Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

This is my experience as a Chinese teacher, I suggested this book to my students and most of them thought that it was simple minded book! Besides, the book is filled with preconceived ideas about Chinese-western ideas. My students were disappointed and did not learn a lot about Chinese culture . If you are a Chinese student you have other books on amazon dealing with Chinese culture and history. My students are learning Chinese and I did not want them to be imbue with preconceived ideas about China and the western world. For instance, when the writer describes Chinese medicine, you will read the anti western comments such as the whites who were doctors came to california and took all the jobs of the CHinese(first you needed to have a licence, and secondly if you know the history and the research about Daoism( the qi enery, ying and yang medicine, the jesuits in China, you will learn that it is not true and it is a preconceived idea to believe the Chinese traditional method was superior in that time, there were a lot of exchanges between China and the western medicines, the emperors were happy to receive the small pox vaccination and were fascinated about the western medicines as well as the jesuits) Anyway, I was very embarrassed to have suggested this book( Chinese culture from A to Z) to my students. As a teacher I would recommend these books, i read them and tested them with my students. These books are neutral and devoid of preconceived ideas :
The books that my students recommended are as follows:
Chinese Language and Culture by Weijia Huang and Qun Ao
Encountering the Chinese, 2nd Edition: A Guide for Americans
Chinese Business Etiquette: A Guide to Protocol, Manners, and Culture in the People's Republic of China (A Revised and Updated Edition of "Dealing with the Chinese")
Chinese Culture (DVD - Dec 1, 2006)

Gateway To Chinese Culture(Paperback)
na (Eyewitness Travel Guides)(Vinyl Bound)
when you are a writer you think of the readers who learn Chinese and do not want to read the communist mind or all hatred towards the westerners in this book. This the report of my bitter students who did not like the book, so I will not recommend this book to any Chinese students or people who want to learn tolerance and the wonderful culture about China. Learn the wonderful culture with neutral and open minded books.

A simple-minded book written by Cantonese speakers who don't know how to pronounce things in proper Mandarin. The authors are also blatantly pro-communist and present only a most caricatured account of the civil war.

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.

This book is a series of very short essays (1-3 pages) on all things Chinese. It was a wonderful introduction for us as we prepared for a short trip to Beijing. It touches on history, popular culture, social customs, even who are the popular movie stars. It is a quick and easy read, and I recommend it particularly for someone who wants to have a general context for further investigation on China - read this first!

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.

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.

This is a well written, easy to read book with good insights into Chinese culture. Subject matter are issues that concern visitors for short trips or extended visits. The subjects are easy to reference and contain historical perspectives and practical suggestions. Just what a visitor wants, both for insight into the area and to prepare one for a positive experience.

A very useful and interesting trip preparation guide and something I intend to bring with me for reference on future trips to China.

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.

Easily read and enormously helpful, interesting information that will add immensely to your productive visit to China. The book's title is accurate.