Communication is more than just language - it also includes culture. We can learn a foreign language, but to communicate clearly we must understand cultures. We're becoming globalized and have more opportunities to touch other cultures,  and we have a greater responsibility to study cultures and to understand how they are different.

The academic study of human culture is called Cultural Anthropology. Cultural anthropologists use a variety of words to describe cultures. One of the the ways  cultural anthropologists define cultures is "high-context" and "low-context."
    China is a high-context culture. In high-context cultures people are generally more group oriented and focus more on relationships. People stress harmony and avoiding face-loss.
    Low-context cultures, like the USA and many other western countries, are time-oriented. Although relationship is important, it is not emphasized as strongly as independence, personal space, efficiency and personal space.