“Sooner or later everyone sits down to a banquet of consequences.”
- Robert Louis Stevenson
The art of the business deal here in China goes one step further than the boardroom, and it’s in the arena of the banquet hall that many a deal can be made or unmade. A banquet is a way of bestowing respect on a visiting business partner, and should be an expected part of the business experience in China. Indeed, the Chinese put a great deal of importance on the building of relationships, a term that is best understood through the catchall term guanxi, and it is during the banquet that guanxi is established. In fact, it may be that the real decision makers of a Chinese firm will only appear during one of these events to judge the steel of their potential business partners, to see if their partners are compatible on a personal level. Beware, though, because the Chinese banquet is often a long, arduous undertaking involving a great deal of food which may not be familiar to the Western palate, a great deal of toasting with baijiu, just about the closest thing to real firewater out there, and what one might assume to be a friendly after work dinner party can quickly become what looks like ritualized hazing. Here are a few pointers on what to expect, mastering the etiquette, and how to get through a banquet anywhere in the Middle Kingdom, from Harbin to Guangzhou.
1. The business card, or mingxingpian:
Chances are you’re going to meet people who you haven’t met before the banquet truly begins. Be prepared with your business cards, and don’t make the mistake of giving it to the recipient one handed or off the cuff. Chinese present their cards the way they would present themselves: with respect and humility. Use both hands to present your business card, and the recipient will receive it in the same way. Give and receive with a ni hao and a xie xie, respectively.
