Refrain from asking women if they are married. If a woman volunteers this information, however, you may ask a few polite questions about her husband and/or children.
ethnic or religious jokes

Welcome Topics of Conversation
a person＇s job/work-related matters
sports
travel
food
music
movies
books


Part IIII Exercises and Discussion

Using guidelines from Part three, prepare 5 questions that you think will be most pleasant to ask on the following occasions:
- New students’ picnic
- Annual ball of the industry
- Your best friend’s wedding
- A cocktail party held for the signing of a million-dollar contract

Give examples where Chinese business etiquettes conflict with those of the Western business world. Discuss with other students that under such circumstances, should Chinese businesspeople always make compromises to following the western protocols? Give examples and you solutions to such conflicts.

“Small talks” could, on many occasions, be a great lubricant or ice-breaker in formal business occasions. The art of carrying such talks naturally lies on the following principles:
Imagination
Ellipsis (Imply more)
Spontaneity
Appropriate frame of mind (Get into context)
Accuracy is not that important