Some general cultural notes that may come in handy when doing business in China: The color red is a sign of wealth and success when used with products and services. Also associated with success and power are gold and yellow. Blue does not hold any special meaning. Green, unless used exclusively with jade, may get some negative reactions. It is best to avoid black and white since both are associated with funerals. The number eight is lucky and anything associated with it means good luck, wealth, health and happiness. Four is unlucky mainly because the sound of the word pronounced is similar to the word for death.

The customary Chinese office is an open-scheme design; traditionally, there are few doors, with the exception of the higher positions, and people work mainly at long large tables or at individual or shared cubes. Doors, when they are present, are usually open. The open scheme is similar to the Japanese section arrangement. In the Chinese organization, there are strictly business titles but also government titles since most managers in the large Chinese organizations are also officials with the party and hold some responsibility in/to the government bureaucracy (usually in the appropriate minister’s office). Business titles and rank are: