I’m proudly translating Discover China by my friend Eric Nie into Spanish (Mexico) and Portuguese (Brazil). Today’s story is a short copywriting essence of Chapter 8. If you’d like to go deeper and explore the full journey, I highly recommend Eric’s book ($9.99): https://ericonchina.com/collections/all
Dear Friends,
A Western executive once flew to Beijing for what looked like a solid partnership.
He arrived on time.
Got straight to business.
Declined the first glass of baijiu — “I don’t drink during meetings.”
The Chinese host smiled politely.
By dessert, the deal was gone.
Afterward, the executive asked me, “Did I say something wrong?”
I said, “Not exactly. You just didn’t say what needed to be said — without words.”
In China, mistakes aren’t always about what you do.
They’re about what you miss.
Many foreigners arrive assuming: same business rules, just a different language.
But China isn’t a translated version of the West.
It’s a different operating system.
Here are the common traps:
Rushing the relationship.
In the West, if numbers work, contracts follow.
In China, trust comes first. Dinners aren’t social fluff. They’re due diligence.
Misreading “yes.”
“Yes” may mean “I hear you,” not “I agree.”
Harmony often replaces blunt clarity.
Ignoring hierarchy.
Respect flows top down. Address the senior person first. Efficiency follows respect.
Treating government as a barrier.
In China, local officials are stakeholders. Align with their goals, and doors open faster.
Projecting too much confidence.
Humility builds influence quicker than dominance.
Forgetting face.
Correct privately. Praise publicly. Protect dignity.
And perhaps the biggest misunderstanding:
Expecting fairness to mean sameness.
In China, fairness often means balance — not identical treatment, but mutually sustainable outcomes.
Over the years, I’ve watched brilliant foreigners fail here — not from lack of intelligence, but from lack of context.
China doesn’t reward the smartest person in the room.
It rewards the one who can read the room.
A European manager once told me:
“In China, I learned to listen three times before speaking once.”
That’s the rhythm.
There’s no secret to succeeding in China.
Only awareness.
Master the rhythm, and China stops feeling like a puzzle.
It starts feeling like a partnership.
Cheers,
Augusto
Founder of Expat Eyes on China
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