Things you need to know for business & everyday life in China part:4 10. Let them smoke. You may dislike smoking very much. But many Chinese smoke and consider smoking, especially among men, the right thing to do in a business environment. If your contact offers you a cigarette, simply decline and thank them. But don’t lecture on how smoking is bad for them. If you allow them to smoke, they’ll listen to you longer. I’ve learned not to meet people in my hotel room, so that I can still go to sleep without feeling that I’m turning into smoked meat. Try to meet people in a public, well-ventilated place so that they can smoke to their hearts’ content. They can smoke and you can breathe. 11. Don’t take a Chinese person saying “yes” literally to mean affirmative. Chinese people have a habit of saying “yes” to show that they are paying attention to you or that they are following what you say. In such a context, the word “yes” does not mean that they agree with what you are saying. To find out whether or not they agree with you, wait until they speak in complete sentences or put things in writing. 12. Watch your language. Many Chinese who speak and read English learn the language in school, not in real life. Their English teachers may not have living and working experiences in the West. As a result, they may not understand colloquialisms or figures of speech that we take for granted. I’ve seen all sorts of translation problems arise from nuances in speech, ranging from silly mistakes to off-color misinterpretations. An example of the confusion caused by a common expression is found in an article on negotiation skills that mentioned a “football field” in the middle of a sentence, when the English original talked about a “level playing field.” To avoid these pitfalls, find someone who has living and working experiences in the United States to go over your translations or interpret for you. 13. Avoid the color white in general--and a green-colored hat specifically. White is the color of mourning in the Chinese tradition. When packaging products for Chinese distribution, avoid too much white background. Crimson or persimmon red is the preferred color. It suggests power, prosperity, and authority. Avoid giving green-colored hats to Chinese men. Wearing a “green hat” in Chinese means that someone’s wife is unfaithful. It is shameful for a man to wear a green hat in public.