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GIFT GIVING IN HONG KONG*
- Gift Giving Etiquette
BUSINESS GIFT GIVING
/ PERSONAL GIFT GIVING
General Guidelines
- Gift giving
is an intricate and important practice in Hong Kong.
If one
receives a gift, he or she tries to give a gift in return.
Accept and
give gifts with both hands.
Unwrapping a
gift in front of the giver is not a common practice. This action implies
that the recipient is greedy and impatient. Moreover, if the gift turns
out to be a poor choice, “loss of face” will result. Instead, the
recipient will briefly say “thank-you”, set aside the gift, and then open
it only after your departure.
It is
becoming an accepted practice for companies to send Christmas as well as
Lunar New Year cards to all business associates.
Hosting a
banquet is a very acceptable gift for Chinese clients, and is required if
they have hosted one for you.
If you are
invited to a home, take candy, cookies, fruit, scotch, and related gifts.
Do not
excessively admire, for example, a decorative object in a home--your host
may feel obligated to give it to you.
At Chinese
New Year, it is customary to present a gift of money in a red envelope to
children and to the nongovernmental service personnel you deal with on a
regular basis. The gift is called a “hong bao.” Ensure that you give only
new bills in even numbers and even amounts. Many employers give each
employee a “hong bao” equivalent to one month's salary.
Appreciated Gifts
- Items from
your home country, handicrafts, an illustrated book, jazz CDs, assuming
the recipient is interested in this genre, Western items such as belt
buckles
Gifts to Avoid
- The following
items traditionally have had very negative connotations and, consequently,
are best avoided:
-
clocks--connote death, books--for a gambler, they represent a curse to
lose, blankets--believed to cause a decline in prosperity, green
hats--imply that you are a cuckold or that your sister is a prostitute,
unwrapped gifts--perceived as rude, gifts wrapped in blue--the color of
mourning.
*Hong Kong Business Etiquette - Gift Giving.
Executive Planet. 30 July 2004
<http://www.executiveplanet.com/business-culture-in/132433691691.html>. |
Above: The flag of Hong Kong
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World Cube Paperweight
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