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CULTURAL ANALYSIS
OF CHINA
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Traditional Chinese Culture
One of the worlds oldest
Covers a large geographical region in Eastern Asia
Varies greatly between provinces, cities and even
towns
Imports Components of Chinese Culture:
Literature, Music, Visual Arts, Martial arts, Cuisine
Chinese Religion and Philosophy: Major influence.
Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism are the three
great thoughts. Most social values are derived
from these.



Teachings
Confucianism Key objective of an intellectual should be to make
full use of his ability, personality and intelligence to
do good for the state, society and the world
Taoism A balanced relationship between human beings
and nature. People must perform according to
inherent rules in order to establish a harmonious
and orderly world where everyone is equal and
kind
Buddhism Promotes code of conduct in life. That is what they
call Five Precepts of avoiding killing, stealing,
indulging, lying and alcohol drinking. It leads to
self-understanding
Religion & Philosophy
Chinese arts and crafts
1.Traditional Festival:
Spring Festival
2.Chinese Folk Arts:
Beijing Opera, Martial Arts
3.Chinese crafts:
Painting, Embroidery, China
4.Chinese Architecture


China
Embroidery
Marriage
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Confucian wedding rituals - bow and pay
respects to a large portrait of Confucius
Dressed in traditional Chinese robes.
Couple exchanges nuptial cups and
perform ceremonial bows
first bow - Heaven and Earth
second bow ancestors
third bow parents
fourth bow - spouse
Women
Same rights as men in the workplace
Reasonably senior roles in large Chinese
organisations
Successful within the education city
Music and dance
Music
Dance
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Dragon Dance-more than
700 different dragon dances
in China
Lion Dance
Yangge (Northern China)
Lantern Dance Southern
China.
Er Ren Zhuan
The scale is pentatonic
Bamboo pipes and gin are
the oldest musical
instruments
Animal skins, gourd,
bamboo, wood, silk,
earth/clay, metal, and stone
are used to make
instruments


Cuisine
The Eight Culinary Traditions of China are:
Anhui, Cantonese, Fujian, Hunan, Jiangsu, Shandong, Szechuan,
and Zhejiang cuisines.

Food was judged for colour, aroma, taste, and texture

A good meal is expected to balance
Four Natures ('hot', warm, cool, and 'cold')
Five Tastes (pungent, sweet, sour, bitter, and salty).
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Power Distance
Individualism
Masculinity
Uncertainty Avoidance
Long-term Orientation
Hofstedes cultural
dimensions
Power distance
Extent to which less powerful members of organisations
expect and accept that power is distributed unequally.
China (80)
Inequalities
amongst people
acceptable.
No defense against
power abuse by
superiors.

India (77)
Appreciation for
hierarchy and a Top
Down Structure
Dependent on the
boss or the
powerholder for
direction
Individualism
Degree of interdependence a society maintains
among its members
China (20)
Highly collectivist culture,
people act in the interests
of the group
Hiring & promotions - closer
in-groups get preferential
treatment.
Low employee commitment
Personal relationships over
company
India (48)
High preference for
belonging
Influenced by opinion of
family, neighbours, work
group & social networks
Hiring and promotion often
based on relationships
Employer/employee
relationship is one of
expectations
Masculinity/Femininity
High score indicates competition, achievement & success,
while a low score indicates caring for others & quality of life
China (66)
Masculine, success driven
Sacrifice family and leisure
priorities to work
Chinese education focus on
grades and ranks
Validated by material gains



India (56)
Masculine in terms of visual
display of success and
power
Designer brand label, the
flash and bling - displays
Spiritual, so value of
humility and abstinence
reduces display of
masculinity

Uncertainty Avoidance
Extent to which the members of a culture feel
threatened by ambiguous or unknown situations
China (20)
Managers are more
controlling, less
approachable and less likely
to delegate to subordinates
Dont do business with
companies they do not
know
Relationship is given the
most importance
India (40)
Acceptance of imperfection
Innovative methods to
bypass the system
nothing is impossible in
India, so long as one knows
how to adjust
Not compelled to take
action-initiatives

Long-term orientation
Extent to which a society shows a pragmatic
future-oriented perspective
China (110)
Highly long-term oriented,
persistence and
perseverance are normal.
Thrifty, investment in long
term projects such as real
estate
Highest rates of savings in
the world (40% GDP).
India (48)
Concept of karma
dominates religious and
philosophical thought.
Forgive lack of punctuality,
a changing game-plan and
a general comfort with
discovering the fated path
rather than exact plane
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BUSINESS ETIQUETTE
AND PROTOCOL
Management Style
SOEs allow manager to take credit for the solution while blame
subordinate for failures
Chinese management makes most decisions and workers defer
up the chain of command
Culture of SOEs have created a lack of incentive for managers to
worry about maximising operational efficiency
Recent shift to a market-oriented economic structure
Legacy of poor worker safety, huge pollution, bribery and
personal connections
No problem circumventing the rules if necessary to
get the work done

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Relationship & Communication
Guanxi (Relationship Building)
Working through an intermediary
Bound up with enormous bureaucracy
Rank is extremely important
Gender bias is nonexistent
Formal communication
Prefer face-to-face meetings

Mianzi (Face)
Face is a reflection of pride, honor,
dignity, insult, shame, disgrace,
humility, trust, mistrust, respect &
prestige
Avoid causing someone to lose face at
all costs
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Introductions : Prefer formal,
handshakes & business cards

Address: Surnames are first and
titles are more appropriate

Small Talk: Personal question and
handling of compliments

Attire: Top management dress
formally and conservatively for
meetings, while working levels
may adopt a more casual style



Meetings
Arrive on time, begin with small talk
Principal members are seated and
others follow by rank
Dialogue is a structured series of
speeches

Business Dining
Food and seating are determined by
the hosts (who pays)
Drinking expresses close business
relationships
Conversation in social context, not
business

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