For anyone who thinks that doing business in China is all about formalities, think again. That is of course, the complete opposite of anything you'll read about in your "How to do Business in China" books. Every meeting begins with the presentation of the business card, which should always be dispensed and received with both hands. But soon after that, its really anybody's guess where the formalities are inserted or withheld. A perfect example is as follows: yesterday I trucked out to PuDong to see a factory where some of our samples are being made for Operation Meet My Monkey. I arrived at the factory with the thought that I would be treated to the ceremonial cup of weird tea, shown pictures of all sorts multi-ethnic dorks in monkeysuits shaking hands (you need to live here to really know what I'm talking about), and told repeatedly why I should do business with him. This however, couldn't have been further from what actually transpired. To start, I was not offered tea, but instead Sprite in a big German Bierglas. It was a welcome deviation to the normal hot gross tea that you have to pick out of your teeth when you drink it and that the factory had not yet joined the AC revolution, a cool glass of Sprite was quite refreshing. Next, the factory owner came into the small office and was wearing pajamas! I didn't think too much of this, as pajama wearing is pretty rampant in this here country, but I never thought it would enter the business world. There were no pictures of strange looking foreigners shaking hands adorning the walls, leading me to believe that either he didn't have foreign business partners or just didn't like the ones he had (both of which could spell trouble for me if true). As we walked around the factory floor, it was revealed that he was a pretty nice guy who knew a hell of a lot about blazers and fittings. He would ask his workers about things not relating to work, would actually help them out when they had questions and interrupt our conversations which I didn't mind in comparison to the normal factory owner who just basically ignores his workers. Finally, it was obvious that he wanted my business but it wasn't overboard pleading like normally. His factory is high on my list, and it seems that he's going to be a good and honest partner, and it came without the weird things that make people uncomfortable when they sit down to meetings with the typical factory owner here.