Give your expatriates the right start in their new workplace with our series of tips from cross-cultural consultants Eleonore Breukel and Victor H. Garza. This month: China.

China is home to some of the world’s most adventurous explorers and travelers, including men like Zhang Qian, who traveled along the Silk Road, and Zheng He, who sailed as far as the east coast of Africa. Perhaps one of the most famous travelers is a monk named Xuan Zang, who accepted the emperor’s mission to seek the Buddhist scriptures in India, bringing home a treasure of wisdom.

Xuan Zang’s adventure has been immortalized in the famous novel Journey to the West, one of the four classical novels in Chinese literature. The novel combines historical and fictitious elements describing the pilgrimage of a Tang Dynasty monk to the Western Paradise to collect the Buddhist scriptures.

Today, China has become the Eastern Paradise for many academic, governmental and business travelers.

Going to China and dealing with Chinese people requires thorough preparation and an open and positive attitude. It’s important to be briefed on China’s history, economy, political system, demography and especially its culture.

A sincere interest in these five elements will provide a solid background to help understand the contemporary mindset of Chinese people and hopefully help develop the foundations for a long-term relationship with a Chinese working or business partner.

In China, this long-term approach is particularly valuable. Thus, it is wise to choose and get to know a business partner well.

Back to the basics

China has the largest population in the world with 1.3 billion people. It is also one of the oldest civilizations, its 5,000-year-old culture kept alive by its huge local population and the millions of Chinese living abroad.

At first glance, China’s wise and diverse culture may appear too difficult to understand.

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