Culture of China When Visiting a Home

In Chinese culture, a native will rarely invite people to come their house because of the fear of losing face.
Know that sometimes more than one family lives in the same household as an extended family.

Children may still live with their parents as late as into their twenties.
The average time it takes for people to invite you to their house is about 4 to 5 months.
Rich or young people sometimes will invite you over to their home a little sooner than the average family.
When you do get invited to see a person's home (rich or poor), it is a huge privilege.
Common house gifts include a bottle of liquor, food, or fruit. It is okay not to wrap the gift.
Chinese natives always offer drinks or food to you as soon as you walk in. Do accept all of these things.
Vice versa, if you are inviting a Chinese family to come over then do try to offer a drink or refreshment, because the Chinese will not ask even if they are thirsty.
If you are a man, and would like to invite some a lady friend to come over, then you should try to invite her friends as well when inviting her. The reason for doing this is to protect her name as well as protect her from rumors.

Don't expect people to invite you to their house, when you know each other briefly.
Whatever they say, don't leave you shoes on when you walk into the house.
Chinese people will not open your gift in front of you.
The Chinese native will not accept the gift when first offered, but they will take it if you keep insisting for the second or third time.
Don't expect Chinese people to give you a house tour.
It is good to give compliments when entering the house, but it is not good when you try giving advice on how to make the house better.
If you are a woman, you should not go alone to a man's house. Always bring a friend to protect you from any wrong ideas.

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