The holiday season has come into full swing. Walk into any department store or mall and you will be surrounded by the constant reminder of diving into your savings to present loved ones with presents. Because I recently opened my wallet to purchase gifts for others, it seemed appropriate to talk about Chinese gift giving.
Chinese view gift giving as a sign of friendship or hospitality. It is viewed as common courtesy, yet ironically enough, if you ever watch a gift exchange between two people you will see the receiver reject the gift three times before fully accepting it. While rejection may be all part of the package, reciprocity is very important as well. To cultivate a relationship, reciprocating the gift giving act is almost customary.
Chinese gift giving occurs very frequently. Gifts are usually given to children, elderly, when visiting others, during the holidays, and major life events.
While the nature of the gift can vary in many forms, when given to a family it is best if the gift can be utilized by everyone, such as tea. One thing I have learned to not take to heart over the years is not being offended if a gift is not open in front of you. Apparently our Western culture is slightly different...
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1 comment:
You're doing a great job with these.
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