Students Learn Eastern Etiquette

Former Dean of the Faculty William C. Kirby and three other Harvard professors led a dinner on etiquette last night, teaching students how to interact in a business setting in China and imparting wisdom on the lack of a “double-dipping ban” abroad.

Kirby opened the event with a series of remarks on Chinese etiquette, but admitted to the audience that giving a speech before dinner was, in fact, not consistent with Chinese tradition.

“This is actually not the kind of thing that would happen at a Chinese banquet, but we have to start with some cultural compromises,” he said.

Forty students—chosen out of a 140-person lottery—attended “Eastern Etiquette: A Guide to Protocol, Manners, and Culture in China,” co-sponsored by the Harvard-Radcliffe Chinese Students Association (HRCSA) and the Harvard International Business Club (HIB), held at the Royal East Restaurant in Cambridge.

HIB manager Edmond W. F. Cheuk ’09 said that the event was organized in response to what the organizers saw as China’s intrigue in Harvard students.

“Since China is a place with ever increasing political, cultural, and economic influence, we thought it would be a great idea to have a dinner incorporating lessons about etiquette,” Cheuk said.

Associate Professor of East Asian Languages and Civilizations Eileen C. Chow advised students on how to be polite when interacting with business professionals.

“Please and thank you work very differently in China,” she said. “In cases in English when you would say thank you, you would instead be saying ‘you shouldn’t have,’ or ‘sorry.’”

Assistant Professor of Business Administration Regina M. Abrami said that being a foreign woman in China can be disconcerting.

“It’s like the third sex—man, woman, and foreign woman,” she said.

Kirby challenged students on their general knowledge of modern-day China during the dinner.

“If you were to take the poorest parts of China, what would be the number of cell phones per hundred people?” he asked.

“Well, you said it was surprising, so 50,” replied Joyce Y. Zhang ’09, who is also a Crimson news editor.

“29,” he said.

HRCSA cultural co-chair Jennifer Ding ’10 said that she and Cheuk were pleased with the outcome of the event.

“Even though it was a lot of hard work, it turned out to be a very successful and fruitful project. And Edmond and I are looking to do similar events where students learn from professors outside of class.”