China A to Z : everything you need to know to understand Chinese customs and culture

May-lee Chai, Winberg Chai

Penguin, 2007 - Travel - 292 pages

A practical and accessible guide to an ancient but rapidly changing culture

Perfect for business and armchair travelers alike, China A to Z explains the customs, culture, and etiquette essential for any trip or for anyone wanting to understand this complex country. In one hundred brief, reader-friendly chapters, alphabetized by subject, China A to Z introduces a general audience to contemporary Chinese society, as well as its venerable history. Discover:
? Why Chinese names are written in reverse order
? What to bring when visiting a Chinese household
? What the current relationship is between Japan and China
? Why you should wrap gifts in red or pink paper, and never send white flowers

With the 2008 Summer Olympics being held in Beijing, thousands of Chinese adoptions occurring each year, and China becoming the fourth most popular international destination, the need for information about this complex country is greater than ever.

What people are saying

Review: China A to Z: Everything You Need to Know to Understand Chinese Customs and Culture

User Review  - Jenna Fisher - Goodreads

Good primer on all things China. And it's literally an A to Z guide aimed at helping you understanding China in a nutshell. Alphabetically ordered, each 'chapterlet' is only about a page or so long ...

Review: China A to Z: Everything You Need to Know to Understand Chinese Customs and Culture

User Review  - Mark - Goodreads

I like the helpful pronunciations. It was kind of weird reading one chapter talk about something and then the next just repeated it almost word for word. Oh well there were two people writing it. If I ever do go visit I will reread this book or buy it and take it with me.

Contents

• Animals: 1
• Architecture: 4
• Banquets: 7
• Bargaining: 13
• Beijing: 15
• Body Language: 18
• Buddhism: 21
• Canton Guangzhou: 24
• Cars: 27
• Chiang Kaishek: 29
• Children: 31
• Chinese Communist Party: 33
• Chongqing: 36
• Colors: 38
• Confucianism: 41
• Corruption: 44
• Cultural Revolution: 47
• Dalai Lama: 52
• Daoism: 54
• Deng Xiaoping: 56
• Dialects: 59
• Ethnic Minorities: 73
• Feng Shui: 88
• Food: 101
• Visiting a Home 253: 114
• Gong Li: 115
• Guomindang Kuomintang or KMT: 128
• Human Rights: 142
• Peng: 155
• Macau: 161
• Martial Arts: 169
• Music: 176
• Nanjing: 182
• One Child Policy: 188
• Peking Opera: 194
• Public Displays of Affection: 201
• Respect for Elders: 209
• Shopping: 216
• The Soong Sisters: 223
• Sun Yatsen: 231
• Three Gorges Dam: 240
• Tibet: 246
• Wen Jiabao: 256
• Index: 279
• Lu Xun Lu Hsiin 159: 286

About the author

MAY-LEE CHAI is the author of five books, including The Girl from Purple Mountain (coauthored with her father, Winberg Chai). She has a masterÂ's degree from Yale University in East Asian studies and has studied and worked in China.
WINBERG CHAI was born in Shanghai. He received his Ph.D. from New York University and is the author of more than twenty books on China. When not teaching in the United States, he lectures frequently in China.

Bibliographic information

• Title: China A to Z : everything you need to know to understand Chinese customs and culture
• Authors: May-lee Chai, Winberg Chai
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: Penguin, 2007
• ISBN: 0452288878, 9780452288874
• Length: 292 pages
• Subjects: Reference / Personal & Practical Guides; Social Science / Customs & Traditions; Travel / Asia / China; Travel / Essays & Travelogues