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Review focus: Social systems based on authoritarianism and the division of people into vertically structured classes invariably emphasize rank and the use of titles. Military organizations are, of course, perfect examples of this practice.
Boye Lafayette de Mente is one of our regular monthly columnists at the Asia Pacific Management Forum. A noted author with over 30 years of experience in China, Japan, Korea and other Asian countries, Boye's tips on doing business in the region are both pragmatic and enlightening. Some material is taken from Boye's many books exploring Asian cultural and business Code Words, business etiquette, customs, and language.
Asian Business Code Words Index
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Social systems based on authoritarianism and the division of people into vertically structured classes invariably emphasize rank and the use of titles. Military organisations are, of course, perfect examples of this practice. Traditional Chinese society fits this pattern precisely. Not only were the people divided into classes. Those in charge, on every level, had titles. In addition, the clothing that people wore was usually enough to distinguish their class and rank. But in the case of China the use of touxian (toe-uu-she-enn) or titles went much further than what was generally common for despotic, vertically structured societies - for a reason that appears to be unique in world history. According to historical records, the Chinese trace their beginnings to 100 families, with 100 family names. Whether or not this is absolutely true, the point is well taken. The small number of founding families multiplied and multiplied, while the family names remained the same throughout the generations. Until very recent times there were still only about 440 surnames in China to account for several hundred million families. Today there are an estimated 5,662 family names in the country, but the population is now over 1 billion. The original 100 family names still account for some 90 percent of China's one billion-plus people. Only 19 surnames account for around 60 percent of the population. Ten percent of the population, over 100 million Chinese, are named Zhang (Chang). There are also millions of Wangs and Lis. Early in Chinese history kinship, work-related and official government titles became institutionalized as vital parts of the hierarchical and ethical systems, while also serving the purpose of helping to overcome the mass duplication of names. In a large enterprise or government agency, where there are generally dozens to several hundred Zhangs, having both the name and title is often not enough to successfully identify an individual. The person's department, section, and sometimes their home address as well, are usually necessary. Generally, it is not advisable for foreigners to use the common kinship titles when addressing Chinese - unless they speak the language and are fully aware of all the subtle nuances that go with the titles. It is easy to make embarrassing mistakes, and in many cases the familiar terms suggest an intimacy that is inappropriate. The safest, and perfectly acceptable, bet for non-Chinese speakers is to use the English titles Mr., Mrs. and Miss in all social situations. In business, government and professional affairs, however, it pays to learn the titles of the ranking individuals and to use them. Here are some of the more common professional titles:
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| This month's column is excerpted from China's Cultural Code Words, by Boye Lafayette De Mente available from NTC/Contemporary Publishing Company |
© Boye Lafayette De Mente & the Asia Pacific Management Forum 2002
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