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  • Published: 15 November 2015
  • ISBN: 9780804170468
  • Imprint: Knopf US
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 304
  • RRP: $32.99

I Stand Corrected

How Teaching Western Manners in China Became Its Own Unforgettable Lesson




From an American businesswoman who has spent years working, writing, and publishing in China: a warmly written, compulsively readable guide to navigating the cultural differences between East and West.

“What do you mean, he’s asked how much I am?” asked a stunned Eden Collinsworth upon learning that a Chinese businessman had inquired if she were available for purchase. Despite this precarious introduction to China, no country has fascinated Collinsworth more during a career that has moved her around the world. Convinced that—despite the nation’s status as a world leader—the Chinese are still socially uncomfortable with their Western counterparts, she collaborated with a major Chinese publisher to produce a bestselling Western etiquette guide.
          Now, in these pages, Collinsworth tells the unforgettable story of the year she spent living among the Chinese while writing a book featuring advice on such topics as the rules of the handshake, making sense of foreigners, and behavior that is considered universally rude. Informative, hilarious, and thought-provoking, I Stand Corrected is at once an entertaining memoir and essential reading for those looking to understand the mores of the rapidly changing—and increasingly important—nation that is China.

  • Published: 15 November 2015
  • ISBN: 9780804170468
  • Imprint: Knopf US
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 304
  • RRP: $32.99

About the author

Eden Collinsworth

EDEN COLLINSWORTH is a former media executive and business consultant. She launched the Los Angeles-based monthly lifestyle magazine, Buzz, after which she became VP & director of cross media business development at Hearst Corporation. In 2011 she launched Collinsworth & Associates, a Beijing-based consulting company, which specializes in intercultural communication. Her Chinese language book The Tao of Improving Your Likeability: A Personal Guide to Effective Business Etiquette in Today's Global World has become a major best seller in mainland China.

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Praise for I Stand Corrected

  • "It's a heck of a story.... Entertaining, informative and insightful." --The New York Times
  • "If Eden Collinsworth weren't so good a writer, she'd do well with her own reality TV show. She has a fearless, go-anywhere, do-almost-anything attitude that--combined with her intelligence and keen observational powers--makes for exceptional storytelling." --Minneapolis Star Tribune
  • "A rare, true gift.... Analyzes what's going on in China now, financially and socially, how it came about, and what might be the consequences." --Booklist (starred review)
  • "Collinsworth's observations bring the Chinese and their rituals and history to life.... Entertaining, informative adventures of a woman determined to understand the people of China." --Kirkus Reviews
  • "An entertaining take on life as a foreigner in China." --Publishers Weekly
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