BasicbackgroundonChina

Totalpopulation:1,357,000,000(2013)
worldslargest;
roughly4xtheUSpopulation

Landarea:3,705,000squaremiles
roughlyequivalenttoUS
populationdensityis4xthatofUS

Keytopographicalfeatures:
EasternseaboardbordersPacificOcean;
NEprovincesborderSiberia;
NWofChinaispredominantlydesert;
HimalayanMountainsinSW;
Majorrivers:YellowRiverandYangtzeRiver
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Yulinplanttobe
builthere

Denselypopulated:94%ofpeoplelivein43%ofthelandarea(HuHuanyongline)

ComparethiswiththeUS,where58%ofpeopleliveinroughly33%ofthelandarea
(approx.USpopulationandlandareaeastoftheMississippiRiver,Americasdensestarea)

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CitiesofChina

ThemajorityofourtraineescomefromasingleprovinceinChinacalledShaanxi
Province(wheretheYulinJVplantwillbebuilt).

XianisthecapitalcityofShaanxi.
ManyofourJVtraineesarefromXian,Yulin,andthesurroundingareas

BecauseChinascitiesaresodenselypopulated,thetenlargestUScitieswouldbarely
crackthetop150largestcitiesinChina.

Chinesepeoplerefertoacityof1millionasasmallcity.
Seethetablesonthenextslideforanoverview.

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Wherewouldthetop10mostpopulousUScitiesrankinChina?
Rel Chn.
Rank Rank
City
1
1 Shanghai
2
2 Beijing
3
3 Tianjin
4
4 Guangzhou
5
5 Shenzhen
6
6 Wuhan
7
7 Dongguan
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
4

8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20

NYC
Chengdu
Chongqing
Nanjing
HongKong
Foshan
Harbin
Xi'an
Shenyang
Hangzhou
Suzhou
Qingdao
Zhengzhou
Dalian

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Province

Guangdong
Guangdong
Hubei
Guangdong

2014 pop.
22,265,426
19,295,000
11,090,314
11,070,654
10,357,938
9,780,644
8,220,937

NY
Sichuan

Jiangsu

Guangdong
Heilongjiang
Shaanxi
Liaoning
Zhejiang
Jiangsu
Shandong
Henan
Liaoning

8,175,133
7,677,122
7,457,589
7,165,828
7,055,071
6,771,900
6,704,573
6,501,189
6,255,921
6,242,000
5,349,090
4,587,200
4,253,627
4,087,733

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Rank
if in
US
China Rank
City
8
1 NewYork
21
2 LosAngeles
39
3 Chicago
48
4 Houston
71
5 Philadelphia
80
6 Phoenix
94
7 SanAntonio
96
8 SanDiego
112
9 Dallas
153
10 SanJose
184
20 Seattle

State
NewYork
California
Illinois
Texas
Pennsylvania
Arizona
Texas
California
Texas
California
Washington

2014 pop.
8,175,133
3,792,621
2,695,598
2,100,263
1,526,006
1,445,632
1,327,407
1,307,402
1,197,816
945,942
670,000

Highlightedinyellowarethetwoclosest
citiestobothMosesLakeandYulin.

GovernmentandeconomyofChina

Government:ChineseCommunistPartyisin
control,thoughothersmallerpartiesexist
Chinesemaydirectlyelectrepresentativesat
certainlevels(local/county)butexecutiveroles
suchasPresident/Chairman(currentlyXi
Jinping,pictured)arenotdirectlyelected.

Economy:SocialistwithChinesecharacteristics
(stillmanyindustrieswhichconsistlargelyof
state-ownedenterprises,butChinasmarketisin
manywaysascapitalistasAmericas)
Currencyunitistheyuan(Renminbi,RMB)with
$1USDworthapprox.6.5RMB.

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OneChildPolicy

Socialpolicyofone-childpercouplewasineffectfrom1978until2015,afterwhich
couplesarenowallowedtohavetwochildreniftheychoose.

Forthisreason,thevastmajorityofourtraineesareonlychildrenintheirrespectivefamilies.
Thus,thecommonAmericanice-breakerofHowmanysiblingsdoyouhave?isnotas
effectivetouseamonggroupsofChinese!

Inyearspast,ifacoupleoptedtohaveasecondchild,theparentswereforcedtopay
socialmaintenancefees,whichvaryinamountbyprovince.InXian,thiswouldbe
around3-6timesahouseholdsannualincome,whichisatleast$13,846.

Duetofactorssuchasgender-selectiveabortionsandgivingdaughtersupfor
internationaladoption,inChinatoday,118boysarebornforevery100girls

Globalaverageisbetween103to108boysper100girls
Genderimbalancewillbeasocio-economicproblemforChinathroughoutthiscentury
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Theconceptsoffaceandharmony

Chinesepeoplecaregreatlyaboutsavingfaceinpublicorgroupsituations.
Chinesepeoplewanttogivefacetopeoplewhoareimportantandrespected(leaders,
managers,elders,etc.)byshowingspecialrecognitionandfavortothosepeople

IfyoufindtheneedtocriticizeaChineseperson,remembertodosoprivatelysothe
persondoesnotfeeltheirfaceisbeingchallengedinfrontofthegroup.

Chinesepreferharmonyoverdiscordinsocialsituations,sotheyoftengoalongwith
groupconsensuseveniftheypersonallydisagree

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Harmonyinthebarnyard?(TheLittleRedHen)

Inthiswell-knownWesternfolktale,thehen
findsnoonewillingtohelpanddecidestotake
allofthework(andtastyrewards!)forherself.

Attheend,theredhensittingsmuglyinfront
oftheotheranimalsanddenyingthembread
damagestheharmonyofthebarnyard

Chinesepeoplewouldprefertorevisethe
storysothatthehenforgiveseveryoneand
sharesthebread

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WhenYesmeansNo

Inbusinesses,aChinesepersonmaytellhisorherbossYes
whenaskedifanobjectivecanbemet,eventhoughthetruth
maybeNO!

Thisisbecausethepersondoesnotwanttomakehis/herboss
losefacebysayingNodirectlytohis/hersuperiorsface.

Sayingnointhisinstancemightcausethebosstoloseface.
Also,thismightthreatentheharmonyofthework
environment.

IfmakingarequestwhichmaybedifficultforaChineseperson
togrant/complete,askingviaemailorsomeotherprivate
meansmayhelpavoidthisproblem.
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Whatreyoulaughingat?!?

WhenChinesepeoplefindthemselvesinanawkwardor
uncomfortablesituation(suchaswhensomeoneisangrywith
them,orwhenbeingcriticizedorreprimanded),theymay
unconsciouslyletoutanervouslaughorchuckle.

InChina,thisisaculturally-acceptablewayofdiffusingatense
situation,butitoftenhastheoppositeeffectonanAmerican.

TheAmerican,alreadyupsetaboutthesituation,mayinterpret
theChinesenervouslaughassomeonebeinghappyabout
ananger-inducingsituation.

Inthesemoments,itisimportanttoremaincalmandtotryto
politelyresolvetheissuewithouttempersflaring.
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CollectivismandIndividualism(EastmeetsWest,graphicsbyMs.YangLIU)

**Formoreinformativeimagesfromthisseries,visit:http://bsix12.com/east-meets-west/
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Chinesecollectivism

Chinaisacollectivistsociety(i.e.theneeds/interestsofthegroupoutweighthoseofthe
individual)

Chinesepeopledonotliketostandoutingroupsituations,whetherbyappearance,
behavior,orothermeans.Standingoutfromonespeergroupisfrownedupon.

Chinesetendtogowiththeflowanddowhattheirpeersaredoing.AskingoneChinese
persontodosomethingsignificantlydifferentfromwhathis/herpeersaredoingmay
resultinhis/herdecliningtodoso.

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Americanindividualism

TheU.S.ismoreindividualist,wherepeoplewhoareuniqueordifferentfromthegroup
arerespected,evencelebrated

WhereasAmericanswillproudlypromoteanddiscusstheirpersonalviewsonanissue
openly,Chinesearemorelikelytodeterminetheoverallgroupattitudeandadjusttheir
ownattitudeaccordingly.

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Chineseeducation

Chinassystememphasizeshightestscoresaboveallelse.Thosewhoscorethehighest
gainentryintothebestuniversitiesandtendtohavethebestfutureprospectsinlife.

Forthisreason,Chineseparentsexpecttheirchildrenandteenstofocusonstudyingand
almostnothingelse(nochores,nohouseholdresponsibilities,etc.)

Atschool,studentswhohavethehighestgradesarethemostpopular,andarehighly
respected.

Inthiscase,thenerdsaremorepopularthanthejocks;thereisnotastrongcultureof
studentathleteslikehereintheU.S.

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PracticalimplicationsoftheChineseeducationsystem

ThisresultsinChinesegraduateswhoarenotas
well-roundeduponfinishingschoolasAmericans,
sinceChineseparentsde-emphasizeandallowalmost
notimefor:

Sports
Clubs/extracurricularactivities
Dating/romance
Findingajob
Learningtodriveacar

Chinesegraduatesarethereforeextremelybrightand
knowledgeableaboutwhattheyhavestudiedbefore,
buttheylackhands-on,real-worldexperience(street
smarts,etc.)
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DifferencesinChineseandWesterneducation

Whenstudying/training,Chinesepeopleconsideraskingtheteacher/traineraquestionto
beeither:

Anindicationthatthestudentwastoostupidtounderstandthecontent
Aninsulttotheabilityoftheteacher/trainertoexplainthecontent

Forthisreason,itisimportanttocreateatrainingatmosphereinwhichJVtraineesare
comfortableaskingRECemployeesquestionswhensomeaspectofthetrainingisnot
understood.

Asaresultofthis,Chineselearnersmayseemtoopassiveoruninterestedintheir
learning,eventhoughtheymaybeveryeagertoactivelytakepartormayhavedeep
interestinwhatisbeingtaught.

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Doyouunderstand?

AskingthisquestioninaChineseclassroomisusuallymetbyblankstareswhichdont
necessarilyindicateunderstanding.

Chinesepeoplemaynodorotherwiseindicatetheirunderstandingevenonoccasions
whentheydidnotunderstandwhatwassaid.

Asindicatedonthepreviousslide,Chinesemaybeuncomfortableindicatingtotheir
trainer/teacherthatsomethingwasnotunderstood.Forthisreason,youlllikelyneedto
takeadifferentapproach

17

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Moreeffectivewaystogaugeunderstanding

Tryaskingmoredetailed,targetedquestionswhichallowthetraineetodemonstrateto
youhis/herunderstandingofwhathasbeentaught:

Canyourepeatthestepsofthisprocessbacktome?
Canyoushowmeonthisdiagramwherethehydrogenrecyclecompressorislocated?
Basedonwhatwevediscussedjustnow,wherewouldyoufind______intheunit?
Considerapracticalfieldexerciseinwhichthetraineecoulddirectlydemonstrate
understandingofwhatwasjusttaught

Ifpossible,awrittenexamination(evenintheformofashortquiz)onwhatwastaughtwould
allowthetraineetodemonstrateunderstanding(orlackthereof)inalessconfrontationalway.

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EnglishasaSecondLanguageinChina

ChinesestudentsarerequiredtostudyEnglishthroughoutmiddleschool,highschool,
andcollege.Thismeansourtraineesaveragebetween10-15yearsofpriorEnglish.

However,theChineseeducationsystememphasizesrotememorizationofvocabulary
andgrammaroveractual,functionalcommunication

Forthisreason,ChinesestrugglewithproductiveEnglishskills(writingandspeaking)

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EnglishasaSecondLanguageinChina(cont.)

Ofthefourskills,Chinesearerelativelyweakinspeakingandlistening.Thisismainly
becausetheylackopportunitiestopracticeinteractingwithnativeEnglishspeakers.

Weakerlisteningskillswillmeanthatyouraccent(howeverminor),pronunciation(no
matterhowstandard),andspeechratewillcausedifficultyforourtrainees.

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HowcanweimproveourJVtraineesabilitytounderstandspokenEnglish?

Speakmoreslowlythanusual
Youcangraduallyincreaseyourspeedofspeakingoverthedays/weeksasthetraineegets
usedtointeractingwithyou

Makeaconsciousefforttoavoidconfusingslangoridiomswheneveryoucan
Foremphasis,repeatcertainimportantconcepts/terminology,evenifnotaskedtorepeat

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HowcanweimproveourJVtraineesabilitytounderstandspokenEnglish?(cont.)

Tryparaphrasing(explainingcomplexterms/ideasinsimplerwords)whenpossible
Usegestures,graphics/diagrams,visualaids(suchasshow-and-tellhands-on
materials),andothermeanswhichrelymoreonsightthanhearing

Askatraineetorepeatanimportantidea/conceptbacktoyoutoverifyunderstanding

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SpokenEnglishmistakes

BecausemakinganEnglishmistake(especiallyinfrontofapersonofauthorityorinfront
ofagroup,regardlessofauthorityfigurespresent)wouldbeasignificantlossofface,
ChineseareveryhesitanttoexpressthemselvesinspokenEnglish.

Remembertobepatientandunderstandingwhenlisteningtotrainees.
Trytomakeaspecialefforttoadjustyoureartotheaccentandpronunciationofa
ChinesepersonspeakingEnglish.

Worktoestablishanenvironmentinwhichtraineesfeelfreetoexpressthemselvesand
allowthemtomakemistakesintheirspeakingfromtimetotime.

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WhattodowhenaspokenEnglishmistakeismade

Encouragethetraineetokeepspeaking,especiallyifthemistakeisminoranddoesnot
impedecommunicationofthemessage

Allowthetraineeanopportunitytoself-correct,incasehe/sherecognizeshis/hermistake
Ifyoudecidetocorrectthemistake,trytodosoinapoliteandnon-threateningway
Staymindfulofnotmakingthetraineelosefaceinfrontofothers
YoumightaskDoyoumean_____?
Otherwise,tryrepeatingtheideabackusingcorrectEnglish:

24

Trainee:Thisvalveisontheunderofthetank.
You:Yes,thevalveisonthebottomofthetank,thatsright.

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CommonEnglishmistakes/challenges

InMandarinChinese(thedialectspokenbyour
trainees),thewordsforheandshearepronounced
EXACTLYthesame(ta),thoughtheyarewritten
differently.Forthisreason,youmayhearaChinese
personsay:

Myfatherissokind.Shealwaystookmetothepark
afterhefinishedherwork.

Inthiscase,trytoclarifythesituationasneeded,but
trynottomakeabigdealoutofit.

SeenotesaboveoncorrectingEnglishmistakesand
onsavingface

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17or70?

ChineseoftenstruggletohearthedifferencebetweenEnglishnumberpairssuchas
seventeenandseventy.Sinceourtrainees(especiallyinoperatingunits)willneedto
learn/discuss/remembermanyfigures,pleasebearthisinmind.

Youcanassistby:
Clearlyenunciatingthedifferentsounds
Repeatingwhenneeded
Sometimeswritingoutthedigitsvisuallyincasethecomprehensioniscritical

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Numbers(1-10)

Chinesepeoplecanusea
singlehandtorepresentany
numberbetween1to10.
Theymayoftenusethese
handgesturestoverify
numberswhichtheyhave
heard.

Notehowmanyofthe
gesturesvisuallymatchor
approximatethewritten
Chinesecharactersforeach
number.

27

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Unitsofmeasurement

China,likemostforeigncountries,hasadoptedthemetric
system.

SomemeasuresinourRECplantaredoneinmetricunits
(cm,kg,etc.)butChinesewilldefinitelystruggletoadaptto
measureslikeounces/pounds,cups/quarts/gallons,
inches/feet/miles,anddegreesFahrenheit.

IfyoutellaChinesepersonitis20degreesoutside,he/she
willbeexcitedtowearat-shirt(20degreesCelsiusis
around68degreesFahrenheit)andwontknowthataparka
ismoreappropriate!

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Numerologyand(un)luckynumbers

Chinesepeoplehavebeliefsaboutluckyandunlucky
numbers.Beliefsinnumerology(thestudyofthe
divine/mysticalrelationshipbetweennumbersandcoinciding
events)arestronginChina.

HereinAmerica,manypeopleregard7asaluckynumber
and13asanunluckynumber.

ForChinesepeople,6/8/9areeachconsideredlucky,butfor
differentreasons.Thenumber4isavoided,sinceitsounds
similartotheChinesewordfordeath.

Chinesepeoplewillgotogreatlengthstohavemore8sor
9sintheirlicenseplateorphonenumber!
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Giving

Whengivenagift,Chinesepeoplewillpolitelyacceptitbutnotusuallyopenituntillater
afterguestsandthegiftgiverhaveleft.

Thisistoavoidpossiblyupsettingthegiverwithanegativereaction.
Therecipientalsodoesnotwanttoappeartooimpatient,whichwouldmeantheyvalue
materialobjectsmorethanthepeoplepresent.

WhenofferingaChinesepersonsomething(suchasdessertafterameal),theywill
politelydeclinetheoffertwice.Itwouldonlybeafterathirdoffer(Please,havesome
cake!)thattheywillfinallyaccept.

WhenAmericansmakesuchoffersonlyonetime,Chinesearedisappointedthattheydontget
twomorechances!

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Twohands

Whenhandingorreceivinganobject(includingbusinesscards),Chinesearetaughtas
childrenthatitisrudetohand/receiveanobjectwithonlyasinglehand.Becauseofthis,
theywillusuallypresentbusinesscards,forms,documentsandotherpaperobjectswith
twohands,expectingtherecipienttoalsoextendtwohandstoreceivetheobject.

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Sensitivetopicsofdiscussion

EvenamongsomeWesterners,therearethreediscussiontopicswhichtendtobe
avoidedamongpeoplewhodonotknoweachotherwell,namely:

Money/finances
Religion
Politics

Wewilladviseourtraineestoapproachthesetopicssensitively,butrealizethatitis
commoninChinaforaChinesepersontowalkuptoanAmericanstrangerandask:

Whatsyourmonthlysalary?or
DoyoubelieveinGod?or
DidyouvoteforPresidentObama?

Youmaybecuriousaboutthesethreetopicsandhowourtraineesfeelaboutthem
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Salaries/incomesinChina

Withanexchangerateof$1USDper6.5RMB,itisnotunusualtofindChineseworkers
whosesalaryislessthanasixthofwhatatypicalAmericanearns.Thecostoflivingin
Chinaisgenerallycheaper,sothisoffsetsthatdifferencetosomeextent.

TherearemajordiscrepanciesbetweenwhataworkerinurbanChina(especiallybig
citiessuchasBeijingandShanghai)earnsincomparisontowhatruralworkersearn.

SomedataindicatesthatChinasruralworkersonaverageearnonly60%ofwhatChinese
urbanworkersearn.

OurtraineesarebeingpaidasalarybytheYulinJVwhiletheyareworkinghereinthe
US,buttheywilllikelynotfeelcomfortablediscussingthatwithyou.

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ReligioninChina

TheCommunistPartyofficiallyrecognizesChinaasanatheistcountry,thoughpeople
doinfactpracticevariousreligions.

Thoughreliablestatisticsarehardtofind(and/orconflicting),therearevaryingnumbers
ofsupportersofthefollowingreligionsorspiritualbeliefs:

Buddhism
Ancestorworship
Daoism(Taoism)

ChristianityisontheriseinChina,butit,alongwithallotherreligions,facesrestrictions
onhowcitizensmaypracticetheirreligionpublically.
ThoughChinagrantsitscitizensthefreedomtobelieveinreligions,thewaysinwhichit
canbepracticedinsocietyarestructuredandcontrolledbythegovernment.
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PoliticsinChina

TheChineseCommunistPartycontrolsallmajorgovernmentoffices.
TheaverageChinesestudentisexpectedtojointheprecursorstotheParty(suchasthe
CommunistYoungPioneersandCommunistYouthLeague)frommiddleschoolorhigh
school,respectively.

Pragmatic,youngChinesetodayrealizethatcertainopportunitiesforadvancementin
China(includingprofessionalopportunitiesincertainfields/industries)maybeclosedto
themwithoutPartymembership.

IfyouchoosetodiscussthePartyorpoliticsingeneralwithourtrainees,realizethat
Chineseyouthinthe21stcenturyarenotasinterestedinpoliticsastheirparentswere,so
youmightnotgetmuchofaresponse.
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Politically-sensitiveissueswhicharebestavoided=TheThreeTs

AmericansshouldsensitivelyhandletheThreeTsasfollows:
Tibet(whetherornotitisasovereignnationorpartofChineseterritory)
Taiwan(whetherornotitisasovereignnationorpartofChineseterritory)
TiananmenSquare(thecrackdownonpro-democracyprotestersonJune4,1989)

Itwouldbesafesttoavoiddiscussinganyofthesethreeissueswithatraineeuntilafter
youhavedevelopedacloserrelationshipwiththattrainee.

Inpractice,itmaybebesttoagreetodisagreeregardingthesethreetopicsratherthan
tryingtomakeatraineetakeyourpointofviewaboutanyoftheseissues.

Incaseyouchoosetodiscussanyofthesetopics,dosowithsensitivityandrespect.
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Otherpolitically-sensitiveissues

ChinesepeoplehavestrongfeelingsabouttheJapaneseoccupationofChinaduring
WWII,aswellasJapanslaterwhitewashingofthosehistoricalevents.

Inrecentyears,theChinesegovernmenthasmadeterritorialclaimstovariousislands
andexpansesofwaterintheSouthChinaSeaandEastChinaSea(includingisland
groupssuchastheSpratlysandtheSenkakuIslands)

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Otherpolitically-sensitiveissues(cont.)

ChairmanMaoZedongisstillreveredasagreatleaderinChina(particularlybyolder
generationsofChinese),despitethemodernCommunistPartystatingofficiallythathe
was70percentrightand30percentwrong

OthermajorpoliticalleaderssinceMao(including,picturedinL-Rorderbelow,Deng
Xiaoping,JiangZemin,HuJintao;currentpresidentXiJinping)arealsohighlyrespected.

IncontrastwithAmerica,wherepoliticiansaremockedandjokedaboutdailyincartoonsand
stand-upcomedy,Chinesedonothavethesameattitudeabouttheirpoliticians.

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Environment

Chinesepeoplecareaboutbalancingthe
traditionalChineseelementsinlife:

Metal
Wood
Water
Fire
Earth

Fengshui:
orientingcommunities,buildings,rooms,

39

personalworkspaces,andobjectswithinthe
environmentbasedonauspiciousenergy
isbasedupontheseelements

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HongKongbuildingwithaholeintentionally
leftinitsothattheflowofenergy(fengshui)
wouldnotbeimpeded.

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Health

TraditionalChineseMedicine(TCM)usesherbsand
holisticremediesandissometimeschosenover
Westernmedicine(pills,surgery,etc.)fortreating
certainconditions.

Westernmedicineisthedominantformofmedicinefound

inmodernChinesehospitals
Popularremediesincludeacupuncture,acupressure,and
othertraditionalmethods

Chineseprefertohavefreshaircirculatingindoorsand
willoftenchoosetoopenadoor/windowwhen
Americanswouldfeeltheweatheristoocold/hottodoso

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Sportsandfitness

ChinesepeopletendtopreferdifferentsportsthanAmericansdo.
Contactsports,especiallycollisionsportslikeicehockeyandAmericanfootball,arenot
popularinChina.

ThemostpopularsportsinChinaaresoccer,pingpong(thenationalsportofChina),
badminton,and,morerecently,basketball.

IfyoufollowtheNBA,tryreachingouttoourtraineesaboutyourfavoriteteamsandplayers!

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Martialarts

Chinesealsoenjoyvariousmartialarts,thoughyoushouldntexpectthetraineesyou
meettobekungfumasters!

ThatwouldbelikeaChinesepersonexpectingeveryAmericantobeMichaelJordan!
Actually,themostcommonly-practicedmartialartinChinaisnotviolentatalltaichi(aka
taijiquan)

ManyChineseenjoydoingdailytaichitostaymentallyandphysicallyfit
Drivingearlytowork,IveseentraineesdoingthisoutsidetheirMosesLakeapartments!

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Food

Theelements(mentionedabove)influenceeatinganddrinkinghabits,sincecolddrinks
arethoughttodisruptapersonsqi(bodilyenergy)ifdrankwhileconsuminghotfoods.

Chinesewillrequestnoiceintheirdrinks.
Chinesedrinkbeerandotheralcoholatroomtemperature.

Chineseprefercookedvegetables(typicallysteamedorfried)torawvegetables(like
salads)

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Food(cont.)

ChinesepeopleusuallyfindWesterndesertstoosweetand/ortoorich,sotheymightnot
beexcitedaboutdonutsorbirthdaycakebroughtintowork

InChina,mostpeoplepreferfreshfruitasadesserttoconcludeameal

Ifinvitedtosomeoneshome(orevenarestaurant),itisconsideredrudetoeatALLof
thefoodservedandleaveonlyabareplate.

Thiswouldbeseenasamessagethatthehostisnotcompetentenoughtocook(ororder)
enoughfoodforeveryone

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Restaurants

Ingeneral,ittakesagreatdealoftimeandeffortfor
ChinesetodevelopatasteforAmericanfoodandother
Westernfood.

Incaseyouinviteatraineetolunch/dinnerataWestern
(American,Italian,Mexican,etc.)restaurant,theymay
declineyouroffer.Thiscouldbeduetoadistasteforthe
foodand/orthefactthatAmericanrestaurantsare
relativelyexpensivewhencomparedtoChineseones.

Sadly,mostAsianrestaurantsintheUSdontclosely
approximatewhatourtraineesateathome,sotheymight
notlikethoseoptions,either.

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Personalspace

DuetothehighpopulationdensityofChinesecities,mostChinesearewillingtoaccept
MUCHtighterquartersthantheaverageAmericanwouldbecomfortablewith.

Inlesscrowdedroomsorelevators,Chineseprefertomaintainalargerbubblebetween
themselvesandstrangersthanAmericanswould

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Personalspace(cont.)

Also,Chineseyoungpeopleareusedtolivinginclosequarterswithmanyroommatesin
asingledormroom(asmanyas4-8,withverylimitedspaceforeachindividual).

Thesedormsalsousuallyhavesharedbathroomsandcommunalshowers,further
limitingthesenseofindividualprivacyyetincreasingthesenseofgroupbelonging.

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Privacy

Inthesekindsofcrowdedenvironments,peopledont
havethesameexpectationofpersonalprivacythat
Americanswould.

ManydetailswhichAmericansconsiderprivateortoo
personaltobediscussedopenlyarenotsoinChina.

Forinstance,Chineseteacherspublishalistofevery

studentsscoreinanentireclass,sothereisnosecretas
towhowasthebest/worstorinthemiddle.

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Physicalcontact

Chinesepeoplearenotascomfortablewithphysicalcontact(handshakes,hugs,etc.)
withstrangersasAmericanstendtobe.
HandshakingasacustomisrelativelynewinChina,andyoulllikelyfindChinese(even
men)giveasomewhatlimphandshakecomparedtoAmericans.
Conversely,ChinesewonderwhytheAmericantheyjustmethastriedtocrushtheir
hand!

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Same-genderphysicalcontact

Anotherculturaldifferenceisinsame-genderphysicalcontact.
InChina,itisverycommontoseetwowomen(typicallyfriends,classmates,co-workers,
etc.)walkingdownthestreetholdinghands,butitisastrictlyplatonicgesture.
Similarly,twoChinesemenaremorelikelytowalkalongsideoneanotherwithabrotherly
armovertheshoulderthantwoAmericanmenwouldbe.

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Whatsinaname?

WhenaChinesepersontellsyouhis/hername,itcanbeconfusingastowhichishis/her
firstnameorlastname.

InWesternconventions,thefamilyname(surname)usuallycomessecond,withthe
givenname(sometimesreferredtoasChristianname)comingfirst.

InChina,thisorderisreversed.

Chinesecultureplacesgreatemphasisonfilialpiety(dutifulrespecttoyour
parents/elders)andpeopleemphasizethegroup(family,inthiscase)overtheindividual.

Placingthefamilynamebeforethegivennameisawaytoemphasizethis.
Examples:
given name = Michael
surname = Jones
Mr. Michael Jones
given name = Weibin
surname = Li
Mr. Li Weibin
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HowshouldIaddressyou?

SomeChineseadjusttheirownnameswhentalkingwithAmericans,whichmeansthe
personmightbegivingyoutheirnameinWesternorder(WeibinLiinsteadofLiWeibin).

Ifindoubt,askthepersonwhichnametheydprefertobecalled.
ChinesepeopleareusuallymoreformalintermsofaddressthanAmericans.
Amongco-workers,LiWeibinislikelytobecalledMr.Liandwouldnormallyonlybe
calledWeibinbyveryclosefriends.

Ofcourse,somepeoplearemoreorlessformal,soitpaystoask!

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Englishnames

EachofourtraineeshaschosenanEnglishnameforthemselves,soyouarewelcometo
usethatnamewheninteractingwithatrainee.

Agoodconversationstarterorice-breakercanbe:
WhydidyoupickthisEnglishname?

Anothergoodquestion:
WhatisthemeaningbehindyourChinesename?
ManyChinesenameshaveverypoetic,profound,orinterestingmeanings.

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LunarCalendar

MostimportantChineseholidaysfollowtheLunar
Calendar,withitscyclesofthemoon

TheWesterncalendar(referredtoasGregorian
calendar)followssolarcycles(thesun)

Thefirstdayofthefirstlunarmonthisconsidered
NewYearsDay,butthisoccursirregularlybetween
mid-Januarytomid-Februaryduetodiscrepancies
betweenthelunar/solarcalendars.

FellonMonday,February8th,2016;
our trainees got the day off of work!

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ImportantChineseholidays/festivalsof2016

LanternFestival(fifteenthdayoffirstlunarmonth;Feb-Mar)
Tomb-SweepingDay(solarcalendar;April4thor5th)
MayDay(LaborDay,solarcalendar--May1st)

Feb22,2016

April2,2016(obs)
May1,2016

DragonBoatFestival(fifthdayoffifthlunarmonth;May-June)

Jun9,2016

ChineseValentinesDay(seventhdayofseventhlunarmonth;Aug) Aug9,2016
Mid-AutumnFestival(15thdayof8thlunarmonth;Sep-Oct)

Sep15,2016

NationalDay(celebratesfoundingofthePRC;followssolarcalendar) Oct1,2016
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ChineseZodiac

ChinesepeoplefollowtheChinesezodiacinsteadoftheWesternone
Organizedbyyearofbirthandanimalsign
12Animals:rat,ox,tiger,rabbit,dragon,snake,horse,goat,monkey,rooster,dog,pig

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2016willbetheYearoftheMonkey
ForChinesepeople,askingsomeoneszodiacsignisaclandestinewayofaskinghis/herage!

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Birthdays

ChinesepeoplebelievethattheChineseNewYear(LunarNewYear)isthedaywhen
everyonegetsoneyearolder,sosomepeoplecelebratethistoagreaterextentthan
theiractualbirthdate.

SomeChinesewillcelebrateboththeirlunarANDsolarcalendarbirthdays
Twopartiesinsteadofone!

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Celebratingbirthdays

ForChinesebirthdays,someyoungpeoplehave
adoptedtheWesternhabitofhavingasweet,
frostedbirthdaycake.

TraditionalwaystocelebrateinChinainclude:
Eatingnoodles(withlongstrandssymbolizinga
longlifeahead)

Olderpeopleeatsteamedbunsshapedlike
peaches(aspeachessymbolizelongevity)

Invitingfriends/familytolunch/dinner,butthe
birthdayboy/girlpaysthebill!!!

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Anyquestions?

PleasecontactAndyifyouhavefurtherquestionsorconcernsabouthowtobestsupport
ourJVtrainees.

Email:Andrew.Ramdular@RECSilicon.com
Phone:509-431-3781
Office:JVTrainingTrailers(MosesLake),officeintheNorthofficetrailer

Wehopeeveryonewilldotheirbesttomakeourtraineesfeelbothwelcomeand
supportedduringtheirtrainingprogramshereintheUS!

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