I Stand Corrected: How Teaching Western Manners in China Became Its Own Unforgettable Lesson

(Paperback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

As an American businesswoman in China, Eden Collinsworth came to realize that her Chinese counterparts were fundamentally uncomfortable in the company of Westerners. She collaborated with a major Chinese publisher to produce a Western etiquette guide. The book became a bestseller and prompted China's Ministry of Education to suggest that she create a curriculum for the school system. In I Stand Corrected, Collinsworth now draws on her experiences to help American readers navigate Chinese business culture. She shows us how to present a business card, how to wield one's guanxi (or social connections), and how to pace oneself when drinking 120-proof baijiu at a work function. She warns us not to be surprised at spitting on the street, and explains how, to the Chinese, being called fat can actually be considered a compliment. She also gives us a larger view of personal and professional ambition among the citizens of China. By turns informative, hilarious, and thought-provoking, I Stand Corrected is essential reading for those looking to understand the mores of this rapidly changing--and increasingly important--nation.

Reviews

A heck of a story. . . . Entertaining, informative and insightful. The New York Times

A must-read. Bloomberg Radio

If Eden Collinsworth werent so good a writer, shed do well with her own reality TV show. She has a fearless, go-anywhere, do-almost-anything attitude thatcombined with her intelligence and keen observational powersmakes for exceptional storytelling.MinneapolisStar Tribune

Hilarious and insightful.. . . A compulsive page-turner. . . .An insiders view into the rising power of the East. Amanda Foreman, author of Georgiana and A World on Fire

I Stand Correctedhas many interesting, even important, things to say about commerce and manners in China, but the books real pleasure is Eden Collinsworths company. Her mind is lucid and original, and shes very funny.Alec Wilkinson, author ofThe Ice Balloon

There are very few like Eden Collinsworth who have actually known China, who have seen its transformation firsthand. With her wonderful bookI Stand Corrected, she uses her knowledge and experience to build a bridge for readers to cross the river between cultures.Xinran, author ofChina Witness,Sky Burial, andThe Good Women of China

Eden Collinsworths adventures on her way to writing a best-selling manual of Western deportment for the Chinese are enchanting. . . . I Stand Correctedis an original, fearless, and funny book that you read for its laughs as well as its lessons. Joan Juliet Buck

Enlightening, enthralling, and sometimes laugh-out-loud funny. Her revealing and profoundly interesting insight into Chinese culture must be the first of its kind. Blythe Danner

Wonderful. . . . A rare, true gift. . . . A traveler of the world, often with her multilingual son, Collinsworthwaxes intelligently and humorously about other cultures.Booklist (starred review)

Collinsworths observations bring the Chinese and their rituals and history to life ... Entertaining, informative adventures of a woman determined to understand the people of China.Kirkus Reviews

An entertaining take on life as a foreigner in China.Publishers Weekly

Author Bio

EDEN COLLINSWORTH is a former media executive and business consultant. She launched the Los Angeles-based monthly lifestyle magazine, Buzz, after which she became VP & director of cross media business development at Hearst Corporation. In 2011 she launched Collinsworth & Associates, a Beijing-based consulting company, which specializes in intercultural communication. Her Chinese language book The Tao of Improving Your Likeability- A Personal Guide to Effective Business Etiquette in Today's Global World has become a major best seller in mainland China.