【正文】 are 12 usually ushered in with gan bei. Even though “gan bei” toasts are offered through the dinner, you only have to empty your glass on the first one when people drain their glasses and show each other the empty glasses (ladies are supposed to take only a sip). The Chinese generally touch glasses with each other during a toast. The first toast is frequently a general one, with everyone drinking together, usually as soon as the first dish is presented. After that it is a general practice for all at the table to toast others, starting with host/hostess toasting the guest of honor. It is not necessary to give a short speech when making a toast but is mon to specify the kind of toast. The most usual toast is “gan bei”. Other toasts include “sui bian” (drink as you please), “sui yi” (drink a little), or “ban bei” (drink just half the glass). The whole table often drinks together when new dishes arrive. Ritualized drinking is a big part of conducting business and getting things acplished in China. Banquet is a standard weling gesture and prerequisite to getting down to business. Restaurants often have special banquet rooms with private bathrooms and tables with place set with two glasses: one for beer, one for wine. Hosts will lose face if their guests are perceived as not having a good time and the key to making sure they do is making sure they get enough to drink. Of course, it’s like a form of munication between people. It would be disrespectful to have no drink with a guest. 13 Alcohol certainly greases the wheels of business in the west, but people can usually stop after one or two glasses. In China, however, the opposite is often true: it is much easier to refuse an initial drink than to stop once you have started. Drinking to develop and cement relationships has a long history in China. When one drinks with a friend, a thousand cups are not enough is a traditional saying. That does not mean bingeing has been the norm. In the 1980s, a study of Chinese classical poetry concluded that heavy drinking had been in and out of favour over the years. Experts have suggested that Chinese habits—consuming alcohol with food, playing drinking games and toasting in a highly ritualised fashion—served to regularize alcohol intake and limit drunkenness. China39。s) and if you want a refill, you need to drain your glass. And if you39。t start eating until the eldest person at the table picks up his chopsticks or spoon and no one is excused from the table until the eldest person has finished eating. When offering a plate, dish, glass or bottle to someone who is older than you, you show respect by using two hands to present the object. The Chinese eat very fast. After finishing a meal, Chinese often get up, thank each other, say goodbye and leave abruptly. Chinese consider it somewhat rude to eat in front of noneating people, or to eat while walking down the streets. The latter custom dates back to a time when eating in public was considered mean to people who didn39。 賈玉新 《 跨文化交際學 》， 上海：上海外語教育出版社， 1997。 杜學增 《 中英文化習俗比較 》， 北京：外語教學與研究出版社， 1999。 they think time is as important as money. In their mind, time is limited. They value their time very much. In their daily lives, they always arranged and planed their time carefully. They are often filled with a sense of urgency of time. They have a good habit that they go to the party on time. Meanwhile, China accepts the free time rule. In our mind, sometimes we need not have to obey the timetable. In China, we do not pay more attention on time. The different time concepts are reflected on the dinner. In China, we do not have certain standards about arrival time. Arrive earlier, on time or a little late are all allowed. We will not be similar with a western person who is so strict of carrying on according to the planned timetable. In fact, in western countries, when they want to go to someone’s home for dinner, they always arrive at about five minutes earlier. It is not very polite for you to get much earlier。s make a toast”. It is said that people in the past supposed that putting a toast in the drinking would make the drinking tastier. In western countries, people who drink a lot are called heavy drinkers. If we say someone drinks like a fish, we not only mean he drinks a lot but also agree he is good at drinking and he knows the art of drinking. It is well known that every culture has different traditions when it es to drinking etiquette. For example, to refill your own wine glass in France without offering more to the rest of the table would be considered impolite. In England, women can pour only men39。 taste. D. Drinking style Chinese usually don39。re seated, wait for your host or guest of honor to pick up the napkin and place it on his lap. Use this signal as an indicator for you, the guest, to do the same. You can find the napkin either to the left of the forks, beneath the forks, or on the main plate. In a restaurant, the napkin may be folded in a fancy way and placed on the plate or in a glass. It39。s between the upper teeth. The food should dislodge either onto your toothpick or in your mouth. If it39。 A Contrastive Analysis of Table Culture Between China and Western Countries By Huang xiang A 2021 Undergraduate of the School of Foreign Languages of Teachers College Supervisor: Han Rong May 7th, 2021 2 A Contrastive Analysis of Table Culture Between China and Western Countries Thesis statement: There are differences of table culture between China and western countries. Outt lliinee I. Introduction: a brief account of table culture II. The major differences of table culture between China and western countries A. Seats arrangement B. The use of tableware 1. The use of tableware in China 2. The u