Confucius Says ... There Are No Fortune Cookies in China

Book excerpt: Even though instant communications and strides in transportation have made it easier for individuals to travel and communicate, the great divide across global cultures continues. Nowhere is this more evident than between the cultures of China in the East and the United States in the West. With Chinas elevation to global superpower status, it is vital for Americans to improve their understanding of the principles that are core to the way our friends and counterparts in China think and act. In Confucius Says There Are No Fortune Cookies in China, authors Edward V. Yang, Kate Ou, and Dennis Smith discuss the customs, history, and business practices in China, with an eye toward enhancing relationships through a better understanding of the culture of the East through American eyes. Yang, Ou, and Smith translate more than one hundred combined years of real-world living and working experience in China and across Asia into practical, everyday lessons intended for anyone wishing to build better business and personal relationships in China. This guide contains one hundred lessons, including common sayings, proverbs, idioms, quotes from ancient Chinese philosophers, and the authors own experiences. Yang shares fundamental lessons derived from his personal experienceknowledge gained through his upbringing, through his traditional Chinese and US education, through his work experience in Asia and the United States, and, most importantly, through his mistakes.