ESCAPE BLOG

Greeting has always been, imo, a cultural faux pas waiting to happen. I never could quite figure out which to do: to shake hands, kiss once, kiss on each cheek, or kiss three times — alternating cheeks. I have been known to extend my hand whenever a cheek is offered; I have even been a subject of several anecdotes due to the times I almost kissed people on their lips. As confused as I may have been, at least, I could never be accused of being aloof.

I wrote that a year after I moved to Europe.

After (finally) having gotten used to all those European kisses in the air, I was requested to work on a project for a month in one of our foreign offices… in China!

Imagine my confusion when I met the locals. Doubts came to my mind when I got there. Didn’t they like me? Why are the Chinese all so rude? I felt that no one really took to me and I was so offended.

I didn’t learn until later that the Chinese are not touch-oriented. Some of them may have taken to hand shaking but a lot of would probably just give you a nod or a bow. That’s just the way they are and it shouldn’t be misconstrued as being rude.

If YOU ever plan on going to China, do not make the same mistake I did! It’s always best to read about the local culture, especially if it is so different than what you are used to.

Here’s a must-read about the Chinese Body Language/Greeting Culture which could help you on your next trip to China… and which could have helped me a lot had I read it 4 years ago.