a clock — in Chinese the words “give a clock as a gift” sound exactly like the words “attend a funeral”, so this is considered to be a very bad luck gift.
anything sharp — knives, scissors, letter openers, etc. Chinese superstition says a sharp gift will sever the relationship.
any sort of green hat (like a golf hat, baseball cap, etc) — in traditional Chinese opera, the cuckolded character wears a green hat. To this day, the expression “you wear a green hat” is an insult and means “your wife cheats on you”.
anything with the number 4 — a set of four coffee cups, four plates, you get the idea. The number 4 sounds like the word “death” in Chinese and is avoided in gift giving.
I do like the calendar idea given by the person above. Calendars are a very popular (and safe!) gift in China.
Bring them planners/diary for 2009 on your company logo. Anything that will remind them of your company. Paper weights, letter opener in gold, a product of your company. A golf driver/putter with your company name/logo for example if your budget permits.
bring something your country is famous for… good brands of alcohol, chocolate or coffee… you may bring some trinkets about your company, the ones which can be put somewhere on the table or on the wall to symbolize the international relationships… don’t make equal gifts, presents for the leaders must be significantly different from the presents for common managers/representatives/interpreters…
well, these are the most common points
5 Responses for "What gifts should I bring to a board of directors I will be meeting with in China?"
I can tell you what NOT to give:
a clock — in Chinese the words “give a clock as a gift” sound exactly like the words “attend a funeral”, so this is considered to be a very bad luck gift.
anything sharp — knives, scissors, letter openers, etc. Chinese superstition says a sharp gift will sever the relationship.
any sort of green hat (like a golf hat, baseball cap, etc) — in traditional Chinese opera, the cuckolded character wears a green hat. To this day, the expression “you wear a green hat” is an insult and means “your wife cheats on you”.
anything with the number 4 — a set of four coffee cups, four plates, you get the idea. The number 4 sounds like the word “death” in Chinese and is avoided in gift giving.
I do like the calendar idea given by the person above. Calendars are a very popular (and safe!) gift in China.
Hope that helps!
Dont bring a gift, it might look like sucking up.
Sounds a bit like bribery to me… so no.
Bring them planners/diary for 2009 on your company logo. Anything that will remind them of your company. Paper weights, letter opener in gold, a product of your company. A golf driver/putter with your company name/logo for example if your budget permits.
bring something your country is famous for… good brands of alcohol, chocolate or coffee… you may bring some trinkets about your company, the ones which can be put somewhere on the table or on the wall to symbolize the international relationships… don’t make equal gifts, presents for the leaders must be significantly different from the presents for common managers/representatives/interpreters…
well, these are the most common points
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