Excellent Book Critic by Midwest Book Review, USA

Reviewed by Diane Donovan for Midwest Book Review

Master Chinese Business Culture - becoming a China Expert will prove knowledgeable, inspirational, and essential to Western readers. It is a 'must' for Westerners who would embark on a business relationship with Chinese companies and leaders.

In order to do business with another culture, especially in modern times, it's necessary to thoroughly understand different perceptions, approaches, and etiquette. A number of business-oriented books cover basic business etiquette as though it's a memorizable formula; but Qingshun Zou focuses on conducting business on a deeper level that embraces China's cultural viewpoint.

Its analysis and recommendations embrace cross-cultural encounters, standards, etiquette, and common points of understanding and misunderstanding. Examples include absorbing the logic and intention behind Chinese brand names and ideograms that have a positive meaning in Chinese culture to absorbing yin/yang concepts that appear in all levels of Chinese society (from cuisine to interactions), the ongoing presence of Confucianism in all walks of life, and the Chinese model of conflict management, which embraces "the search for harmony, the maintenance of the relationship at all costs, the saving of face, and the adoption of mediation."

As Zou explores the history, culture, and impact of Chinese values and perceptions on business relationships, readers gain a much broader series of insights based not just on standards of behavior, but historical and cultural influences. This deeper level of understanding far outshines competing etiquette-centered books, expanding the horizons of businesspeople who want to do more than parrot appropriate behaviors.

This is why not only business collections, but any interested in Chinese culture, history, and social norms needs Master Chinese Business Culture - becoming a China Expert. It offers more than the chance to become a business expert alone, presenting valuable insights that will lend to a better understanding the Chinese people as a whole.