China is a country rich in moral values and etiquette, which certainly comes into play in the culture of gift giving. We all are filled with only the best intentions when giving gifts, but in China, there are certain taboos which one must avoid to prevent any offense.
In general the following things are considered as inappropriate gifts in the Chinese culture.
- A Bell/Clock-“钟”(zhōng) should never be given as a present.
In Chinese, 送钟（sòngzhōng: to give a clock）has the same pronunciation with 送终（sòngzhōng）, which means to attend to a dying parent or other senior member of one’s family and arrange to make burial and funeral arrangements after the death.
Due to the sound connection between these two unrelated things, one must always remember not to give a bell or a clock “钟”(zhōng) as a present to your Chinese friends.
Recent Comments