Understanding the rationale driving Chinese business behaviors. Practical guidance for non-Chinese executives working with Chinese partners.
In China, 10pm is still work hours
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Issue No. 5 · May 19, 2026 In China, 10pm is still work hoursI saw a headline this week about China's 996 work culture. For those unfamiliar, 996 refers to the practice of working 9am to 9pm, six days a week. It's been debated in China for years. But it reminded me of a conversation I had recently with a new friend from Russia. She asked me, genuinely curious: "Is it true that Chinese people work incredibly long hours? That some of them even sleep at the office?" I told her: yes, that happens. But it's not most people. What I didn't have time to explain in that moment is the more useful truth, the one that actually matters if you're working with Chinese partners. It's not about whether people sleep at the office. It's about the boundary, or rather, the absence of one. In China, the line between work time and personal time is blurry in a way that most Westerners don't expect. A WeChat message at 10pm is normal. A voice note on Sunday morning is not unusual. Being added to a work group chat that never goes quiet, that is simply how things operate. This isn't rudeness. It's not a test. It's simply the rhythm most Chinese professionals grew up in. Work doesn't stop at 6pm because, in many environments, it never really started and stopped on a clock. It runs on momentum, relationships, and responsiveness. For Westerners, this can feel like an intrusion. You finished work. You're having dinner. Your phone buzzes with something that feels like it could wait until Monday. But the person on the other side doesn't experience it as something that can wait. If you've ever felt irritated by a late message from a Chinese colleague or partner, that's completely understandable. But here's what's worth knowing: the person who sent it had no idea it would bother you. In their world, it was just a normal work message. That gap in awareness is where the misunderstanding lives. You feel interrupted. They think you're slow to respond. Neither side is wrong. But both sides are quietly building a picture of the other that isn't quite accurate. Once you see this, you cannot unsee it. The 10pm message does not change. But your read of it does. That is where it starts. |
The China Fluent Newsletter
Understanding the rationale driving Chinese business behaviors. Practical guidance for non-Chinese executives working with Chinese partners.
Issue No. 4 · May 10, 2026 What “Whatever” Really Means in Chinese Business Communication One evening, my husband asked me where I wanted to eat dinner. I said "whatever you want." He picked a place. I made a face. He has learned, since then, that "whatever" does not mean whatever. It means: I have a preference, but I'm not going to tell you what it is. You're supposed to figure it out. One day he looked at me and said: you know, you sound exactly like the Chinese business partners I used to...
Issue No. 3 · April 21, 2026 In America You Can Talk to Anyone, In China You Need a Reason The first time I went hiking in the United States, something kept happening that I didn't expect. Every person walking toward me on the trail would look up, make eye contact, and say something. "Good morning." "Beautiful day." "How's it going?" Complete strangers. People I had never seen and would never see again. I said hello back. But inside, I was quietly noting something: this would almost never...
Issue No. 2 · April 14, 2026 Warm, polite...and completely unreadable My husband Ashbey told me something once that has stayed with me. He said he finds it exhausting to talk to Chinese people sometimes. Not because of the language. He said they want to say something, but they only say half of it and leave you to figure out the rest. Or they use words that are vague enough to mean almost anything. He said he never really knew what the other person meant. He was always guessing. I asked him:...