Culture Shock! China: A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette

Culture Shock!

by Angie Eagan, Rebecca Weiner

With over three million copies in print, CultureShock! is a bestselling series of culture and etiquette guides covering countless destinations around the world. For anyone at risk of culture shock, whether a tourist or a longterm resident, CultureShock! provides a sympathetic and fun-filled crash course on the do's and don'ts in foreign cultures. Fully updated and sporting a fresh new look, the revised editions of these books enlighten and inform through such topics as language, food and entertaining, social customs, festivals, relationships, and business tips. CultureShock! books are packed with useful details on transportation, taxes, finances, accommodation, health, food and drink, clothes, shopping, festivals, and much, much more.

Genres: China, Travel, Asia

294 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2011

Reviews

[Megan-Elise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative, though it is more geared towards people moving to conduct business in China and not just moving or taking other positions such as teaching.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll be making my first trip to China in three days, so I finished this book just in time. I am not a stranger to Chinese culture, though. I've been studying Mandarin for three years, have a Chinese girlfriend and am very interested in the long and fascinating culture of this country.
This book was a worthwhile read, although I have to point out two points that were weak points for me: this book focuses on business people and the info seems a bit outdated. I am an English teacher in my early 30's and some of the comments and advice seemed directed at the older generation. I also mentioned some of the cultural comments that surprised me to my girlfriend and she laughed or said that that aspect was no longer relevant in Chinese society. I do appreciate the challenge of writing a book on culture that stays current, though.

[Ariel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good overview on life in china. Recommended to anyone about to travel, study or work the this huge country.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a useful and enjoyable book! I appreciated the historical overview and the summaries of key cultural influences. I also appreciated the very positive attitude of the authors towards China and the Chinese, which is often lacking here in South East Asia. Not that there isn't very good reason for criticism of many policies and practices of Chinese across this region, and perhaps the book is imbalanced in not addressing those things, but still, it felt important to read about ordinary likeable people with real lives, the humanity evident in the Chinese people I have come to know for myself, rather than just the 'China monster' that poses such a threat to its developing neighbours.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

The authors do a good job condensing the history, culture and nuances of Chinese life into a few hundred pages.

The book seems to be geared towards business people moving to China, which was a little off-putting (couldn't they weave in a little more info for shorter term tourists and widen their market) but overall I think the authors did a great job. A lot of the tidbits from this book popped up in my head during our trip to China, so I think they're pretty accurate.

Hope to pick up other books from this series in the future!