Turning Bricks Into Jade: Critical Incidents for Mutual Understanding Among Chinese and Americans

Abstract

Turning Bricks into Jade is an idiomatic translation of the Chinese proverb throw bricks, attract The authors like to think of each critical incident as a brick, which, when combined with other similar bricks - good sense and effort - can be used to build relationships more valuable than jade. The critical incidents are stories about cross-cultural conflict or misunderstanding, based on actual events. Readers choose one of the four or five possible alternatives that explain the misunderstanding. Following each incident is a discussion of potential solutions, and many incidents have more than one correct explanation. Understanding the possibilities can help people facing the prospect of working or staying in China understand what they will encounter.