Strictly business (…..and pleasure)
strictly business (….and pleasure) - Why the Chinese have a tendency to mix those two together
When talking about a formal business meeting, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Dim sum, fish braised in red sauce, meet with fat on, spicy Sichuan food, deep fried ice cream, Mala Tofu, Shanghainese Xiao Long Bao, Gongbao Giding (chicken dish) or is it the notorious Xian Cai (food from the province of Hunan)? Well, I guess people in the west would look a bit weird at one if that was the case. Also what about karaoke and spas? Do they fit in the whole idea of a formal business meeting? I mean, drinking all night or getting a massage from beautiful, yet a bit premature girls while discussing the importance of investment or the future of one’s company?!
The Chinese as well as the Japanese don’t seem to have any problems blending business with pleasure, on the contrary the pleasure part plays a crucial role in terms of business meetings and negotiations between two or more units/companies. Keeping this in mind I will be discussing the importance of the banquet, agenda, time and dress, dinning etiquette and reciprocation.
In the arena of the Chinese banquet hall many deals can be made or unmade. A banquet is a way of showing respect to one’s business partner(s), and is expected as a part of the business experience. These banquets are of most exquisite importance not only for sealing a deal but also for building relations and extending one’s network nationally as well as internationally. When attending one of these banquets one must know exactly how to dress and when one should arrive. Usually the higher rank you have the later you can come and of course one’s clothing is determined by one’s position in the unit/firm.
It is crucial to know the Chinese business way of dinning etiquette. One mistake could ruin the atmosphere under the whole banquet which usually lasts all night. Therefore it is vital to know the details of the way of Chinese business etiquettes if one wants to avoid embarrassment and awkwardness. Of course most people who have had some kind of contact with Chinese restaurants will know that one’s meal most often includes a bowl of rice or noodles. Everything else will be put on a communal plate for everyone to share. When it comes to seating matters, the most important person (often the host) get’s a free pick of seat and the second most important person (often the guest) will be seated across the table facing directly at the host.
I talked a lot about food earlier, but I didn’t mention in what a large numbers they come. It is said that a standard banquet consists of 4-8 prepared cold dishes (could be meet or marinated veggies and so forth), 8 hot dishes, 2-4 whole-size dishes such as a whole fish, a whole pig or a whole chicken/duck, in addition to soups, steamed rice and pastries. The dinner usually finishes up with some free-of-charge fruit or some Chinese style desert if ordered. All this food; and we’re talking about 6-13 people here!!
But we might just be loosing our grip here, with all this talk about food. When it comes down to it all, the purpose of these big and lavishing banquets are still that of sealing a deal, making some kind of business negotiation that will benefit both parties. That’s when the concept of reciprocation comes into the picture. The final decision needs to of course benefit both parties and they often do; but the banquet itself can be a way of convincing the guest in doing business with the firm in which the hosts comes from. One could in fact argue that the banquet itself acts as a form of tool, in convincing the guest’s firm in cooperating with the hosts’.
A Chinese style banquet seems pretty overwhelming at first, but one might just fall in love with this fundamental aspect of doing business and maintaining relationships; the Chinese certainly do!
