Chinese people are quite patriotic and proud of their culture. It is considered ill-mannered to criticize China for sensitive issues like human rights, Taiwan or Tibet, which are based on Western media information they have no access to. As leisure tourists they do not expect to enter into political discussions. Based on China’s history of occupation by foreign nations, they are sensitive to racial stereotyping and bias. If they feel this to be the case with any service provided to them, their offence will be severe.

Chinese feel free to ask direct personal questions out of simple curiosity (personal income, blood type, date of birth and family relations for example). This is an expression of concern and friendship and not meant to be rude or intrusive. The differences between Chinese people from various regions can be just as pronounced as between different countries in Europe. Before receiving a group it is useful to know which area they are from in order to adjust your service and planning accordingly.

Credit cards are becoming more popular but international cards are difficult to obtain and normally require a large deposit in China. Therefore for travel, cash is still king. Unfortunately the large amounts of cash they take for shopping make Chinese tourists a target for robbery, so safety is one of their greatest concerns and should be addressed head-on.

Name cards are always exchanged at business and social meetings and should be handed out and received with both hands holding the card. If receiving Chinese guests, or visiting China, it is a good idea to prepare Chinese versions of your name card. They will show your guests/partners how to pronounce your name and what is your position. The Chinese surname always comes before the given name, usually consisting of one syllable, although there are exceptions. Names of ethnic groups in China are different. It is acceptable to shake the hands of people of the same gender while with younger people social handshaking is much the same as in the west. Social kissing, which is normal in Europe, is not the norm in China.

As Chinese avoid head on confrontation at any cost, you may be excused for thinking after a visit that everything went smoothly and to their satisfaction. In fact, the reason they do not complain is because they fear it will lead to an embarrassing confrontation. The concept of ‘face’ is extremely important. MianZi in Chinese, can be lost (shi mianzi) or given (gei mianzi). Losing face happens when someone is put in an embarrassing situation. Making a Chinese person nervous in an already uncomfortable and alien environment will definitely lead to a loss of face. Even when in the wrong, avoid a direct confrontation. If there is a tour leader, it is best to discuss problems with him or her first and ask him/her to facilitate the resolution. Finding a compromise is always seen as the best way.

It is usually likely that the guests will return to China and either complain to their travel agent or just to their friends and family. In any case, a responsible host will try to find out their real thoughts of the experience before they depart. Some tips on how to accomplish that:

• Ask the agent – Follow up visits by checking with the tour operator or travel agent if they had received any complains or comments on the services.
• Formulate questions differently – rather than asking “is everything ok?”, rather “how can we make your experience better?” or “what suggestions can you make to improve our service?”, so that the reply will be perceived as friendly and positive.
• Never assume you have received an honest reply. The cliché about yes meaning maybe and maybe meaning no is very much a fact in China.