Dos and don'ts from Debrett's: wealthy Chinese buy etiquette training from blueblood British firm
Companies teaching manners and proper bearing are focusing on China's growing ranks of millionaires
The business of etiquette training is booming in China with a number of companies offering to coach wealthy clients in the art of conversation, dress and dining.
According to Boston Consulting Group, China has the second highest number of millionaires in the world at 2.4 million in 2013, up from 1.5 million the year before. As a result, after buying their yachts and luxury brand handbags, they are looking to differentiate themselves through soft skills.
It's something Sara Jane Ho, founder of finishing school Institute Sarita has seen with her clients - mature women and debutantes who already have their Hermès bags and are aspiring to more sophisticated social skills.
Another British culture and etiquette company, Seatton, helps train businessmen and women looking to differentiate themselves from others by knowing how to use cutlery, tie a tie, and make eye contact.
But perhaps the granddaddy of etiquette training is Debrett's of London.
Started by John Debrett in 1769, the organisation was probably the first to record the who's who in aristocracy, including the backgrounds of lords and barons with The Peerage. It wasn't until the mid-1900s that the group began to develop a series of guides called The Debrett's Handbook on traditional British etiquette.
