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Silas Deane, 42-year-old president of Baden Bath, a $1 million provider of luxury showers, tubs, sinks, vanities and the like, found himself in China for the same reason every company seems to find itself in the world's most populous country: manufacturing. China is the world's second largest economy and one of the leading destinations for direct foreign investment. But just because China is the global go-to country doesn't mean that making it work for you is a piece of cake. Indeed, overcoming cultural differences can still be as formidable as scaling the Great Wall.
The Chinese want to do business with individuals--not companies--so cultivating friendships is crucial. Rather than cutting to the chase, the Chinese prefer a courtship filled with get-to-know-you banter and big banquets full of mysterious delicacies. Thus, like other Americans, Deane had to rein in his "get the deal done and move on to the next one" philosophy. To drive home the point, instead of talking turkey, the Nashville, Tennessee, entrepreneur once found himself getting a two-hour foot massage with one of his hosts so that they could chew the fat. And nearly every time he visits his manufacturers in Foshan, they insist on taking him on long drives in the countryside to build camaraderie, often recovering ground he's admired on previous trips. "They want to spend time with you," Deane explains. "They want to get to know you."
As a formula for success, Barry Tomalin, director of cultural training at International House, recommends you get a Chinese agent and treat your partners to "very nice meals in very expensive places . . . doing this for six months to a year." Chinese society rests on a foundation of guanxi, your network of relationships that is supported by the favors you do and accrue. Deane, for instance, will be helping one of his manufacturers--who doesn't speak English--attend an upcoming trade show in Chicago and hopefully win new business. In return, he's giving Deane the samples he's shipping over from China and offering to bring new products just for Baden Bath's benefit.
But despite the relationship building, Mike Saxon, author of An American's Guide to Doing Business in China, warns that a seemingly solid rapport can still be trumped by yuan. "People who go over to China think it's the China of centuries ago: Confucius, everybody's honorable and whatever--and it's not! It's a different culture today," explains Saxon, who adds that the 36 Stratagems, a collection of Chinese proverbs, is part of the basic Chinese gestalt. Indeed, Saxon says that it's not uncommon for Chinese companies to keep four sets of accounting books.
Saxon also says that the Chinese take a long-term view and aren't risk-takers. The society is less individualistic than America's, so the Chinese aren't big on confrontation. To this end, Tomalin highlights the Chinese belief in the "middle way," a nuanced form of compromise, which means they may insist on working out an agreement rather than taking no for an answer. For an American, this translates into fostering respect, including stifling open criticism.
The challenges can be as big as China, but Deane says his relationship with the Chinese has been a valuable asset. "I would consider a lot of our manufacturing partners over there more than just business partners; they're friends," he says. "They advise me a lot. They're interested in seeing us succeed, too."
西拉斯迪恩，42岁的巴登卫浴总裁，一个拥有数百万美元的豪华卫浴，浴缸，水槽，面盆等的供应商，在中国发现同样的现象，似乎每家公司在世界上人口最多的国家都找到了适合本公司发展的行业--制造业。中国是世界第二大经济体，是外国直接投资的主要目的地之一。虽然中国是可以让你大展鸿图的国家，并不意味着你的工作是小菜一碟。事实上，克服文化差异的艰巨决不比攀登长城要困难。
中国人喜欢与个人，而不是公司做生意。所以在中国培养友谊是至关重要的。中国人不喜欢直奔主题，更喜欢在谈笑风生和充满神秘佳肴的大宴会中相互结识。因此，和其他美国人一样，迪恩必须改变他的"让交易成功，转移到下一个目标"的理念。为了阐明自己的观点，迪恩说："他们不是谈论主题，在田纳西州，纳什维尔的企业家发现自己与客户花费了两个小时足部按摩，这样他们可以无所事事地交谈。几乎每一次他访问佛山的制造商，他们都坚持以长途驾车去农村的方式来建立情谊，而且经常重复到他以前钦佩的地方。 "他们是在花时间了解你。"迪恩说。
作为一种成功的方案，巴里托玛林，国际交流的文化培训主任，建议你请中国代理人和合伙人到昂贵的地方吃大餐，这样的交往要持续6个月到一年。"中国社交界是建立在关系的基础上，你的关系网有利于实现你的目的。迪恩说："例如，这将会帮助他的一个不会说英语的制造商，在出席芝加哥即将举行的贸易展上有望得到新的业务。作为回报，他给迪恩航运来自中国的样本，并提供有利于巴登卫浴的新产品。"
迈克撒克逊，《一个美国人对在中国经商的指南》的作者警告说："尽管建立关系，一个看似坚实的交往仍然得通过人民币才能靠得住。" "过去人们认为中国还是几个世纪前的中国：孔子思想，每个人都是正直的-事实上并不是这样的！现代中国的文化已经有所不同。"他为此书添加了36条策略，是一个中国谚语的收集者，被认为是中国基本格式塔的一部分。事实上，中国企业保持4套会计账簿是很正常的，撒克逊说。
撒克逊也表示，中国人有远见，不冒险。比起美国社会少些个人主义，所以中国人不太在行与人对抗。为此，托玛林突出了中国人对"中庸思想"的妥协微妙的形式，这意味着他们可能会坚持执行一项协议，而不是采取一个否定的答案。而对于美国人来说，这是在培养尊重，包括令人窒息的公开批评。
这种挑战大如中国，迪恩说，他与中国人的关系一直是宝贵的财富。 "我会考虑在那里结交更多制造业合作伙伴而不仅仅是商业伙伴，他们是我的朋友，"他说， "他们会给我提供很多建义，也希望看到我们取得成功。"
