1 . China has always been famous for being a “State of Etiquette (礼仪)”. According to historical documents, as early as 2,600 years ago, this nation has already established a thorough set 1 dining etiquette.
A famous 19th century Russian writer, Anton Chekhov, once invited a Chinese man 2 (have) a drink in a bar. Chekhov said, “Before drinking from his cup, he held it with his hands and presented to me and the bar owner and bartenders, 3 (say) ‘qing (please)’. This is the custom of China. They are not like us to finish it in one drink, 4 prefer to drink by taking a small amount at 5 time. With every sip (一小口), he 6 (eat) some food. Afterwards, he handed me some Chinese 7 (coin) to show gratitude. This is a rather interestingly polite nationality... “ This was the most valuable opinion of a Chinese person 8 was given by a foreigner two centuries ago. Chinese traditional dinner procedures used to be long and dealt 9 (serious) with; the 10 (important) the occasion, the more complex the procedures were.