Hi! Good To See You! You’re Fat.
February 20th, 2007
Thanks to Erik Slayter for giving the heads up about this wonderful Wall Street Journal article, “In China’s Offices, ExPats Might Get an Earful.” (See also my related Wei? Wei? post and discussion thread).
I loved this article. It made me laugh so hard I read it twice. It does a great job of highlighting some of the cultural differences between Chinese and Western business offices.
If/when somebody in China tells me that I am fat, due to this article I now have a great comeback – “Why, yes, of course! There is so much good food here!”
Entry Filed under: Pre-Departure, China, Misc.
2 Comments Add your own
1. Chun-Te Peter Wu | February 21st, 2007 at 5:26 pm
“You look fat!” While saying this to ladies in from a western culture will get you stared at and get you no where, to my understanding, the sayings of “you look fat” is a greeting and a compliment. Back in the old days where food resources are scarce and life is tough in making a living, saying that someone is fat or looks fat is complementing the person who is having a good life, eating well, and so on and that’s why they look fat.
The same thing can also be added to the Wei Wei phone greetings; when someone makes a phone call around the lunch hour, they will greet each other by saying “Have you eaten yet?” It can be an invitation to lunch, but most of the time it is just a greeting because back in the days having a meal means a person is prosperous who can afford to eat.
2. Meghan Girvin | March 4th, 2007 at 5:52 pm
This article is interesting because it points out some of the social differences between the American and Chinese workforce. In America there are many topics that are considered inappropriate to talk with colleagues about and these include things like weight, income, lifestyle, etc… In China there are also things that are considered inappropriate to talk with colleagues about, but they are not always the same as the American off-limits topics. When Americans and Chinese work together these differences can create a lot of misunderstandings and if each of them are not aware of this possibility it may make it hard to work together. When working with people of different cultural backgrounds it is important to be aware that differences in communication exist and to try to understand these differences rather than being offended by comments that may be considered rude by the western viewpoint. This article did a good job of pointing out how to have fun with the new communication norms and adapt to them without becoming closed off or offended.
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