Understanding China: There is Reason for the Difference

With the meteoric rise of China over the past decades comes an increase in the number of people who are drawn to the Middle Kingdom for travel and business, along with a corresponding surge in guidebooks on Chinese culture and business etiquette. But such books only brush the surface.

Author Gary Moreau discovered the hard way that being an effective businessperson in China takes more than just learning what to expect and how to react in different situations. He realized he had to understand not just how our cultures differ but why they differ.

In Understanding China, Moreau offers a fascinating exploration of why the Chinese exhibit different beliefs and behaviors, beginning by comparing the Chinese and Western worldviews as they evolved from the foundational influences of Confucius and Aristotle, respectively.

Based on his personal experiences and observations from living and working in Beijing since 2007, the book discusses the significance of the Chinese worldview in the business climate, living environment, and politics of China.

Whether your interest is in travel, living abroad, business, or gaining insight into one of the most important players on the world stage today, this engaging book delivers deeper understanding of this captivating culture.

Gary Moreau lives in China and served as the general manager for a US-based multinational company from 2007 to 2015.

Moreau attended Middlebury College in Vermont and was appointed a Global Leader for Tomorrow by the World Economic Forum in its inaugural class of 1993-a class that included Bill Gates, Michael Dell, and Yo-Yo Ma.

He was the COO of a leading US manufacturing company for five years before becoming an operating partner with a private equity firm and then moving to China to manage a manufacturing plant and workforce of 450 Chinese nationals from every region of the country. He was the company's only expatriate.

In addition to his nonfiction book Understanding China, Moreau has also written two fictional novels under the pen name of Avam Hale, an anagram of the names of his two daughters. Visit his blog at glassmakerinchina.com.