Dining Customs in China
Every country has its own peculiar dining customs. The Chinese feel that the first rule of being a courteous guest is to be modest. When a person is invited to dinner, he will decline first because he is afraid it will give the host and hostess a lot of trouble preparing for it. As the host keeps on inviting him, he'll then accept it. Usually the guest will bring some gifts to the host, such as fruit, flowers and wine. The host will immediately protest his doing so by saying, "You shouldn't have bought the gifts. You are too polite and generous!"
When the guest sits down and starts chatting, the host offers something such as tea, candy, and fruit. The guest always says, "No, no, please don't bother, I am not thirsty", or "I'll help myself to them."
When the dinner is ready, the guests are invited to sit down first. They sit in the chairs that are facing the south, which are considered to be honored seats. After everybody is seated, the host asks the guests to start eating first because they will not eat before the host says so. The guests often avoid being eager to eat ouit of politeness. They usually don't empty the dishes to show that the host has prepared more food than enough out of their hospitality. On the other hand, the host and the hostess usually prepare a lot of food to feed their guests.
When the dinner is over, guests will offer to help with the cleaning, but of course, the host and hostess will not let them do so. Instead, they will ask the guests to watch TV, drink tea, and sometimes to join a card game or Mahjong game. After some time, the guests will leave, and it is customary for the host to see the guests off. The host tries to see them off to the farthest feasible point while the guests try to discourage them from doing so. The guests will usually invite the host to their home in order to return the favor.