Hong Kong Orientation Guide

Feng Shui

Decisions on thedesignofbuildings and evenonwhere to place yourbed in yourapartmentare made based on the ancient Chinese geomancer’s art of feng shui.The principles of feng shui, which literallymeanswindandwater,areanintrinsicpartofdoingbusiness inHongKong.Afeng shui master is consulted to determine the site of a building, the arrangement of furniture, the openingofanoffice,ortheselectionofaweddingdate.Themostauspiciousdatesandphysical settingsarethose inharmonywiththeelementalforcesoftheearth.

Chinese Customs

Theadvantageoflivinginaforeigncountryistheopportunityitprovidesforlearningabout another culture.Most of theChinesepeople withwhomyouwill interact are quite sophisticated andworldly.Manyhavebeeneducated in theWest,andmanymorehavetraveledextensively. Consequently,there is very littleyoucando that will shockorinsult them—witha fewexceptions. Despite its worldly veneer, Hong Kong is a very Chinese city and ancient traditions and ancestral rites are deeply embedded in the culture. It is fascinating to learn asmuch as possible about Chinaanditshistorywhileyouarehere.Yourinsightswillbeinvaluableinhelpingyouto appreciate much of what goes on around you every day.

BelowwediscusssomeverygeneralChinesecustomsthatwehopeyouwillfindhelpfulasyou adjust to your newenvironment.

General Customs

+ It is polite to use both hands when you give or receive anything: a business card, a gift, or even a borrowed pen. + With Chinese names, the surname comes first: for example, Wong Sun Ting is referred to as Mr. Wong. If he were to use an English name, it would be written as follows: Sun-ting Wong. + Avoid losing your temper. It is considered loss of face to lose control of one’s emotions. + Chinese are more formal than Americans and avoid direct body contact other than shaking hands. Disagreeing with someone is considered impolite. Chinese often will give the impression of agreement even when they may internally disagree.

17