What's the best and the worst of Chinese etiquette?

Answer 1

The best and the worst are the same - and that is they laugh when feeling uncomfortable. Many from Western nations assume that laughing means it is funny and they should continue with what they are doing. Hope that helps.

Answer 2

The best -

1) Because family is so important in the Chinese culture, family gatherings are always a great time (in my opinion). All meals are eaten with the family where we all eat from common plates of food. Personally, I feel that this makes eating much more harmonious than ordering individual dishes for each person which really takes away from the idea of mealtime as family time.

2) When we meet relatives or friends of our parents, we must say their name, for example, 'Auntie' or 'Grandma'. By doing this, we show respect by acknowledging them as well as making our presence known.

The worst -

1) It's not necessarily a bad thing - but being too modest could disadvantage someone. We are taught from the beginning to be modest about our skills and knowledge - always. If someone asks me if I know how to do something, I say Yes but also have to follow up with a comment like "...but I'm still in need of improvement." Hence, it is always awkward for me to 'show off' at job interviews etc.

2) Overly polite. Everytime, at the end of a family dinner out with relatives, all the adults 'argue' about who'll pay. It takes a while and is amusing for me and my cousins to watch. :)

The inbetween?

1) Taking our shoes off when we enter a house. This is done so that we do not dirty the house. On the other hand, my non-Asian friend said he wished his family's Asian friends (who went over to eat dinner) kept their shoes on so that there wouldn't be a risk of smelly feet. :)
There are some more but these are the few points I could think of on the spot.

Answer 3

They eat almost all kinds of things.