In China, you will notice that cell phones are EVERYWHERE. When a local answers his/her cell phone, they say “Wei? Wei?“, which is the English equivalent of “”Hello? Hello?”. “Wei” is pronounced like our word, “way”. [ By the "way", think of the business opportunities the number of cell phone users in China presents. But that is not the focus of this post. Rudeness is.]

The locals in China are constantly talking, loudly from my perspective, on their cell phones, using them during meals, while they walk with you, etc. I used to find it funny and endearing, but the more I am around it the more I find it bugs. In the home I grew up in, and in my own home now, if you were/are on the phone during a meal or when someone was/is trying to spend time with you, you are a dead man.

Two weeks ago I had a friend in town from Taiwan. I took her to a really nice place to eat in SLO. During the meal, three times, she took a call on her cellphone. The American patrons at nearby tables were not amused. I let it slide, but it made me start thinking about making this post.

Nobody is right or wrong on this, in my view. It is a cultural difference. The important thing is to understand the “why” (or “way”!) behind such differences.

[By the "way", here is a rudeness difference the Chinese could flip on us -- When I visit firms in China the person I meet with almost always walks me to to lobby, elevator and in some cases to my car to say goodby and this special attention they show always is impressive; in the US, on the other hand, I have visited firms where the parking lot is so large that finding/remembering where I parked my car after a long day of meetings is not easy (don't laugh, as you get older this will happen to you) yet I am on my own to find it because the person I met with never even bothered to step out of their office to say goodbye. So there are some best practices out there we can learn from the Chinese -- one being "pay attention to your customer" -- ask the Americans we meet in the PRC what are some of the other "best business practices" they have picked up from the Chinese.]

So, back to the cell phone issue — why do you think the Chinese use their cell phones in this “way”?

Comment below re: what you think, and THEN come back and read this post from the “This Is China” blog. No cheating!!