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Decoding China: A Handbook for Traveling, Studying, and Working in Today's China
Embrace the culture and get the most out of your time in China.
Going to China for the first time can be an intimidating experience, even for those who have studied the language. In fact, traveling to China for the second, third, or fourth time can also be a challenging experience, especially if you intend to be fully immersed in daily life, get off the beaten path, and experience the "real" China.
This China etiquette and culture guide is about how to get things done in China. Decoding China gives you practical information on how to deal with everyday situations--like eating at a restaurant or shopping at an outdoor market--that present unique and unexpected challenges for foreign visitors. As the Academic Director of the Chinese Flagship Center of Brigham Young University, Dr. Matthew B. Christensen has seen countless foreigners arrive in China…and fail to accomplish simple tasks like ordering food, boarding a bus, or making friends with a Chinese colleague. Why? Because they didn't understand China's basic cultural codes. This travel book will help you crack these codes. And with it, you'll soon be able to navigate your way in any situation.
Going to China for the first time can be an intimidating experience, even for those who have studied the language. In fact, traveling to China for the second, third, or fourth time can also be a challenging experience, especially if you intend to be fully immersed in daily life, get off the beaten path, and experience the "real" China.
This China etiquette and culture guide is about how to get things done in China. Decoding China gives you practical information on how to deal with everyday situations--like eating at a restaurant or shopping at an outdoor market--that present unique and unexpected challenges for foreign visitors. As the Academic Director of the Chinese Flagship Center of Brigham Young University, Dr. Matthew B. Christensen has seen countless foreigners arrive in China…and fail to accomplish simple tasks like ordering food, boarding a bus, or making friends with a Chinese colleague. Why? Because they didn't understand China's basic cultural codes. This travel book will help you crack these codes. And with it, you'll soon be able to navigate your way in any situation.
288 pages, Paperback
First published April 2, 2013
13 people are currently reading
68 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
March 27, 2019
Most of this could be applicable to any country not just China or China specifically.
Seriously, not drinking tap water? It's generally ill-advisable to drink it anywhere while travelling, no matter how potable it might be considered. Unless someone wants to discover where their kidneys are or what violent diarrhea is about.
Having one's luggage with you on most trains? Not too Chinese a point, as well.
Chinese phrases are ok but there was precious little on the particulars of the Chinese culture, the quirks of cultural perception and else. I would have appreciated a more in-depth consideration of the less-Googlable things, like interpersonal exchanges, intercultural quirks, intuitiveness, role of age in negotiations, historical affects and effects of international education, multiculturalism and polylinguistics, the gender gap, psychological differences between the regular Western visitor and a regular Chinese person, different provinces' and their peculiarities...
I probably want too much and might be a reader from the Club of the Needy Readers Wanting Way Too Much From Their Books. Though...
Seriously, not drinking tap water? It's generally ill-advisable to drink it anywhere while travelling, no matter how potable it might be considered. Unless someone wants to discover where their kidneys are or what violent diarrhea is about.
Having one's luggage with you on most trains? Not too Chinese a point, as well.
Chinese phrases are ok but there was precious little on the particulars of the Chinese culture, the quirks of cultural perception and else. I would have appreciated a more in-depth consideration of the less-Googlable things, like interpersonal exchanges, intercultural quirks, intuitiveness, role of age in negotiations, historical affects and effects of international education, multiculturalism and polylinguistics, the gender gap, psychological differences between the regular Western visitor and a regular Chinese person, different provinces' and their peculiarities...
I probably want too much and might be a reader from the Club of the Needy Readers Wanting Way Too Much From Their Books. Though...
March 27, 2015
I was disappointed in this book. In the introduction, the author makes a big deal about how it is important to understand not only "achievement culture" (the cool things a society has done) and the "information culture" (fact-y things like geography and politics) of a place you are visiting, but also the "behavioural culture" (eating habits, etiquette, greetings, transactional protocols) of that place. And he will tell us all about that behavioural culture in his book.
Well, I did not find that to be particularly true. There was some of that, to be sure. And I enjoyed his language lessons - even though I do not speak Mandarin, he included pidgin as well as explanations of the different sounds. So that was interesting. But over 1/2 of this book could have been found in any ol' "travel book" to China.
Based on the intro, I had pretty high expectations that there would be some in-depth etiquette and behavioural custom info, but I didn't find that to be the case.
Well, I did not find that to be particularly true. There was some of that, to be sure. And I enjoyed his language lessons - even though I do not speak Mandarin, he included pidgin as well as explanations of the different sounds. So that was interesting. But over 1/2 of this book could have been found in any ol' "travel book" to China.
Based on the intro, I had pretty high expectations that there would be some in-depth etiquette and behavioural custom info, but I didn't find that to be the case.
October 1, 2018
This a great book for any person who is interested in working, learning or living in modern day China.
One of the things that made this book work for me was that it was broken down into clearly defined segments: Transportation, living, etc...
This helped me bring specific segments to a language tutor, who helped me work out the scraps of language need to survive in a foreign country.
Christensen does a good job of explaining Chinese culture and cultural behavior, which is something every American should think about before entering China.
The country is dynamically different than our own, and something that is considered okay or even polite in America could be insulting in China. Knowing these things are important for success. Through this book, I have a better gauge on how to appropriately deal with a wide range of situations.
Looking forward to the grand adventure ahead.
One of the things that made this book work for me was that it was broken down into clearly defined segments: Transportation, living, etc...
This helped me bring specific segments to a language tutor, who helped me work out the scraps of language need to survive in a foreign country.
Christensen does a good job of explaining Chinese culture and cultural behavior, which is something every American should think about before entering China.
The country is dynamically different than our own, and something that is considered okay or even polite in America could be insulting in China. Knowing these things are important for success. Through this book, I have a better gauge on how to appropriately deal with a wide range of situations.
Looking forward to the grand adventure ahead.
March 26, 2021
I would have to say the structure of this book is just as messy as the cover and can be irritating at times, or at least that was my experience with it. It's organized similar to a school textbook with extra info sections highlighted at various points, but it also does this infuriating thing where it will repeat a sentence in a separate, bigger box protruding into the main text right next to where the original sentence is placed. It felt like a waste of space and needlessly bulky. I get what it was trying to do, but I found many of these boxes were pretty straight forward and didn't need repeating.
It certainly has some good information for someone who has never been to China, but with it's age, I recommend using it's table of contents as a jumping off guide for your own research to get updated information. If you find it for really cheap like I did, perhaps pick it up for a quick look through.
It certainly has some good information for someone who has never been to China, but with it's age, I recommend using it's table of contents as a jumping off guide for your own research to get updated information. If you find it for really cheap like I did, perhaps pick it up for a quick look through.
January 27, 2019
This is a handbook dedicated to the "practical" knowledge on how to deal with everyday situations while traveling, studying, and working in China as a western foreigner.
I found this book to be sometimes incredibly elementary, really explaining the most common sense things -- in this way I think this book is most appropriate towards travel novices.
Yet, this book also has kernels of wisdom that are most appreciated as I plan my own trip to China now.
Overall a good read with some decent applicability to the art of traveling, studying and working abroad in general, not only China.
I found this book to be sometimes incredibly elementary, really explaining the most common sense things -- in this way I think this book is most appropriate towards travel novices.
Yet, this book also has kernels of wisdom that are most appreciated as I plan my own trip to China now.
Overall a good read with some decent applicability to the art of traveling, studying and working abroad in general, not only China.
December 31, 2023
This book is a detailed analysis of how to get by living or traveling in China. Consider it a cultural how-to book for interacting with Chinese cultural from a western American's perspective. I quite enjoyed it - I've lived in China, and generally agree with the concepts described. I feel it was a bit outdated - for example, WeChat didn't really come up, which was a pretty substantial part of my China experience. But all in all, certainly a great read if you're planning on going to China.
March 3, 2019
A great practical guide for China. Includes many practical items in getting around, as well as cultural understanding on why things may not be what they seem.
January 9, 2023
Though the introduction bills this as a book that "deals specifically with Chinese behavioral culture," it largely doesn't live up to it. Sadly, that's the exact reason I was drawn to this book. Instead, what you find is mostly a 'how to live in China practically speaking' type of book. It seems helpful in this regard, and the times when Mr. Christensen decodes the culture are gold. Still, I was expecting more of the behavioral culture type of information.
One concern I have with this book is the age of the photographs. That seems like a minor thing, but since the photos appear to be from the 80s and 90s, that doesn't instill much confidence that the content is up to date (at the time of the publishing).
Mr. Christensen has a pleasant writing style where he tries to accurately depict China as it is rather than sensationalizing it. He seems quite knowledgeable about China, and he did a good job of covering all the major topics someone traveling, studying, or working in China might want to know. He writes from the perspective of one who tries to share years of experience in a gentle, humble manor rather than lording it over the reader. This is greatly appreciated and makes the book enjoyable to read.
Despite being misguided by the introduction, I'm glad to have read this book and think I came away with a better understanding of how the Chinese think and operate.
One concern I have with this book is the age of the photographs. That seems like a minor thing, but since the photos appear to be from the 80s and 90s, that doesn't instill much confidence that the content is up to date (at the time of the publishing).
Mr. Christensen has a pleasant writing style where he tries to accurately depict China as it is rather than sensationalizing it. He seems quite knowledgeable about China, and he did a good job of covering all the major topics someone traveling, studying, or working in China might want to know. He writes from the perspective of one who tries to share years of experience in a gentle, humble manor rather than lording it over the reader. This is greatly appreciated and makes the book enjoyable to read.
Despite being misguided by the introduction, I'm glad to have read this book and think I came away with a better understanding of how the Chinese think and operate.
October 21, 2015
Decoding China did a really good job of talking about the culture and different aspects of China in relation to what we normally expect in the United States. I am planning to go over to China for 6 weeks this coming summer, and this book really helped me get a good idea of what it is going to be like and what to expect during those six weeks. This book did a very good job of introducing Chinese words that you would most likely use in different situations while you are traveling in China, relating each one to what you were reading in each section of the book. I would recommend this book to anyone who is learning Chinese and eventually plans to visit China to learn more about the culture or even to permanently live or work in China. For those people this book would not only provide some new vocabulary and words that you would be using at least once over in China, but an idea of how to assimilate into and learn more about their culture during the time you are there.
November 3, 2014
Some of this information would have been useful to know before I arrived here in Chongqing five weeks ago. For example, the other night we were at a "Western-style" restaurant, but the staff still brought out the food as it was made and didn't clear dishes or bring the check until asked. At the time it was weird and annoying, but now that I know the code it is less so. There are some odd omissions--how could you mention international calling and not bring up Skype to Phone--but overall a business traveler would probably find this useful.
June 7, 2013
More than half of the book contains information that can be found on any travel guide about China, in spite of the title and the synopsis. The rest can be interesting, beeing what the book should have talked about, but it is very little and just a quite brief overview. Another less relevant problem is, though it was advertised, the book is strongly biased toward the comparison between just the United States and China, which could be easily avoided (a more general outlook could have been given).
December 19, 2016
As a westerner who is married to a Chinese person and has been to China multiple times, I liked it and thought it was very helpful. If you know nothing about China, or even if you know a lot, there will be something to learn here.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews