Etiquette In China

Increased level of globalization and development in China have led middle and upper classes to seek out etiquette professionals to improve their life.The underlying factors which prompt them to learn high-class etiquette is profoundly influenced by the great zeal to keep up with upper class life, the necessity to adjust global environment, the urge to change criticism imposed by foreign media nowadays and the upliftment of women statuses. Participating the etiquette class held in Beijing recently, upper classes crave to seek for refinement in etiquette school in order to keep up with the upper class life. With 190 billionaires and more than two million millionaires, according to recent researches from Forbes magazine and Boston Consulting

This kind of improvement is reflected mainly on the perspective of work performance and job opportunities. China had about 137 million female workers by October 2010, accounting for 42.6 percent of the country's workforce. “This compared to just 610,000 female workers, or 7.5 percent, in 1949 when the People's Republic of China was founded.” Among them a great number of women employees work for trade and state-owned companies who are required to visit other foreign countries, showing their outstanding negotiation and communication ability. At the same time, the significance of etiquette is highlighted when they are working abroad. For those employees who work for the state-owned companies, they are often invited to Washington D.C. As a result, it is a great matter for women to learn about the proper etiquette as they represent the image of country. Ho, who launched this etiquette class and attended the Institute Villa Perrefeu, said that women employees really understand the importance of manners training, both from a political and a business

With rapid economic growth and the exposure to the Western culture in China, more and more Chinese people have the willingness and capability of traveling, to explore the world and enrich their life in a modern way. However, misbehaviors of Chinese travelers have grabbed headlines worldwide in recent year such as “defacing an Egyptian sculpture” and “throwing boiling water on a flight attendant”. Chinese President Xi Jinping also suggested Chinese citizens be “a bit more civilised when travelling abroad” when making the speech in 2014. Criticized by lack of manners, mounting Chinese travelers are considered as the rude and resented, which brings about the disrespect from the foreign countries. Influencing by the media, more and more Chinese attempt to disassociate themselves from this reputation and learn about the proper manner and etiquette when traveling aboard.

All in all, the main reason which facilitate an increasing number of Chinese to learn high-class etiquette is that they are crave to achieve the texture of upper class life to match up with their fortune. They also feel the need to adjust to the global environment, the urge to change criticism imposed by foreign media nowadays and the upliftment of women