Ooooh...big time! If you're honest, people will still assume you have a hidden agenda. If they believe you are being 100% honest, then you'll be accused of being "too open." It's all a poker game...keep your "poker face", keep your cards close to your chest and know when to hold, fold and bluff.

My mum taught me always to be honest. I will not stray from that. 

Of course, no need to be too generous with the truth

If I stuck unswervingly to being honest, I would now be destitute and a nervous wreck. I deal with dishonesty every minute of every day. Sometimes the only way to counter dishonesty is to be more dishonest than the other party. One thing that I do pride myself on is working here in China legally with a properly registered company and on the right kind of visa. But even then I have to pay a price for that honesty. I have competitors that break every rule and operate on visas that give them no authority to work. My bugbear is foreign nationals freelancing on spousal visas and being able to undercut me because they have no overheads to cover. There are significant costs related to operating legitimate businesses in China that have to be factored into any quotation. I know the English teaching business is far more fluid than the one I am involved in and presents far more opportunities but I just cannot bring myself to sympathize with anyone that is here working on the wrong type of visa.

The honesty aspect is only one part of it. The main aim of the Chinese is to get the foreigner to abandon their western principles, ethics and values. To become as corrupt as the Chinese.

They do this by forcing you into situations where you have no option than to break laws, forge documents, give and take bribes, and behave in a manner that would land you in jail in your home country.

We have all been caught in situations where the Chinese have blatantly violated a contract, and we know there is no remedy under Chinese law. So it is either lose money, which most people can't afford to do, or compromise your principles to recover the money you have invested.

Trouble is, many people can't stop once they start, and actually justify their actions as acceptable in their own minds. Bribery and forgery in China are still considered criminal offences in most western countries. That includes if the crime is committed in China, but involves a western organisation in any way.

I won't say that I have always been honest, because it is not always possible to be so. However, I stick to the expected principles of my culture as much as I can.

Not only in China, but in the rest of this world. It pays' to be honest! In the end you'll feel better than if you were not honest!

Ha ha, I said: "better"!!

Tough one I think. It seems that as a previous poster mentioned, being honest will only get you into trouble as you'll be revealing your true intentions to people which as we know, doesn't work in the Game of Thrones world that is China. Remember what happened to honorable Ned Stark?

If I said yes, that would just be dishonest, so I will be honest with you by saying no

this one just happened to me - example of pointless lying

i booked a room in a (good) beijing hotel.
i arrived with my booking number and checked in late afternoon.
i was told there was no record of my reservation.
being desperate i managed to get a room and paid a deposit
the internet didn't work and there was a bad smell in the room, but they changed the room for me.

All Fine.

after leaving, i contacted my booking agent and was told that i had checked in after 21.00 so my booking was canceled
BUT I HAD A RECEIPT FOR THE DEPOSIT, WITH THE TIME ON IT !!!

i couldn't understand the reason for the hotel to lie !!

I like to kid, tease, put people on and I'm quick with BS, sometimes you have to lie just to make things easy, wasn't me, didn't do it, Sparkey did it.

The Chinese don't volunteer information, even good friends. I would say that good friends will appreciate your honesty, but don't waste your time being openly honest with people who won't appreciate it.

They go as far as to equate dishonesty and corrupt behavior with intelligence. I can't stand it but from time to time I have to "play ball" too.