One thing that is very important, as a first step when dealing with China, is to understand that China is very different. It is so tempting to just think we can translate to and from Chinese and Western languages as we do between English and Italian or French. This is not the case. This language follows a totally different pattern and way of expressing things, that is deeply rooted in the Chinese culture. And, of course, in the different characters that are based on images and not letters. Therefore the convention of Western logic is not relevant in China, which often results in misunderstandings and even wrong perceptions. And this just stems from the language.

I love China, as is to be expected after being here for 9 years.
From my point of view to really connect you have to open your mind to allow the possibility of a different concept of thinking, as it counts for any experience with different cultures and people. You also have to be persistent, patient and willing to listen in order to see these deep routed differences, as they have arisen from hundreds (even thousands) of years of tradition which, even today, still influence people’s behavior and ways of thinking. Even though on the surface things do not seem to be so different.

In China there is no rulebook about do’s & don’ts.
Yes, there are some suggestions and guidelines from the Chinese association of advertising, but in the end you never know, because rules are always open for interpretation.

There are some standard don’ts:
Do not show Chinese currency, do not show the face, any life story, news of any government official or any buildings used as government offices, and, of course, no relevant political issues. Do not show the flag of any country, do not show the map of China, do not comment on any internal topics, …
Do not show naked people – well, I noticed that apparently different degrees of nudity seem to be allowed for certain brands. That is exactly the “freedom of interpretation” I mentioned above that might be linked to the image of your brand, its origin and to a few other things I will not to go into detail about here.

Moving on from the “obvious”.
Observing the latest campaigns and censorship cases is crucial to understanding the “don’ts”, because it can become blurry. Learning from the “faux pas” of others is the biggest insight into understanding what topics or visuals are caught by the eye of the Chinese censorship.
It can be a faux pas that originally had no bad intention whatsoever, but was deemed as “offensive against the Chinese culture”, “disturbing social order” or is counter-productive to the concept of a “harmonious society” by the censors. As an advertiser or marketer you also have a responsibility in China.

To conclude, because there is plenty more to say, China is a very complex country with a multi-layered culture.
People are quick to jump to conclusions and, judge, or think they “know” the Chinese. In most cases I doubt that. You will always discover new things to learn and you will never completely understand everything. Even Chinese people themselves don’t claim that – China’s culture, multiple minorities, ethnic groups and geographical differences are too diverse and unaccessible for the most.
If you stick to those who respect the Chinese people and culture, as well in business, then you will find true insights and a better understanding.