Dining culture is deeply rooted in China, a country that pays great attention to courtesy. Round tables are popular for Chinese to have dinner, because they can seat more people and are convenient for chat. A dinner must start after all the people are seated. Even if someone is late, people at the table must wait. When all the people are seated, the host should give an opening speech, after which people can start eating. During a dinner, the host is usually very active and frequently asks the guests to eat as much as they can.

Different from western dinners that people eat only their own dishes, Chinese usually put dishes in the middle and share them. Everyone has a bowl of rice. When one picks something from a plate, it's polite to put it in his/her bowl first instead of eating it directly. During a formal Chinese dinner, the guests should not eat up all the dishes on the table. Otherwise, the host may feel embarrassed for not preparing enough. In addition, instead of going Dutch, a Chinese dinner is usually paid by one person. Eating in Chinese restaurants is still relatively cheaper in spite of the inflation. Scores of yuan (about 10 dollars) covers one person's normal meal in most Chinese restaurants.