Asra Dhorajiwala
Cultural Aspect of China
Marketing 469
November 20th, 2012 China has been known and famous for their strong and unique culture for years. China has been known to have the oldest continuous civilization. Beijing is the capital of China, and is the country’s main focal point. China’s main language, as most know, is Chinese, which grew from the Mandarin dialect. Although the number one language is Chinese, China still has a large amount of business people who are fluent English speakers. China is full of a number of dialects, yet shockingly, they only have one written language. The chinese also have a very simple way to dress. Most aim at wearing simple colors, especially women. The public looks down upon those who display an excessive amount, and not look conservative. Women usually do not wear heals or anything revealing, because it is does not come off as having a conservative image. Men usually wear traditional suits and delicate colors, which is the norm for them. When it comes to behaviors and manners in China, they try to maintain themselves as being very proper. The Chinese avoid using actions that involve the mouth and pointing is considered offensive. The Chinese find it extremely inappropriate for a man to touch a woman in public. Giving gifts are given rarely, because sometimes they may be considered offensive. Gifts such as clocks, straw sandals, a stork, handkerchiefs, and anything white or black is known to be rude because they are only given when someone is dying. In China, bowing or nodding is known as the most common greeting. Along with that, being on time is extremely important in China just like it is in the United States. Culture is extremely strong in China as well as how they action towards it. When referring to the Geert Hofstede analysis, it shows that long term orientation has the highest ranking. Likewise, the Chinese rank the lowest compared to any other Asian country when it comes down to the individualism factor. The explanation for that is because of the communist rule and their collectivist culture. Them being ranked so high in long term orientation “indicates a society's time perspective and an attitude of persevering; that is, overcoming obstacles with time, if not with will and strength.” The reason for them ranking so low in the individualism ranking especially when comparing to all the other countries surrounding them is because they show the