“Saving face and building face are critically important to the Chinese. Face is not only about preserving one’s dignity, but also about preserving the dignity and reputation of others. “Face” is commodity of sorts in China. The more ‘face’ one has, the more one is able to buy with it. The higher one is on the hierarchy, the more face one is expected to demonstrate. Face can be lost in a meeting, for example, if a junior staff member answers a question without consulting with his superiors in the room, as this makes the senior members of the group look as if they did not know the answer. Conversely, face can be gained when a customer praises an employee in front on his superiors, or when you make your clients look good providing critical information for a project, without taking credit. The Chinese take face saving very seriously, and it is critical to integrate this cultural expectation into your management style in order to be successful in China.” Dana Breitenstein