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Chinese people do not usually use their fingers for eating. An exception is shrimp that needs
to
be peeled.Place the shells on your plate and use the communal finger bowl for cleaning
your fingers. After the shrimp course, plates will be changed by the waiter. Usually wet towels
are also at each place for cleaning your hands.
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Chinese guests usually leave the table very promptly after eating a meal. Watch to see what
your host does and follow his lead. At banquets, whole oranges are often served as dessert.
This isusually the sign thatthemeal isoverand somegueststake their orangehome
with them.Watch to seewhat your hostdoes and followhisorher lead.
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The host will almost always pay the entire dinner bill. Splitting the bill or “going Dutch” is
frowneduponandcancause lossofface fortheguests.Asaguest,itisconsidered
polite tomake an attempt to pay,however let the host pay the bill after two or three polite
attempts towrestle the bill.Smiles and gentle arguing over who pays thebill is a common
scene inChinese restaurants.
Gifts
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The most appropriate gifts to bring are fruit, chocolate or alcohol.
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A gift is not usually opened in front of the giver. The gift will be set aside and opened later.
Lucky Money
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Money placed in special red envelopes, called ‘lai see’ packets, are given as gifts, especially
atChineseNewYear.
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Lai see should be distributed to recipients the first time you see them after the start of
Chinese New
Year.Itis usually given to caretakers, guards, building personnel, secretaries
and other people who have given you good service over the year. Use crisp, new bills.
Avoid giving two $20s, which equals forty, because it is the same sound as “death” in Cantonese.
Further Reading
There are a number of excellent
publications available in local bookstores if
you would like to learn more about Chinese
customs. Some suggestions are:
Culture Shock Hong Kong
by Betty Wei and Elizabeth Li
History of Hong Kong
by Frank Welsh
Beyond the Chinese Face
by Michael Harris Bond