China A to Z: Everything You Need to Know to Understand Chinese Customs and Culture

by May-lee Chai and Winberg Chai

Book Overview

A practical and accessible guide to an ancient but rapidly changing culture Perfect for business and armchair travelers alike, China A to Z explains the customs, culture, and etiquette essential for any trip or for anyone wanting to understand this complex country. In one hundred brief, reader-friendly chapters, alphabetized by subject, China A to Z introduces a general audience to contemporary Chinese society, as well as its venerable history. Discover:...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0452288878
• ISBN13: 9780452288874
• Release Date: September 2007
• Publisher: Plume Books
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 4.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.3" x 8.0"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Not bad!

A nice overview...gives you some very helpful hints about dealing with people and situations there. Covers a lot of places, items and cultural differences, but as might be expected, not at all in depth but certainly a good starting point to guide you to what you would wish to know more about.

Short helpful collection of tips on current China

Just got back from a short notice, whirlwind, week long visit to the P.R. of China, and I found this book way more useful than the far more detailed tour guides I read. Although I only visited Guangzho and Beijing, in those cities I found the authors' observations of culture, custom and travel to be spot on. This is kind of Cliff's notes for China, so it is easy to quibble with the points of view and choices of the authors, but as long as you keep in mind how much they had to try to cover while keeping the book short and concise, I think you will concur they did a pretty good job.

Lots of Useful Information for Such a Quick Read!

I just took my first trip to China for business purposes and I found this to be the most helpful book of all three books I took on the trip. This is a well-written, colloquial read that speaks to the history, culture, perspective and trends of China in an easy-to-internalize format. It draws significant comparisons to American culture so that one better understands the differences and it rationalizes them too. It's loaded with information for such a quick read and I was conversational on so many different topics that it helped me to dialogue with my Chinese colleagues in a way that made them feel comfortable and helped them to open up more too. This is not a tourist's guide that rates the attractions of the landd such as a Fodor's,etc. It is a culture overview. I highly recommend this book for those who need an introduction to the Chinese culture.

Fun, interesting, and comprehensive

I really liked reading this book. I would read it again if I had time. I like how it jumps from topic to topic, repeats some information from other chapters to show you how things are connected, and reads very easily. I feel much more knowledgable about China and want to learn more.

China 101: A Complete Cultural Introduction for Travelers, Arm-Chair Travelers, or Beginning Sinolog

China is changing fast. Opening up to the West, morphing into an economic power house; ever so many foreigners continue journeying to this exotic and extraordinary destination rich in history, unique cultures, and remarkable sites. Multitudes of guidebooks published about the country today emphasize logistical details, facts, and figures, giving little heed to the nitty-gritty of culture and customs ever-so-important in a traditional society. Fortunately, May-Lee & Winberg Chai have produced a book acquainting readers with the intricate details of culture, customs, and etiquette that most travel books scantily touch. Listings from A to Z introduce readers to everything about China from current customs, contemporary and pop culture, to geography that outsiders are most likely unfamiliar with. Instructions on how to address people, the meaning of different colors used by the Chinese, attitudes toward bargaining, how to respectfully visit a Chinese home, how to avoid eating unbearable critters, proper chopstick etiquette, and the Chinese concept of "face" are all among the valued wisdom to be found in this book. Though some of the topics' practicalities and significance are questionable: The "Gay & Lesbian Culture" chapter is double the size of "The Great Wall" section. Not to mention any section that recounts the country's complex history falls short- the "History" timeline is only incidents where the Chinese have been victims in the past and I unfortunately wasn`t able to locate the whole history of the communist party which includes murdering over 30 million people, though the character of Chiang Kai-shek is repeatedly scorned and the entire account of the Civil War is often prevaricated altogether. Nevertheless, the overall aim of the book- to provide insightful, crucial knowledge for foreigners is accomplished quite effectively. The cultural "Do's & Don'ts" alone make this the perfect companion to any China travel guide.