Learn more
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Chinese Rules: Mao's Dog, Deng's Cat, and Five Timeless Lessons from the Front Lines in China Kindle Edition
From the author of the acclaimed Mr. China comes another rollicking adventure story—part memoir, part history, part business imbroglio—that offers valuable lessons to help Westerners win in China.
In the twenty-first century, the world has tilted eastwards in its orbit; China grows confident while the West seems mired in doubt. Having lived and worked in China for more than two decades, Tim Clissold explains the secrets that Westerners can use to navigate through its cultural and political maze. Picking up where he left off in the international bestseller Mr. China, Chinese Rules chronicles his most recent exploits, with assorted Chinese bureaucrats, factory owners, and local characters building a climate change business in China. Of course, all does not go as planned as he finds himself caught between the world’s largest carbon emitter and the world’s richest man. Clissold offers entertaining and enlightening anecdotes of the absurdities, gaffes, and mysteries he encountered along the way.
Sprinkled amid surreal scenes of cultural confusion and near misses, are smart myth-busting insights and practical lessons Westerns can use to succeed in China. Exploring key episodes in that nation’s long political, military, and cultural history, Clissold outlines five Chinese Rules, which anyone can deploy in on-the-ground situations with modern Chinese counterparts. These Chinese rules will enable foreigners not only to cooperate with China but also to compete with it on its own terms.
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherHarper
- Publication dateNovember 4, 2014
- File size2.5 MB
Customers who bought this item also bought
Editorial Reviews
Review
“Delightful… this trenchant, immensely entertaining study in the contradictions of Chinese capitalism should be required reading.” — Fortune
“An adventure tale. Clissold is a wonderful and compassionate narrator (with) a deep respect for the culture, language, and history.” — USA Today
“One would be hard-pressed to find a serious Western investor in China who isn’t aware of Clissold’s eye-opening account.” — Forbes
“Lots of Western businessmen have China war stories, but only Tim Clissold has written . . . this funny book.” — Newsweek
“One of the wittiest, most compelling accounts of anything I’ve read in a long time. A terrific book.” — Tucker Carlson
“A compelling account, related with sly humor and hard-earned wisdom.” — Library Journal
“Hugely entertaining…Clissold loves China…but he also views it with clarity and no small amount of humor.” — Washington Post
“A pragmatic application of good-sense peasant wisdom in negotiating big financial deals with the Chinese....Clissold’s deep knowledge of Chinese culture and language informs this useful work.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Clissold’s advice is timely and may even be useful to those outside the business world as well as in.” — Publishers Weekly
“The insights Clissold sheds on deal-making in China ultimately stem from an ability - born of years of experience and his fluency in Mandarin - to see any situation from a local counterparty’s viewpoint.” — Financial Times
From the Back Cover
From the author of the international bestseller Mr. China comes another rollicking ride through the slick mega-cities and industrial backwaters of twenty-first-century China—part adventure story, part erudite myth-buster, and part practical rule book to help Westerners win in China.
China's role as struggling underdog is now firmly a thing of the past. The world has tilted eastward in its orbit even as the West seems mired in self-doubt. Through living and working in China for more than two decades, Tim Clissold has uncovered stealth methods Westerners can use to straighten out complicated situations in China and achieve their own objectives.
Revealing the hidden logic that governs the Chinese business and political landscape, Clissold puts China's cultural, political, and military history into context and explains the mind-set that drives Chinese political and business leaders—a resource that has been sorely lacking in most books about doing business in China.
Here, with sharp observations and a deep appreciation for China's rich past, Clissold presents five rules anyone can use to deal effectively with modern Chinese counterparts. These include understanding that:
- China has its own set of rules that provide a unique pathway to success;
- the quest for stability overrides all others;
- in China, one should never attack directly;
- in solving problems, stick to practicalities and avoid arguments over theory;
- and knowing yourself and knowing the "other" will help you survive a hundred battles.
Combining exuberant storytelling, sly humor, and counterintuitive insights, Chinese Rules traces Clissold's latest adventures, providing an object lesson in the contradictions between reality and conventional belief that continue to make China a fascinating, perplexing, and irresistible destination for Westerners.
About the Author
Tim Clissold has lived and worked in China for more than twenty years and has traveled to most parts of the country. After graduating with degrees in physics and theoretical physics from Cambridge University, and working in London, Australia, and Hong Kong, he developed a fascination with China. He spent two years studying Mandarin in Beijing before cofounding a private equity group that invested more than $400 million there. He has since spent time at Goldman Sachs recovering distressed assets and, more recently, started a business that invests in projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions in China through the UN's Clean Development Mechanism. Mr. China was his first book. It has been translated into twelve languages and was an Economist magazine Book of the Year.
Product details
- ASIN : B00HYMCIZC
- Publisher : Harper (November 4, 2014)
- Publication date : November 4, 2014
- Language : English
- File size : 2.5 MB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 277 pages
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,332,493 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #76 in Ancient Chinese History
- #318 in Historical China Biographies
- #925 in History of China
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read book recommendations and more.
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book insightful and a great refresher on Chinese history, language, and culture. They appreciate the writing style as wonderful, readable, and entertaining. The book serves as a refresher on Chinese philosophy and business practices.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book insightful and providing a deep understanding of Chinese history, language, and culture. They say it serves as a great refresher of Chinese philosophy and business practices, providing a perspective on today's events. The historical parts also tie it all together, making it an excellent introduction to Chinese business culture. Readers appreciate the cool details and insights into cultural and business norms between China and the West.
"...The author is an experienced China hand with a deep understanding of the history, language and culture of the country learned from years of doing..." Read more
"...China a bit abruptly switches back and forth between fascinating insight on Chinese history, and the PRC "projects" of a fictional London based..." Read more
"...Values can be relative and the Chinese approach to strategy and negotiations, although difficult to understand from Western lenses, has invaluable..." Read more
"...This book is tremendously insightful. The historical parts give a great perspective on today’s events and tie it all together." Read more
Customers enjoy the writing style. They find it practical, readable, and entertaining.
"...A highly practical, readable and entertaining book. Heartily recommended." Read more
"The writing style in combination with the quality content made for a delightful read...." Read more
"The writing is wonderful and the depth of knowledge well qualifies him to write this book." Read more
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
- Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2018Excellent introduction to Chinese culture and business conduct. The author is an experienced China hand with a deep understanding of the history, language and culture of the country learned from years of doing business on the ground. A highly practical, readable and entertaining book. Heartily recommended.
- Reviewed in the United States on July 12, 2015Tim's second book about China a bit abruptly switches back and forth between fascinating insight on Chinese history, and the PRC "projects" of a fictional London based investment fund. Fiction aside, with history story telling at its best and cool details, all the way from George Macartney's frustrating-in-the-extreme trade delegation to the Qing court, to Deng's reforms, the author neatly laid out the five pivotal "China Rules": 1. China doesn't play by anyone else's rules. 2. Stability (through intimidation and bribes) has always been the key for government officials. 3. Never attack directly. 4. Stick to practicalities and never get hung up with side arguments on principles. 5. (For outsiders especially) Know yourself and the other. Other than some impressively refreshing history, in its most bloody/funny form (fitting for a British author), there are just a handful of new thoughts, and Rule 5 is especially weak. The book quotes Madeleine Albright: "China is in its own category -- Too big to ignore, too repressive to embrace, difficult to influence, and very, very proud." That, is about right. A reluctant four star.
- Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2017A great book to understand differences between Chinese and Western cultural and business norms. Values can be relative and the Chinese approach to strategy and negotiations, although difficult to understand from Western lenses, has invaluable lessons that can be applied to a number of situations in business and in Life.
- Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2018There aren’t too many Westerners that can write about China with such understanding and authority. This book is tremendously insightful. The historical parts give a great perspective on today’s events and tie it all together.
- Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2015Great book. Clissold wrote from a personal level ie doing business with the Chinese. And it wasn't a book 6" thick. You could read, put down, then read more. We, USA, need this info.
- Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2015Tim Clissold is a businessman with a long history of working in China. In Chinese Rules he presents a set of five “rules” for understanding and dealing with the Chinese. The format of the book is that Clissold recounts his personal experiences regarding a business transaction he undertakes with the Chinese, and at the same time relates portions of Chinese history especially including the Mao and Deng years. The rules are:
1. China has its own set of rules and will follow them and not adopt Western rules and values. China is a civilization, not a country.
2. Stability and harmony are paramount. The group is more important than the individual.
3. Criticism is always indirect and nuanced
4. Practical approaches are preferred to values. As Deng is famed for saying, “it does not matter if a cat is black or white; what matters is can it catch mice.”
5. It is important to know yourself and others.
One interesting story Clissold tells is that Mao, Liu Shaoqui and Zhou Enlai were discussing how to get a cat to eat hot chili. Liu says to shove it down the cat’s throat (use force); Zhou says to wrap it in a piece of meat (use deceit) and Mao says to rub the chili on the cat’s behind and it will lick it off (use manipulation). He concludes that Mao’s approach was accepted.
As someone who lived and worked in China recently as a teacher for four years I found Clissold’s rules to be generally true. I also found them to apply as well in Vietnam where I have been working more recently and thus perhaps they are a reflection of Asian culture more broadly. For example the way to tell if a meeting is going well or not is from the tea. If the meeting is progressing the host will continue to serve you tea, but if he stops then you know the meeting is not going well. This book is useful for anyone wanting to understand China and Asian more generally, not just business people. I rate it at four stars, and not five, because of Clissold’s focus on business and failure to apply the rules more broadly.
- Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2016The writing style in combination with the quality content made for a delightful read. Anyone doing business in China should consider this book required reading.
- Reviewed in the United States on September 8, 2017The book actually consists of two sections, which alternate from chapter to chapter. One of these consists of 'Chinese rules' derived from very interesting historical events and figures. Among these are Macartney's visit to the Qing court, The Taiping rebellion, Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution and Deng Xiaoping's opening up and reform. I have read about of of these many times before but I still found these chapters highly enjoyable, well written and informative. The way they conclude with a clear learning that still applies to (doing business with) China today is very useful.
The other half of the books tells about Clissold's trials and tribulations as a carbon credit trader. Maybe it's the fact that carbon trading is a rather dry subject matter which I have no real interest in, but I found these chapters to be dragging and boring. With the exception of a case of forged documents by one of Clissold's business partners and a disastrous baijiu night there's not much that stuck from these chapters. Also, the way they are supposed to illustrate the five rules that are described in other chapters feels forced.
I would have loved to read about another 5 lessons instead of Clissold's personal business dealings.
I found the narration of the audio book enjoyable because it comes with a typical English delivery that suits the book. Stephen Critchlow’s pronounciation of Chinese words and names is not very good but I found it less annoying than with other performers.
Top reviews from other countries
- Joe ZhangReviewed in the United Kingdom on October 29, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars Well researched
Thoroughly done
- Amazon CustomerReviewed in Canada on September 13, 2018
5.0 out of 5 stars Good book.
An interesting perspective to see and read Chinese culture. There are some truths in it.
- FreyrReviewed in Canada on July 3, 2015
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Very good book
- Adrian J. SmithReviewed in the United Kingdom on December 1, 2015
4.0 out of 5 stars Grope for stones to cross the stream
Tim Clissold's book is part memoir, and part cultural study, and uses Chinese stratagem and historical examples to buttress his argument about the difficulty of doing business in China.
The book is a memoir of a trip to China to negotiate carbon credits for a power plant within China's new, and hitherto, experimental, emissions trading scheme. However, with a business deal where much money hangs in the balance, much stubbornness and stonewalling is still found.
Clissold's primary source of comparison is Sun Zi's Art of War, but many other proverbs and anecdotes are used.
The book also contains a number of interesting interludes into the lives of Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping, and the author draws surprising parallels for the present.
The book can drag at times, and is something of a slow starter that I initially found myself struggling to persist with, however the book picks up and provided insight that even an experienced China hand such as myself found beneficial.
Tim Clissold writes a decent conclusion that essentially warns people that China will continue to do things in it's own way, and the West would benefit from a greater understanding of China.
At 273 pages and a fairly decent pace, Clissold's book is both readable and rewarding.
- T G CULKINReviewed in the United Kingdom on November 6, 2016
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb insights into what China offers....
Tim Clissold welds the historical backdrop of China with all its wisdoms and mistakes into the present world crisis. How to resolve seemingly irresolvable challenges is his theme. He takes us into some hair raising crises and out of them,using ancient wisdom and also truths from the more modern Chinese great minds like Mao. Essential reading for all of us if we are to understand this amazingly powerful culture. Should be part of the national curriculum...especially for our politicians. Packed with insights and wisdom.