"The essential guide to customs & culture"--Cover.

Edition statement and date found on page 165.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 164-165) and index.

Map of China -- Introduction -- Key facts -- Land And People: -- Terrain and climate -- China: a brief history -- Growth of new cities -- Han Chinese and minority nationalities -- Government and politics -- Thorny issues: Media, free speech, and human rights -- Environment -- Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macau -- Overseas Chinese, and China's influence on its neighbors -- Values And Attitudes: -- Chinese philosophy -- Yin and Yang -- Feng Shui -- Pragmatism -- Citizens of the Middle Kingdom -- Attitudes to overseas Chinese -- Patience is a virtue -- Losing face -- Men and women -- Attitudes to women -- Myth of Chinese inscrutability -- Family -- Babies and children -- Respect for old age and ancestors -- Education -- Guangxi, or social networking Chinese style -- Chinese At Home: -- Lifestyles and housing -- Social relations and occupations -- Presents -- Chinese names -- Overcoming the language barrier -- Meeting and greeting -- Body language -- Exits and entrances -- Boy meets girl -- Hobbies -- Religion, Festivals, And Rituals: -- Many religions and none -- Traditional festivals and national holidays -- Birthdays, weddings, and funerals -- Health And Well-Being: -- Staying healthy in China -- Chinese medicine -- Beliefs about health -- Oigong and the martial arts -- Bathroom hygiene -- Food And Drink: -- Importance of food in Chinese culture -- Different regional cuisines -- Jasmine tea and hot rice wine -- Teahouse tranquility -- Smokers' paradise -- Time Out: -- Getting around -- Rules and regulations -- Money and safety -- Shopping -- Nightlife -- Culture -- Banquets And Entertaining: -- Good guest -- Greetings -- Seating and table arrangements -- Eating -- Making speeches and proposing toasts -- Making polite conversation -- Return match -- Business Briefing: -- China's entry to the World Trade Organization -- Business culture -- Contacting people -- Negotiating techniques -- Work in China -- Communicating: -- Mandarin, Cantonese, and other forms of Chinese -- Pinyin: the Romanization of Chinese characters -- Written Chinese -- Calligraphy -- Appendix: Simple vocabulary -- Further reading -- Index.

Culture Smart! provides priceless nuggets of cultural information on China not found in a standard guidebook. Whether you are looking to secure a business deal, enrich your travels, or simply better understand China, its people and customs, Culture Smart! provides the information in a clear and highly readable guide.

Culture Smart! China puts the latest dramatic changes into a historical context, explains deep-seated cultural attitudes, and guides the visitor through a maze of unfamiliar social situations. It will enable you to discover for yourself the warmth, intelligence, humor, and humanity of this extraordinary people. For thousands of years, the Chinese believed that they had created a perfect social system. Dynasties came and went, but the essence of being Chinese remained more or less unchanged until the twentieth century. Following invasion by the Japanese, civil war, and revolution, in 1949 Mao Zedong and the Communists took power. China was largely closed off from the rest of the world, undergoing almost constant revolution at an often terrible price. After Mao's death in 1976 the country opened its doors to the West and introduced a nascent market economy, called "socialism with Chinese characteristics." China became the "workshop of the world." Low wages and a low yuan boosted exports and created jobs for millions. The spectacular Beijing Olympics of 2008 heralded China's arrival as an economic superpower. When the world plunged into economic crisis, in China, too, factories closed, but most unemployed workers simply made their way back to the countryside. The patience, diligence, enterprise, and natural optimism that are part of the Chinese character helped tide it over the setback. Since then social and economic development have been astonishing. Under Communist Party direction, the economy moved from export-led growth to home consumption. New mega-cities sprang up, peopled by a generation of city dwellers, light years away from their parents' rural world. Opinion is divided about the present economic slowdown. Either way, this is a country no one can ignore. The Chinese have always taken a long-term view of events. They are proud of their ancient civilization and their modern achievements. Among the young, educated, urban elite there is an eagerness to discuss issues that were formerly "off limits." --Publisher