Manners maketh man, and China's wealthy

Sara Jane Ho, a 29-year-old Harvard Business School graduate, is keen to share her multicultural experiences and lifestyle with her women-only courses at Institute Sarita, China's first etiquette school. [Photo provided to China Daily]

British standard

The English have throughout time been renowned for their association with impeccable etiquette and it's thus unsurprisingly that many wealthy people have opted to learn from the British.

The Shanghai-based Image Collective Communication works with The English Manner, a global provider of contemporary protocol, etiquette, communication and cross-cultural integration tuition, to offer regular coaching courses to China's high net worth individuals.

"I've noticed that the consumption level of Chinese people is approaching the world standard but their level of social etiquette is still not on par with Western countries like Britain," said Angelina Du, who founded The Image Collective Communication in 2013.

Du has over the past two years invited professional tutors from the UK to Shanghai to conduct courses on English style etiquette, like how to shake hands, the correct way to dine at the table, and how to partake in afternoon tea. Her courses are also often attended by children between the ages of six to 12, as more and more parents are eager for their children to get a good head start.

Besides etiquette courses, Du is also working to expand her range of services to include other types of high-end lifestyle courses teaching flower arrangement, art appreciation and culinary skills.

"The younger people start, the easier it is to learn. I am very pleased to see that Chinese children are really good at observing everything, much better than Western children, and I am very impressed with how Chinese children are so willing to learn," said Diana Mather, director of training from The English Manner. "If they learn those etiquettes at a very young age, it will become their second nature."