Roadtrip to China: 8 rules for work and play

NEW YORK (Fortune) -- We've all been there: visiting a new country we inadvertently do or say something deemed offensive to locals. At best, we're embarrassed. At worst, we risk blowing a business deal or offending our hosts.

In China, cultural differences are taking center stage as more Americans head east for business and pleasure. So whether you're going for business or to catch next month's Olympics in Beijing - or both - here's an 8-point crash course in how your Chinese hosts work and play.

What do you mean, 'I want?' In the West, the individual is No. 1. In China, community trumps all. "In the West, what 'I' want matters greatly," explains Huping Iler, CEO of wintranslation.com, an Ontario-based provider of translation services in dozens of languages (including Mandarin) to clients like the United Nations, Intel (INTC,Fortune 500), and Caterpillar (CAT, Fortune 500). "In Chinese culture, what I want is not as important as what 'we' want."

I know what's best for you. Here's a prime example of group-think at work: A Chinese automotive supplier whom Iler knows changed a North American customer's product without asking permission. The customer was furious, but the supplier didn't get why. "'Not without my permission' is an important concept in Western cultures, because it shows respect for individual authority and individual choice," Iler notes. "But in China, it's much more common for supervisors and others to make decisions that affect others without consulting anyone else, because they believe they are acting in the best interests of the group." If you want to be consulted on key decisions, don't assume you will be. Speak up. Click Here to continue reading this article.