Easy Talk: Taboos in gift giving

As much as Chinese people like giving presents to each other, there are also a lot of taboos in gift giving. At the beginning of this year, Susan Kramer, then Britain's minister of state for transport, apologized after giving the mayor of Taipei a watch as a gift. Giving someone a clock or watch as a present is traditionally taboo in Chinese culture due to the similar pronunciation of "giving a clock" and "attending a person's funeral". Check out our discussions on some of the taboos in gift giving.

Host: Hu Zhe

Guests: Belle Taylor & Michael Ottey

Studio Director: Lou Yi

Camera: Wu Chuanjing

Editing: Yu Yao

Subtitles: Wu Xiao(Intern)

Producer: Hu Zhe

Executive Producer: Feng Minghui

About Easy Talk:

Easy Talk is a weekly talk show program covering the latest living-related issues in today's China. Foreigners living in China are invited to share their life experiences and observations on a variety of light topics. The discussions revolve around the cultural differences that exist between China and other countries, covering various aspects and the implications they have on China's cultural exchange with the world.