In China, gift giving is a very interesting culture. Every time I go home, I have to start thinking two months in advance, what kind of gift will I give my family this time when I return to China. Gift giving is fun, of course, but it can also be a headache, and even maddening.
First of all, what to send?
Most people in China value the value of gifts. To a certain extent, the value of a gift represents the affection of the giver. In addition to value, it also depends on your relationship with this person, how well you know his preferences, and why you want to give gifts. Then when I return to China from the UK, I must bring some things with British characteristics or things that are relatively cheap and easy to buy in the UK. It is very simple to go back to China in the first and second year, buy some chocolates, souvenirs, health care products and so on. After more than ten years, I don't have any new ideas anyway. If you have any suggestions, tips, etc., be sure to share them.
In China, some other customs related to gift-giving include giving gifts when elders meet juniors, especially children, for the first time. Small beads of gold, silver, and jade or small plaques can be given to newborn children. The parents of young people who are about to get married will also give gifts when they formally meet their lover for the first time. It is conceivable that they will usually send more expensive things, such as tonics or wine. At the same time, the lover's parents should also give a meeting gift to the young people who come to the door for the first time. Some gave money, and some gave gold and silver jewelry to the woman. If you are invited as a guest, you can bring some small gifts: flowers, fruits, etc. When visiting patients, people usually send some flowers, fruits and health care products.
Chinese people cannot send gifts:
- Shoes – have the meaning of letting the person who receives the gift go
- Wind chimes – meaning your friendship with your friends will blow away with the wind
- Clocks and watches – send the homonym of "end"
- Knife – feeling like breaking with someone
- If you send fruit, you can't send an odd number, you must send an even number. The Chinese believe that being in pairs is happiness
- If you want to send fruit, it is best not to send pears, because it has the same pronunciation as "li" in parting, and the meaning is not very good.
In addition, there are different customs in different geographical locations in China. For example, in Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macau, you cannot send books because it sounds the same as "lose" in winning or losing.
In China, another interesting thing is that when giving a gift, no matter what or how expensive the gift is, we will always add a sentence "It's not something expensive, please don't dislike it." / "This is a little bit of my heart ,Please take it". To show politeness, do not bring too much pressure to the other party. The person receiving the gift will often politely decline: "It's already here, why don't you have a gift yet, come in quickly." Then silently accept the gift and put it away.
Chinese people treat other people's compliments the same way. Everyone is very humble. The response is always: "Not yet", "So-so", "How can I compare with you". This is also a traditional Chinese virtue. Be humble. For example, when a speaker gives a speech, he usually says: "I don't have a deep knowledge of literature, and I am not well prepared. Please give me more advice." In fact, he may be an expert in this field and has been preparing for this speech for more than a month.
Hospitality and being a guest: In China, if a host asks a guest what he would like to drink, the guest will usually say "I'm not thirsty" or "Don't bother". Then, the host will start to fetch the cups and make tea.
When the host pours wine to the guests, the guests will often refuse, saying: "Enough, enough." In fact, it is not necessarily that the guests do not want to drink, they are just being polite. Therefore, the hospitable host should speculate on the needs of the guests and actively meet them. At the dining table, the hospitable host always persuades the guests to drink and persuade the guests to eat. The atmosphere is very warm. Like a game of tug-of-war, one side keeps persuading, while the other side keeps pushing back.
Finally, there is a saying in China: Reciprocity with courtesy. If you give me a gift, I will give you a gift next time. So this gift-giving custom will continue to circulate like this.