 122
Transportation Issues	p. 128
China's Thirst for Oil	p. 128
Pollution	p. 129
Safety	p. 130
Public Transportation	p. 135
Do's and Don'ts	p. 137
Doing Business in China	p. 151
Business Negotiations	p. 162
Chinese Negotitation Tactics	p. 166
Post-Negotiations	p. 172
Afterword: Beautiful China	p. 175
Bibliography	p. 179
Index	p. 180
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

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