Before I came to China, I read several books on Chinese
culture. One question I had was if Chinese people bowed. According to the books
I read, Chinese people both bow and shake hands, depending on the situation.
Well, that’s wrong. I’ve been in China for 10 months now and I haven’t seen any
Chinese people bow as a greeting or as a goodbye. In fact, they bow as often as
Americans do. The only time I’ve seen a Chinese people bow is at the end of a
performance.
While Chinese people don’t bow, they do shake hands. The
handshake, however, is different than in the US. Americans like a firm, hearty
handshake. That kind of handshake would make people uncomfortable here. In
China, people use a gentle, brief handshake. The best I can think of is that
the handshake is more like what I’ve experienced with old ladies at church, a
sort of soft, clasping of the hands. It’s not the type of handshake you would
do at a business meeting.
Since I read that people bow in China, I went around Beijing
bowing like I did in Korea. I did this for a few days. People gave me the same
looks I would have gotten in the US; until I finally got the message and
stopped. Don’t be like me. It makes people think you’re crazy.
President Obama and Former President Hu shake hands in 2011.
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