Playing Host
Tags
Summary
Editor's review
The book's value lies in its unique 'insider perspective.' As a firsthand participant, Teng Zhenghui presents the rules beneath the table, the tacit understandings, and the irrational factors behind decisions through vivid, novelistic episodes. Readers not only see how carefully orchestrated banquets become key scenes for advancing projects, breaking the ice, and even resolving crises, but also come to appreciate that in business contests, understanding people and gauging the right measure often matter more than purely professional knowledge. It reveals that in the Chinese context, business success is frequently the joint result of rational calculation and emotional connection.
Reading Hosting the Table is reading a particular sociocultural code. It does not advocate thick-black cynicism, nor does it make simple moral judgments; rather, it offers a mirror in which readers within the business world may observe the networks and positions they occupy and reflect on how to handle complex interpersonal dealings with greater clarity and dignity. For readers who wish to understand the inner fabric of China's business ecology, this book provides a rare and vivid sample.
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Observers curious about business socializing and the operating mechanisms of Chinese-style human relations
- Professionals in business, sales, public relations, and similar fields who must frequently communicate and coordinate with others
- Readers who enjoy urban fiction reflecting social reality and steeped in lived experience
- Young readers who wish to understand different industries and cultures and expand the boundaries of their social awareness
Not a good fit for
- Readers seeking simple, direct 'success' steps or negotiation techniques
- Readers expecting a purely literary, highly fictional traditional novel
Reading tips
- Approach it as a notebook of social observation rather than an operations manual; focus on the cultural logic behind phenomena rather than specific 'moves'
- Read it against your own experience, reflecting on how the scenes in the book differ from or resemble your own environment
- There is no need to rush through it; read in sections and leave space to digest and think about the cases and views presented
About the publisher
Jiangsu Phoenix Literature and Art Publishing House focuses on literary publishing while also covering the humanities, social sciences, and books on art and daily life. Its approximately 1,535 titles in the database span social novels, world history, design, science fiction, classic works, and film and television: they include modern Chinese literary classics by Lu Xun such as A Madman's Diary: The Complete Short Stories of Lu Xun, Call to Arms, Four Generations Under One Roof, and Teahouse, as well as foreign literary memoirs like Stefan Zweig's The World of Yesterday. In science fiction it offers Asimov's Galactic Empire series, while in architecture and art it publishes Liu Dunzhen's Classical Gardens of Suzhou and design titles from Phoenix Space. Its authors are concentrated among classic writers such as Lu Xun, Zweig, and Asimov, with translators including Liang Xijiang, Zhong Haonan, and Ye Lihua. Its overall character is built on classic works while embracing genre fiction and visual culture. Public information is limited, and this introduction is based on the titles in the database.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 序言 万古江山百局酒
- 世道的真相
- 你可长点儿心吧
- 锄禾日当午那人最后
- 太祖有遗嘱
- 农民都很无厘头
- 流亡中的酒局
- 肉食者鄙
- 酒局喝的不是酒
- 老乡见老乡
- 四大公子
- 政治宝贝
- 皇二代
- 最误事的部下
- 江州大酒局
- 谁比谁更忠奸
- 朋友的度数
- 斗富的结局
- 挨揍了请客
- 酒毒还是心毒
- 天下第一堂会
- 桐叶封弟
- 侠士还是能臣
- 莫须有
- 历史就是局
- 江湖规矩
- 吃货
- 不喝试试
- 不与女人喝酒
- 五魁手啊，哥儿俩好
- 找死
- 当如孙仲谋
- 鱼藏宴
- 酒量随心
- 烧尾宴
- 孔府家宴
- 生死同舟
- 发泄餐厅
- 一刀斩断是非根
- 思亲罢宴
- “李鸿章杂碎”
- 尿遁
- 首富天下局
- 满汉全席
- 薄命君王
- 二桃杀三士
- 老大的心思
- 贺钱一万
- 张作霖手黑
- 倒骑驴
- 千叟宴的思考
- 搅局的代价
- 南下干部第一人
- 话少
- 男女那点儿破事儿
- 这种事关键要的是种调调儿
- 男人都有“宠物心理”
- 看花满眼泪
- 喝酒终需醉
- 天下男人的共同理想
- 柔道天下
- 贵妃醉酒
- 九尾龟
- 西门庆家酒
- 爬灰酒局
- 私奔局
- 别人的老婆
- 打老婆伤财
- 老大的女人
- 有意识的疯癫
- 诈马宴
- 卖马与放妓
- 才女的酒色人生
- 千万嫁女
- 不叫唤的鸟
- 醉翁之意不在酒
- 风流人物难做官
- 叫你嘚瑟
- 笑傲江湖
- 都怪你太牛
- 酒精激发的人生
- 最大忽悠
- 不识时务的文人
- 狂人的资本
- 就不爱做官
- 政治的风险
- 何必跟命运过不去
- 莫去南京
- 不使人间造孽钱
- 态度对，谁都伤不了你
- 驴捡湿处尿
- 有酒学仙
- 民国酒徒
- 割头饮酒痛快事
- 扮鹰还是扮虎
- 官场不容才
- 不装的活不下去
- 拿枪的干不过提公文包的
- 滕王阁诗宴
- 做富人难
- 巴菲特午餐
- 老大的问题
- 前半生要积德
- 帅字局
- 不留后患
FAQ
Is this book a novel or documentary writing?
Does the 'hosting' wisdom in the book still apply today?
Is the book's tone critical or approving?
Comments
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About the author
Teng Zhenghui is a Chinese author about whom limited public information is available; details such as nationality and dates of birth and death are not clearly recorded. Four of his works are currently included in the library, spanning a fairly wide range of subjects, including biography, historical writing, social fiction, and prose miscellany. Representative works include Republican Era VIPs: The Literati Volume, Republican Era VIPs, Hosting, and Boss Teng Tells Jokes. The Republican Era VIPs series focuses on portraits of figures from the Republican period, presenting the spirit of the era and the personalities of its subjects through biography and historical narrative. Hosting leans toward social fiction, centering on human relations and everyday social life, while Boss Teng Tells Jokes belongs to the category of prose miscellany, with a relaxed, colloquial, and strongly narrative tone. Judging from these works, his writing combines historical narrative with ordinary urban life, is accessible and easy to read, and emphasizes lively characters and stories. His books are suitable for general readers interested in Republican-era history and social themes.
