Explaining China is a favorite avocation of many Chinese in the West. They usually state that Chinese and Western values
are opposed, and that Chinese values are not only different but superior. This fairly typical book can be straightforward and informative, particularly when the
author discusses the decision-making process in China and warns that ’yes’ and ’no’ probably don’t mean what the average, unsubtle American understands them to mean. But stay skeptical of the author’s generalizations about Chinese (Dragon) and Western (Cowboy) motivations. He stresses the supposed "
collective" disposition of Chinese, but anyone with China experience will wonder just how "collective" the Chinese really are. In an often-used saying, the Chinese compare themselves to grains of sand - to emphasize their difficulty in getting together and cooperating. Sometimes the book describes fact, and sometimes fantasy that Chinese wish were fact. It can be as useful to know a people’s fantasies as it is to know their facts so, properly read.