There are also certain courtesy rules to follow at a state banquet in China.

1. If the translators from China are present, they should sit behind the guests and they won't join the dinner.

2. The host usually welcomes the guests in another room first and walks them into the dinning hall.

3. In order to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings, the tables are often marked by the names of different kinds of flowers instead of numbers.

4. The dishes should be prepared in a way that can elegantly show Chinese cooking culture. Meanwhile, the guests'cultures and religions are taken into consideration.