The Beijing Business Banquet

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Coming to Beijing on Business? Read this first!

 

Whether dealing with associates from home or abroad, Beijing business people are well-known for their hospitality. If you find yourself visiting the capital on business, you will invariably be invited to attend the Beijing business banquet at some point during your stay. There are, however, a few local points of etiquette that you should be aware of.

 

Firstly, always wait to be seated. Seating arrangements can be complicated; there’s a well-established hierarchy as to who should sit where. Secondly, there’s no need to rush your meal. The waitresses will first produce a large selection of cold dishes. Then the main dishes will arrive. You’d be forgiven for thinking that the cold dishes alone comprise the whole shebang – in fact it’s often joked that the menus at these banquets have more entrees than a Beijing business directory has entries! But if you dive into these, you’ll quickly fill up. Your host might be offended if you can’t eat any of the main dishes.

 

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, be ready to drink! Beijing business men – as well as those from all over the country, love to make toasts. You will be served some baijiu, a sickly-sweet kind of local rice-wine. Locals love it, but it is rocket fuel, so you might want to politely decline if you have a busy afternoon ahead. Beer or fruit juice make perfectly good substitutes. The toasting will start off slowly, and, like the seating, there is a hierarchy involved. However, the order is easier to work out than the seating arrangements, and after a few rounds, it goes out the window anyway.

 

For more Beijing business tips and information, please see our detailed section on “Doing Business in Beijing”[hp1] .

 

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