Fresh fruit (especially premium or imported varieties), quality tea, or a nice bottle of wine or liquor are all safe choices. Avoid giving clocks (associated with death in Chinese culture), white flowers (funeral associations), or gifts in sets of four (the number four sounds like “death” in Mandarin). Present the gift with both hands when you arrive.
Sip instead of draining the glass. Say “Suíyì” (as you wish) instead of “Gānbēi” (bottoms up) to signal you’ll drink at your own pace. You can also nurse a single glass throughout the meal. If you don’t drink alcohol at all, say so clearly at the start and toast with tea. Most hosts will respect this, especially from foreign guests.
The biggest ones: sitting in the wrong seat, insisting on splitting the bill, cleaning your plate completely, sticking chopsticks vertically in rice, and refusing toasts without offering an alternative. These aren’t catastrophic individually, but stacking several of them in one meal creates an impression of carelessness. Following the step-by-step sequence in this guide eliminates nearly all of them.
It depends on context. At a formal or business dinner, keep your phone off the table during toasts and conversation. At a casual meal with friends, phones are everywhere: people photograph dishes, share WeChat moments, and scan QR codes to order or pay. The key is reading the room. If the host is speaking or toasting, put the phone down.
Tell your host before the dinner, ideally when the invitation is extended. Saying “I’m vegetarian” or “I can’t eat peanuts” in advance lets the host plan the menu accordingly. At the table, a brief, matter-of-fact explanation is all that’s needed. Chinese hosts are generally very accommodating once they understand the restriction. Avoid lengthy explanations about your diet philosophy during the meal itself.
Ask for a fork. Seriously, it’s fine. Your hosts would much rather you eat comfortably than watch you struggle and drop food everywhere. Many restaurants in tourist-frequented cities have forks available. The effort of trying chopsticks is appreciated, but nobody expects mastery from a foreign guest.