Advice for business meals with Chinese customer The Chinese have a saying,"Fan zhuo shang bu tan sheng yi,"which means “Don't talk about business at the dinner table."That might not seem logical when we are talking about business meals, but another saying,"Fan chi han le. sheng yi ye jiu hao le,” which means"Business can be easily done if you treat them to a good meal,"makes it clear.A Chinese business meal is mostly a social affair---any talk of business will not start until long after the meal has begun, or is sometimes left for the end. Naturally,not too many negotiations are finished or contracts signed during this time, but you can still use the opportunity to strengthen your relationship, present your business or deal with various problems. The social aspect is important when doing business in China. Many business people and customers don't feel confident about working together until they know each other. Business meals can be large or small,formal or informal,and the way a meal is organised will show how individuals prefer to do things.One thing is for certain: most hosts will want to impress their guest with lots of food and plenty of good rice wine.