On my very first trip to Beijing, I had a foot massage at my hotel, and when I offerd the masseuse 10 yuan she refused to take it. One thing my friends in China always told me was never to give tips to servicepeople. Bellmen, waiters, taxi drivers — they don’t expect a tip, and whenever I would give them some extra change they’d beam with delight. One friends got annoyed at me when I gave extra money to a waiter, and said, “That’s their job — that’s what they’re paid for. We don’t do that here.”
Is that all changing? According to this article, tipping is becoming routine in some parts of China.
In the old China, everyone was taught they were working for the glory of the state. In the new China, the glory has gotten a little more calculating — say, 10% of the bill.
Tipping, long frowned upon in this still officially communist country, may be going mainstream.
This month, one of China’s leading travel agencies will begin offering three VIP tour packages during which customers will be encouraged to tip the guides. The pilot program has touched a nerve in the traditionally gratuity-shy society even as it underscores China’s continuing shift to a market-driven economy.
“The practice for many, many years was not to tip,” Jane Liedtke, a management consultant who does cross-cultural training for foreign firms here, said about the general treatment of food servers, doormen and other service personnel. “But they are picking up on the Western practice of tipping here quite vigorously.”
That attitude represents a cultural sea-change in a place where tipping was unheard of under early communism, which taught that everyone was equal. Even before communism, expecting a tip was considered rude.
I suppose it’s the cost of progress. Just one more aspect of Chinese culture being chipped away by the bulldozer of globalization.
1
By Jing
Talk about a non-sequitor, I don’t think this is evidence of the loss of Chinese culture at all. It is simply tipping. Personally, I am against tipping, if a gratuity is demanded, it may as well built into a service as an extra fee.
Besides, Europe is quite “globalized” yet tipping is not common there.
September 4, 2004 @ 2:43 pm | Comment
2
By richard
Maybe I didn’t state the point very clearly. Tipping was a part of Western culture (and it’s definitely part of Western Europe’s, where a gratuity is added to your bill, and you always tip ushers at theaters, bellmen, etc.) It was not a part of Chinese culture and was in fact discouraged. That aspect of China’s culture — assuming service people were just doing their job and did not merit extra money on top of the bill — is being chipped away as the Western model catches on. By the way, I usually broke from the Chinese norm myself, and always tipped people when they did a great job. TRhe extra change was usually met with very happy surprise.
September 4, 2004 @ 2:58 pm | Comment
3
By jacky
The culture should be such that tipping ought to be up to the customer, and never to be expected or demanded – this is the situation in Australia and many parts of of SE Asia.
If a service is good I like to tip as a sign of my appreciation – the amount should be up to me. When a tip is expected/demanded, and has to be a minimum of ‘x’, or ‘y’ % of the bill, then that becomes rather unpleasant.
I hope China won’t come to that stage.
September 4, 2004 @ 8:28 pm | Comment
4
By ACB
Richard
I stayed in Western Europe for a few years (mainly France and England) and have a slightly different impression on tipping, though this might have been because I wasn’t a tourist and so wasn’t in the right places to tip.
As I understand it the gratuity charge is often a table charge, especially in France, you pay it if you have a waiter and a table but not at the bar, and I think that in England and France it is a legal requirement to display the charge individually on the menu so you know what it is. In other countries it’s just included in the total price or as a tip. The money goes to the restaurant etc so a tip is generally given to the waitress or waiter individually as well. Though some places collect all of the tips and spilt them equally and others forbid individual tipping and pocket the staff’s hard earned gratuities.
I’ve never tipped an usher not even at a big name London show and I’ve never seen it done. Then again I wasn’t looking particularly hard to see if other people were tipping but I’m sure that everyday people don’t do it.
Jing, it is true that tipping is not common in many places in Europe, but this is largely limited to everyday things, you don’t tip in a restaurant chain or a movie theatre and you don’t usually tip tour guides in package tours, but it is the norm in the big west end restaurants or in places that have quality entertainment (plus strip clubs), and where you have an assigned waiter or waitress.
I don’t think that it is necessarily a bad thing to tip, though I do agree with Jacky that pressuring people to tip is wrong.
I think that what China is doing is moving from a servile culture to a service culture, like Britain when it had butlers and footmen and America when it invented Disneyland and the diner. You tip for the personal service, not just floor service.
The people doing the work in China aren’t idiot servants or drones of the greater nation any more, many of them see providing a good service as more important than merely providing a service and so it is natural that they should be rewarded for being helpful, attentive and diligent. They get paid little for what they do so it’s fair to recognize that you appreciate it.
September 4, 2004 @ 9:56 pm | Comment
5
By boo
Richard, I never saw you as a cultural imperialist before! Unfortunately tipping is built into the culture in the US, but it’s kind of a disease, not a good thing.
Tipping is a way of encouraging employers not to pay their workers, and have the workers beg for money directly from customers, and it thrives in industries without professional standards.
Note that in Japan the service industry is very well-developed (moreso than in the US) and there is *NO* tipping, and neither are the workers badly paid.
Besides, outside North America (especially in Europe) there are all sorts of other implications regarding assumptions about class when you try tipping people. It’s a dangerous and complicated area and I understand that Americans who tip when it’s not expected are just trying to be generous but that isn’t how it’s perceived. At best you’re considered a bit stupid for giving more than you have to, and at worst, you’re insulting people (who take the money anyway, but then harbor grudges that they complain about for years to come: and yes, I have direct experience with this).
September 4, 2004 @ 11:38 pm | Comment
6
By 403200
I never get the tipping thing, myself. How much am I supposed to tip? When? Why?
I wish nobody tipped. Then there wouldn’t be any pressure for me to. And I would have one less thing to worry about.
I mean, why the hell should I spend a night out puzzling over this, anyway? They do their job. They get paid.
September 5, 2004 @ 8:10 am | Comment
7
By richard
Boo, I lived in Europe for over a year and tipping is not nearly as complex as you make it sound. Gratutities for waiters/waitresses are part of the bill, but you usually give them some of the change. Same with taxis (at least in Germany). I can’t imagine anyone being insulted by a tip. Most realize that’s what we do in America, and we’re just trying to express gratitude.
Tipping in the US is not a “disease.” It’s how many workers make the bulk of their pay, and I think if you asked most waiters if they’d prefer to be tipped or let the restaurant owneer give them the built-in gratuity they’d all choose tips.
September 5, 2004 @ 11:02 am | Comment
8
By richard
ACB, you’re right about ushers — you give them money for the program, but it’s not a tip. And yes, in Germany too the gratuity is always on the bill (as it is in HK, too, if I recall).
September 5, 2004 @ 11:12 am | Comment
9
By boo
Richard,
If the gratuity is part of the bill, I don’t think of it as a tip. It’s not a semantic distinction.
If you want an incentivized program for waiters, employers can pay them as a % of the billing, I just don’t want to pay them directly. Reason below.
You’re right that with “voluntary” tips, waiters/waitresses in better places end up with more money than straight hourly, so yes, they probably prefer it that way. If I were a DHL driver I’d also prefer being able to “negotiate” with each customer for a dropoff charge as well, and good lord the opportunities as a bank teller make me smile just thinking about it, but that doesn’t mean this would be good for business overall, and it would certainly prevent professionalism from happening and over time it slows the growth of the sector, and hurts the economy (including the waiters). Hence my terming it a “disease”.
September 5, 2004 @ 7:21 pm | Comment
10
By kevin
have not noticed tipping here in shanghai, but am all for it becoming more commonplace. Willing to put out a few extra yuan, because service here really sucks…. and I have to admit my service would suck too without tips: I know, because i worked at McDonalds in high school.
September 5, 2004 @ 7:50 pm | Comment
11
By Simon World
Asia by Blog
Today’s edition of Asian blogging’s best: Hong Kong, Taiwan and China Myrick says here today, gone tomorrow, or why is it Communists like Photoshop so much? Western cultural imperialism is helping China earn more. I’m just not sure that this is a “cost…
September 5, 2004 @ 10:26 pm | Comment
12
By Simon World
Asia by Blog
Today’s edition of Asian blogging’s best: Hong Kong, Taiwan and China Myrick says here today, gone tomorrow, or why is it Communists like Photoshop so much? Western cultural imperialism is helping China earn more. I’m just not sure that this is a “cost…
September 5, 2004 @ 10:31 pm | Comment
13
By Kevin's co-worker
I agree with Kevin. There should be tipping at McDonalds (15%) and also a limo service for their drive-through. I will work much better if I were given tip. In fact, I think I will be even a better worker if McDonald’s also provided me with a car and home. You tell them Kevin! As a Burger King employee, you know best.
September 7, 2004 @ 9:23 am | Comment
14
By kevin
hey co-worker,
i don’t remember you from our time working together, but i wanted to clear something up. i was not trying to say that there should be tipping at mcdonalds. i was just saying that without the motivation of tips, service can be less than spectacular. maybe you should try pulling your head out your ass… or maybe pull your head out your urethra… and try to understand what i mean. i think it is pretty clear.
September 8, 2004 @ 7:52 pm | Comment
15
By CAR
Someone here seems to view China as some kind of pure society until we bad westerners introduce bad habits (tipping). I don’t think we brought spitting here (Chinese seem to have that down pat). People here love money just like most people anywhere. If they can get it from us they will. Chinese are no different. They (Chinese) opened up so that they could get more cash. It doesn’t seem that they are any less greedy then others. Actually from my experience I think more so. I don’t understand these people who talk and write like the eastern nations are somehow more pure in motives. Get a race change operation:) If you are a white westerner?
September 8, 2004 @ 9:07 pm | Comment
16
By richard
CAR, who here seems to think of China as a pure society? I don’t think anyone ever said or implied that.
September 8, 2004 @ 9:29 pm | Comment
17
By 403200
It is interesting that, whatever the original topic was, long as it is about China in some way, it always turns into a China-bashing extravaganza.
You have all been brainwashed by the Americana, peeps.
September 9, 2004 @ 3:46 am | Comment
18
By kevin
how is this a china-bashing extravaganza? it is interesting that whatever the topic is, you want to come in and say “everyone is criticizing china, america controls the world.”
thanks for being predictable. you stay on your limited message like george w., which is not exactly a sign of intelligence.
September 9, 2004 @ 7:18 pm | Comment
19
By cheapo
if you don’t tip, regardless of culture, you’re a cheapo in my book.
September 10, 2004 @ 8:36 am | Comment
20
By 403200
1. I don’t tip. You can take your book and shove it.
2. I fail to see how “you stay on your limited message like george w., which is not exactly a sign of intelligence.” is an intelligent argument. Therefore I shall not comment.
September 10, 2004 @ 8:44 am | Comment
21
By 403200
Ah. I get it now, cheapo.
September 10, 2004 @ 9:18 am | Comment
22
By Simon World
Asia by Blog – Month in Review
This is cross-posted at Winds of Change. Asia by Blog is a twice weekly feature, posted on Mondays and Thursdays (the latest edition is here). You can be notified by email when it is updated, just drop me an email at simon-[at]-simonworld-[dot]-mu-[dot…
September 28, 2004 @ 12:56 am | Comment
23
By Simon World
Asia by Blog – Month in Review
This is cross-posted at Winds of Change. Asia by Blog is a twice weekly feature, posted on Mondays and Thursdays (the latest edition is here). You can be notified by email when it is updated, just drop me an email at simon-[at]-simonworld-[dot]-mu-[dot…
September 28, 2004 @ 12:59 am | Comment
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By Winds of Change.NET
Simon’s E. Asia Overview & PRC News: Sep 28/04
It’s time to have a look at East Asia and what’s been making the news in Asian blogs over the past month. We cover China (in depth), as well as Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea, Japan, and Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore et. al).
September 28, 2004 @ 1:14 am | Comment
25
By Jennifer
I hate tipping!
December 26, 2004 @ 5:07 am | Comment