Why a Chinese boss won't walk you out
The boss of the factory met you at the airport. But after the meeting at his factory, he just vanished without saying a word.
Sounds familiar? If you have ever been to China, you probably noticed the same pattern. The boss can meet you at the door, or even come himself to pick you up, either from your hotel, airport, or even another factory. But never (almost never) walks you out.
This is not a problem or disrespect. This is a tradition. And an indication of your status.
Many of the Chinese factory bosses believe in Feng Shui. Feng Shui is all about aligning the spaces with the flow of qi (energy). The main goal is to let the qi (and luck) in, and prevent it from going out. The same concept applies to wealth, as it is brought by customers. So if you are the customer, welcoming you is not only a part of etiquette, it is an invitation to wealth to come in. However, seeing a customer off is exactly guiding the wealth out, which is strongly against the principles of Feng Shui.
So don't try to go to the boss's office on your way out, even if you know he is there. You will only put him in an awkward position.
This happens very often, unless... Unless you are in the guanxi territory.
It is more like being close friends. If you are considered to have a "guanxi" with someone in China, this means that your relationships are not only pure business, but also include deep trust and favors are given (and expected to be returned).
If the boss walked you out, or even personally drove you back to your hotel, this is a very important sign: you are no longer just doing business together.
Congratulations, you are in the guanxi tier. This is where you want to be if you are doing business with a Chinese supplier.
But it all starts with the "Tea Test".
Yury Galtykhin
