The first time I got off the plane in China, the woman who met me at the airport was in a great hurry. She walked very quickly, some 3 or 4 meters in front of me, and turned every 30 seconds or so to wave good-bye at me. I was thoroughly confused.

It took me some time to realize that she hadn’t been waving good-bye, but rather, she was motioning for me to come on, to hurry up because time was short. The source of my confusion was the gesture she used: she held her hand palm downwards and waved her fingers back and forth.

In China, and all of Asia in fact, when people want to beckon you, hail a taxi, etc., use this palm-downwards gesture. The gesture is unfamiliar to Westerners, who generally beckon people with a palm upwards gesture. This unfamiliarity can lead to a certain amount of confusion, as it did for me that day at the airport.

Why this difference should exist is hard to define, if in fact there is a reason at all. Some say that Chinese people only gesture palm-upwards when they’re beckoning animals, others that it’s only done with recalcitrant children. Regardless of how true either of those theories might be, it is generally agreed in Chinese society that gesturing with your palm facing upwards is rude, even provocative. So, when hailing a taxi or beckoning to your friends, remember: keep your palm down.

References:
Imai, Gary. Gestures: Body language and non-verbal communication. http://www.csupomona.edu/~tassi/gestures.htm#asian. Accessed 8-22-2007.
秦丹 (Dan Qing) PRC citizen. Interviewed 8-22-2007.

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