Cultural insensitivity in China will only leave you with egg on your face

----By Anna Bartram

Sitting in a caf¨¦ recently on a Sunday morning in Shanghai, I could not help overhearing an American lady complain about the state of her eggs Benedict to a slightly embarrassed and apologetic Chinese waiter.

"So how would you like your eggs done, Madame?" the waiter asked cautiously.

Prodding at the food in front of her with a fork the lady replied, "There's only one way to do eggs Benedict," and handed the plate back to the waiter while shooting an exasperated look towards my friends and I who were sitting at the next table - the only other Westerners in the restaurant. A conspiring look, as if to say "Why can't these Chinese people get it right!" While such behaviour is not typical of Westerners in China it is astonishing that it still exists at all. "The ugly foreigner" does not refer to the big noses and oversized proportions that are characteristic of some Westerners - from a Chinese perspective - but rather to a different species of foreigner that seems to retain a view similar to that of their colonial ancestors; an air of self-superiority that assumes that it is reasonable to apply their own standards and principles to a country which is so different from their own.

I have heard foreigners, some of whom have lived and worked in Asia for a number of years, unashamedly make sweeping generalisations about the money-orientated culture of Hong Kong or the sly, money-obsessed nature of the Shanghainese. Every country undeniably creates its own stereotypes that are true to a greater or lesser extent, and Chinese people are as liable to make generalisations as anyone else, but can they be blamed for doing so? In a country where access to outside sources of information and foreign media is limited, is it surprising that they are more likely to believe in stereotypes?

Westerners have experienced freedom of the press and extensive access to international resources and should surely have a more rounded and educated view of different peoples and cultures. Yet I have met foreigners who appear to view local Chinese either as a backward people needing to be educated in the ways of the Western world, or as an alien populace to be treated with fear and suspicion.

Such views are ridiculous, but were underlined to me by a young Frenchman in his early thirties who had recently moved to Shanghai to work in the tailoring industry. After discussing what we were both doing he enquired with some seriousness and concern in his voice, "And how do you find the Chinese?"

Perhaps it was an innocent remark, and I recognise the danger of being too politically correct, but I cannot help wondering if it carried with it slight condescending undertones and a preconception of the Chinese as a group of uncouth heathens who wouldn't know a needle and thread if the former were jabbed into a vital part of their anatomy. Perhaps this sort of comment can be excused from someone who has only recently arrived in China and has had no previous experience of working in Asia. But if so, why then do some foreigners who have lived here for years appear to hold similar views of the Chinese?

What is the cause of this suspicion? Is it a simply a fear of the unknown and a reluctance to trust a group of people we have had limited experience working with and, for many foreigners who speak no Chinese, have no way of communicating with? Or is it more than that? Are we wary of just how powerful and resourceful Chinese people are becoming? As we cash in on their expanding markets and take advantage of their rising importance in the world, are we beginning to see them as a threat to centuries of Western global dominance?

No matter how much we are integrated economically, there is still a cultural and social gap between Chinese and Westerners. Foreigners, like the ones described here who hold a hostile view towards the Chinese that surround them, are in danger of creating an environment of "us" versus "them". However much we think we know about life in China, there are always surprises. The situation is never black and white, and assumptions are dangerous.

What is the future of the "ugly foreigners"? Perhaps they will become a dying breed. After all, as the Chinese gain in power and wealth, foreigners will start to lose the privileged positions they have enjoyed. Is there any long-term role for the white man who feels he is in some way superior to the Chinese, or thinks he should be treated differently just because he is Western?

At the moment, China certainly needs foreign knowledge and expertise. But it is important to distinguish between bringing these skills into a country and forcing Western customs and expectations upon it.

Why should the Chinese forego their way of living just to accommodate us? Since we're living in their country, perhaps it should be the other way round. If some foreigners continue to act in a self-important, self-possessed manner as the lady I initially described in the restaurant, at some point they will be faced by the realisation that theirs is an unrealistic and old-fashioned viewpoint. Someone is going to end up with egg on their face, and it certainly won't be the Chinese.

The ugly Chinese foreigner

Is it justified, however, to refer to the ugly foreigner as only a Western figure when there are cases of faux pas and cultural insensitivity on the part of the Chinese too? Some Chinese companies doing business overseas have been seen as behaving inappropriately from a Western perspective in their handling of business deals. If it is unacceptable for foreigners to demand their own standards and principles when dealing with local people in China then surely the same should apply for Chinese companies doing business abroad?

The most recent example is China Mobile's last-minute exit from a US$5.3 billion deal with Luxembourg-based Millicom in July of this year. Hours before the deal was to be announced, China Mobile pulled out and Millicom's stock plummeted by more than 25 percent. While this could be seen as shrewd business practice on the part of the Chinese, some Western business experts saw it as inappropriate to cancel the deal at such a late stage.

Unlike the lack of cultural awareness or the refusal to adapt to unfamiliar customs demonstrated by the Western ugly foreigner in China, from a business point of view, unethical practices cannot be viewed as stemming from cultural insensitivity. While there are major differences in business practices between East and West, Chinese companies are aware of how deals are carried out at an international level. Thus, so-called "inappropriate behaviour" on their behalf could well be entirely intentional in order to get the best out of a deal for themselves, whether it has been formally completed or not.

Is there also a refusal by the Chinese to move away from their established business customs? If this is the case, to what extent will Western companies be willing to accept the ways of the ugly Chinese foreigner who imposes his own principles in the international arena? Would the lure of a huge market and vast numbers of potential consumers still be enough to cement foreign investment in China?

The number of joint ventures between foreign and Chinese firms would suggest the answer is yes, but for Chinese companies doing business overseas, there appears to be an increasing need for them to comply with international standards and adhere to international obligations as a key to securing trust on a global scale. If Chinese firms continue to withdraw from agreements at the last minute they will begin to lose credibility, and Western firms may become unwilling to deal with them. China must consider the image it wants to present to the rest of the world as it moves further into the international spotlight with the upcoming 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2010 World Expo.

The ugly foreigner is not only someone who is culturally insensitive; it is someone who acts inappropriately in a different environment and who tries to apply their own standards to a different culture. It is someone who refuses to deviate from what they are accustomed to. Both Westerners and Chinese are guilty of this.

When Nanjing Automobile Group took over British car manufacturer, MG Rover in 2005, it was so unimpressed with the quality of the canteen food at the Birmingham plant in England that it had cooks from China shipped over specially to cater for them.

Much like the lady who ordered eggs Benedict, the Chinese know their culinary preferences. Despite differences in culture and business practices, it seems that an affinity for one's own food is something on which the ugly foreigner from any country is not willing to compromise.