Culture

Loads and loads of stores
Night life in China

Not only does China have a rich history, it has a rich culture as well. The traditions and culture of the people are mostly based on myths and superstition. Most of their tourist attractions involve people to touch some stone or statue and make a wish. In one of the temples which we visited, people paid to throw several chinese coins on a tortoise statue. If the coin touches the head of the tortoise, it is believed to bring good luck.

If anyone wants to do business in China, they must understand the culture of the Chinese. The Chinese are particular about "mian zi" (meaning face). Each party should seek to make each other look good in the business world and cannot openly embarrass each other.

Do not be despaired or angry if the shopowners scold vulgarities or shout at you, should you quote a price which they are dissatisfied with. That's the night business life in China. Instead, you will be surprised that being polite and courteous makes the chinese in China more respectable of you. A kind word will dispel anger. This seems true in China. Most of them were shocked when we thanked them or spoke nicely to them. Perhaps, we might be changing the culture in China subconsciously.

Maintain your integrity and honesty when doing business. In China, most of the shops have a little cloth partition. One may think that behind this partition is a little storeroom to keep their stocks. However, the stocks are all laid out in the shopfront already, and the chinese have little stocks. If you see a particular M-sized jeans design hanging on display, that may be their only jeans design on sale. The fact is that many business dealings take place behind the cloth partition. I got a slight glimpse of the area behind the partition. It is laid out with chairs and a table and a few tea equipment. The chinese love to be discreet about their business dealings in China.

Do not be surprised if your product is being sold elsewhere in China the next day. There are many "copycats" in China. Imitation goods are sold in every street and every corner! But this is the reason why foreigners like us are attracted to China. If you do business in China, make sure that you have established a good brand name so that people can differentiate your product from the imitation products. And also make sure that your product cannot be easily copied.

No matter what, China is the new up and rising centre for business activities. If you can survive in China, it is a great feat accomplished.