Mind your manners (2)

Teaching Western etiquette

Institute Sarita, the school run by 27-year-old Ho, is described on its website as "China's leading finishing school, bringing you first-hand experience to help you become more poised and polished, taking your social and professional success to the next level."

Knigge Akademie, a Germany-based etiquette school that teaches Western etiquette to Chinese businesspeople, opened its Beijing office in March 2011. Its courses are taught by etiquette specialists from overseas, and cater mostly to employees of large companies and the government.

Eric Liu, marketing manager for Knigge Akademie, said a one-week course at the institution costs around 30,000 yuan. Costs, which are usually footed by participants' employers, include accommodation and meals, with mastering table manners ranking among the most coveted skills.

"Everyone knows that the Chinese economy is growing, but if Chinese businesspeople can't learn [Western] etiquette, they can't successfully conduct business internationally," said Liu, a Chinese national. "Western visitors might think that Chinese clients are not polite, which makes etiquette such a key part of business."

Briton Freddie Cull founded The Etiquette Society along with business partner Cameron Shaw in Beijing in 2008. Like Knigge Akademie, it taught Chinese clients Western etiquette and aimed to refine their daily social and communication interactions. However, the school closed down in 2011.

Cull, who is now a brand strategist at a multinational company in Shanghai, believes the market for such services is stronger today.

Nevertheless, negative historical attitudes toward Western etiquette still linger among some from China's older generation. During the Cultural Revolution (1966-76), such etiquette was denounced as bourgeois, and being branded a dalaocu, or "uncouth fellow," was considered a compliment.

Etiquette schools still risk being misinterpreted and perceived as condescending in China, Cull noted.

"You run the risk of coming across as derogatory towards Chinese society when you start insinuating that there are better ways, in line with your own culture. Trying to shift societal views can get you into murky waters," he told Metro Beijing.

"There's certainly space to do it if you're aware, but you have to be a respected company to justify the means."

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