CultureShock! Beijing

Anthony Pan Kay Jones &

Description

Home to more than 100,000 foreigners, it is no surprise that the city has been spawning modern buildings to accommodate the increasing economic activity. Go on a historical tour to uncover the traditional values and customs of the Beijing people and understand who they really are. CultureShock! Beijing is the essential guide that will help anyone overcome the cultural barriers and fully settle into this Chinese city as it takes a bumpy journey towards modernisation.

Informations

• Publié par: MarshallCavendishM
• Date de parution: 01 août 2008
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9789814435741
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

This edition published in 2008 by:
Marshall Cavendish Corporation
99 White Plains Road
Tarrytown, NY 10591-9001
www.marshallcavendish.us
2003 Times Media Pte Ltd
2005, 2008 Marshall Cavendish International (Asia) Pte Ltd
All rights reserved
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. Request for permission should be addressed to the Publisher, Marshall Cavendish International (Asia) Pte Ltd, 1 New Industrial Road, Singapore 536196. Tel: [phone], fax: [phone]. E-mail: [e-mail]
The publisher makes no representation or warranties with respect to the contents of this book, and specifically disclaims any implied warranties or merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose, and shall in no event be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damage, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.
Other Marshall Cavendish Offices:
Marshall Cavendish International (Asia) Private Limited. 1 New Industrial Road, Singapore 536196 Marshall Cavendish Ltd. 5th Floor, 32-38 Saffron Hill, London EC1N 8FH, UK Marshall Cavendish International (Thailand) Co Ltd. 253 Asoke, 12th Flr, Sukhumvit 21 Road, Klongtoey Nua, Wattana, Bangkok 10110, Thailand Marshall Cavendish (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Times Subang, Lot 46, Subang Hi-Tech Industrial Park, Batu Tiga, 40000 Shah Alam, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
Marshall Cavendish is a trademark of Times Publishing Limited
ISBN 10: 0-7614-5475-6
eISBN: 978 981 4435 74 1
Please contact the publisher for the Library of Congress catalog number
Printed in China by Everbest Printing Co Ltd
Photo Credits:
All black and white photos from the authors except page xii (Corel Stock Photo Library). Colour photos: Getty Images pages a, b-c, d, e, f-g, h, i, j-k, l-m, n-o; Photolibrary page p. Cover photo: Paul IJsendoon
All illustrations by TRIGG
ABOUT THE SERIES
Culture shock is a state of disorientation that can come over anyone who has been thrust into unknown surroundings, away from one s comfort zone. CultureShock! is a series of trusted and reputed guides which has, for decades, been helping expatriates and long-term visitors to cushion the impact of culture shock whenever they move to a new country.
Written by people who have lived in the country and experienced culture shock themselves, the authors share all the information necessary for anyone to cope with these feelings of disorientation more effectively. The guides are written in a style that is easy to read and covers a range of topics that will arm readers with enough advice, hints and tips to make their lives as normal as possible again.
Each book is structured in the same manner. It begins with the first impressions that visitors will have of that city or country. To understand a culture, one must first understand the people-where they came from, who they are, the values and traditions they live by, as well as their customs and etiquette. This is covered in the first half of the book
Then on with the practical aspects-how to settle in with the greatest of ease. Authors walk readers through how to find accommodation, get the utilities and telecommunications up and running, enrol the children in school and keep in the pink of health. But that s not all. Once the essentials are out of the way, venture out and try the food, enjoy more of the culture and travel to other areas. Then be immersed in the language of the country before discovering more about the business side of things.
To round off, snippets of basic information are offered before readers are tested on customs and etiquette of the country. Useful words and phrases, a comprehensive resource guide and list of books for further research are also included for easy reference.
CONTENTS
Foreword
Acknowledgements
Map of China
Map of Beijing
Chapter 1
Welcome to Beijing
Chapter 2
The City and its History
Beijing: Centre of China
Historical Tour of Beijing
Foreigners in Beijing
Philosophy and Religion
Navigating Beijing
Districts of Beijing
Seasons and Weather
Chapter 3
Beijingers
Profile of Beijingers
Cultural Patterns
Values
Traditions
Chapter 4
Socialising with Locals
Making Good Impressions
Personal Issues
Joys and Challenges
Chapter 5
Preparation and Adjustment
Visas
Housing Options
Selecting an Agent
Selecting a Residence
Telephones
Internet
Utilities
Preparing and Packing
Personal Finances
Local Finances
Settling In
Communicating with Home
Resolving Housing Issues
Getting Around Beijing
Safety and Security
Children
Staying Healthy
Shopping
Chapter 6
The Chinese Dining Experience
Sharing Meals
Dining Out
Ordering Food
Dining Etiquette
Paying the Bill
Choosing Restaurants
Chapter 7
Enjoying Local Culture
Festivals and Holidays
Insider s List
Museums
Nightlife
Performance Arts
Chapter 8
The Chinese Language
Spoken and Written Forms
Introduction to Mandarin
Learning Mandarin
Chinese Names
Forms of Address
Body Language
Chapter 9
Working in Beijing
Making the Decision
Starting Out
Exchanging Business Cards
Attending Banquets
Hosting Banquets
Dealing with Bureaucracy
Local Employees
Confidentiality and Privacy
Chapter 10
Beijing at a Glance

Culture Quiz
Do s and Don ts
Glossary
Resource Guide
Further Reading
About the Authors
Index
FOREWORD
Beijing is an amazing city. It has been transformed over the past 30 years into a world-class metropolis. High-rise buildings now tower above historical sites, and the airport accommodates both international as well as domestic travellers in style and comfort. Even some of the old main roads, once filled with automobiles, bicycles, lumbering trucks, sheep, pedestrians, buses, tricycle flatbeds, and horse-drawn carts, have become relatively uncluttered modern highways.
This book is all about thriving during an extended stay in the modern city of Beijing. We hope it will be useful to a wide range of people planning to move there-to Asians, including people from Hong Kong and returning Chinese; to Westerners; and to any other English-speaking foreigners anticipating such a move. Each group will experience Beijing in a different way.
In this book, we use three different terms to distinguish newcomers to Beijing. The most comprehensive term that we use is outsider , which is similar to the Mandarin term waidiren (literally, outside place people ). Although outsider is used here to mean anyone who is not originally from Beijing, Chinese people primarily use this term to refer to Chinese people from other parts of China. This is because Chinese people, among themselves, are acutely aware of regional variations within China in terms of culture and differences in dialect. Anyone who is an outsider or waidiren will have to make some effort to adapt in Beijing.
Another more exclusive term that we use in this book is expat . Short for expatriate , this term refers to people who have moved to Beijing from other countries and Chinese territories. Expats are thus a subset of outsiders . Although it is possible to translate expat into Chinese, the term is mostly used in English by foreign residents in order to distinguish themselves from foreign visitors and tourists. In other words, the term expat does not include people from other Chinese cities who go to live in Beijing, but it includes people from Hong Kong (a territory of China known as an SAR or Special Administrative Region).
The third and most narrowly defined term that we use in this book is foreigner , which is usually translated in Mandarin as waiguoren (literally, outside country people ). Here it is used in the same manner generally used by Chinese people to mean non-Chinese people . (Mandarin speakers also use waiguoren to mean non-Asians or, more frequently, Westerners .) Foreigners are a subset of expats; both expats and foreigners are outsiders.
Within these pages, we tackle issues of adjustment and adaptation. How can outsiders make sense of this place? How do they make the most of living in a city with such a rich historical and cultural heritage? With the relatively high levels of pollution in Beijing, how do they keep their bodies healthy so their minds can function? How do they make Beijing feel like home ?
This book is intended as a guide to adaptation to life in Beijing, certain aspects of which have not changed much in recent years. In our experience, these are the aspects to which outsiders usually have the most difficulty adjusting, precisely because they are cultural institutions and are unlikely to change in the near future. When one day you realise that you understand and even appreciate these cultural institutions, that is when Beijing will become home .
One of the first aspects to which outsiders must adjust is that change is a permanent feature of Beijing. It is undergoing upheaval on a daily basis in general pursuit of modernisation, not to mention the flurry of activity surrounding the 2008 Summer Olympics. The change is so rapid that an entire neighbourhood sometimes disappears overnight. Consequently, this book is not intended as a reference to the latest restaurants, hotels, clubs, or stores, although some old standbys have been included. We hope they will still be there when you are ready to experience them.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We are greatly indebted to the following people for their assistance in creating this book about life in Beijing:
First and foremost, we are grateful to Lynn Witham for originally suggesting us to the publisher, and for her relentless efforts to turn our writings into something readable. As always, she was a strong source of moral support.
Long-time friend Walter Stryker, w