Letter From Shanghai: Endangered Species? Not Tonight, Thank You

With the world at its door, China takes a crash course in Western etiquette

The most popular class at the Shanghai Institute of Foreign Trade does not teach wannabe entrepreneurs the secrets of accounting or international law. Instead, Professor Li Zhiguo instructs his 1,600 students on a graver subject: manners. A line, he lectures, should be an orderly procession, not a rowdy scrum. Spitting on the street is not nice. When eating a Western meal, the diner should cut meat into small pieces with a fork and knife, although that should never be done to bread. And remember: if hosting Americans at a restaurant, don't order endangered species or internal organs. "We think they are...

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