名片 = business card

Here's another little tid-bit on a cultural difference bewteen the US and China that seems to keep coming up in my research (and now even at work!).

The exchange of business cards is a very formal matter in China (and most of Asia). When giving someone your business card you should hold it with two hands, fingers in each top corner, with the text facing so the recipient can read it. It can't be messy, smudged, or have corners that are damaged. If you are receiving a business card from someone you should accept it with both hands, pause to thank them for it, read it carefully, and make a comment to them about it, particularly something about their title.

In the US it is common for two business people to casually hand their card to one another and put the other's in their jacket pocket immediately without looking at it. To the Chinese, this shows a huge disrespect. You should also never write notes on the back of someone else's business card, at least not in front of them.

I think this formal exchange is the result of two important characteristics of China:

1. The Chinese value relationships and making connections. A word you will hear commonly used in relation to China is guanxi, which basically means a close relationship. The exchange of business cards is a way to network and is the beginning of a new relationship.

2. In the business world, the Chinese value titles and positions and pay attention to superiority and rankings within a company. If they are receiving a business card from someone they can see their title listed on the card. If it is someone "higher in ranks" you better believe they are going to show a great deal of respect to that person.

Today at work I was giving a customer (white guy/not Asian) my business card, and he said, "You know in Asia that would have been disrespectful. Over there you have to...." - and I finished his sentence and then demonstrated the proper way to exchange cards. He was pretty impressed I knew!