Singaporean customs and common sense in new life

Singapore is 136 kilometers north of the equator. It belongs to tropical maritime climate, with hot and humid climate all year round and small temperature difference between day and night. Compared with other countries in Southeast Asia, there is no obvious dry season and rainy season, and November to January is generally called rainy season locally. Although it is the rainy season, it doesn't rain every day. Even outside the rainy season, it sometimes rains for 1-2 hours.

All raw water in Singapore's water pipes can be directly drunk. Of course, because everyone is sensitive to raw water, some people are not satisfied with it. People with good stomachs had better drink mineral water.

the voltage in Singapore is common with that in China.

Singapore currency is called Singapore dollar or Singapore dollar S $; The unit of the token is Singapore cents, 1 yuan is equal to 1 cents, and 1 cents is equal to 1 cents. Types of paper money: $1, $2, $5, $1, $2, $5, $1, $5, $1,, $1,, 1 cent, 5 cents, 1 corner, 2 corner and 5 corner. Renminbi can be directly exchanged at the quotation of the day at the bank or money house marked with the official exchange mark. Singapore Customs has no limit on the maximum amount of foreign currency brought into the country.

Singapore's communication telephone number, the local telephone number is 3 minutes and 1 cents. Please note that coin phones can only use dimes. With a magnetic card phone or a phone in a hotel room, you can make an international call directly, which is called IDD. IDD is 1. When calling China, you need to add the country number "86" and then the area number, for example, when calling Beijing (1)-1234-5678, it is "1+86+1+1234-5678". Price: 7 hrs ~ 21 hrs on weekdays, 7 hrs ~ 13 hrs on Saturdays and Sundays, 6 seconds and 22 minutes. Other time: 6 seconds and 2 cents. Nowadays, many people use IP phone cards, and it only costs 1 yuan more RMB per minute to make a phone call with China. The mobile phone brought by China can be used by installing the SIM card of Singapore Internet access.

When shopping in Singapore, pay attention to the shops with the red Merlion logo on the window, which are recommended by the Tourism Promotion Bureau and the Consumers Association. You can shop with confidence, but the price in Singapore is more expensive. Business hours: Monday to Saturday, 1: am to 21: pm, not closed on Sundays. The price of big shopping malls is fixed, and general shopping malls can bargain. Don't forget to ask for an invoice when shopping in a small shopping mall. If you find any quality problems, you can return them with the ticket.

In Singapore, we must always pay attention to maintaining environmental hygiene, and spitting and throwing things away will be punished by 1, yuan; Observe the rules in places where smoking is forbidden. In some occasions of Singapore Hotel, such as carrying luggage and cleaning rooms, 1-2 yuan tip should be paid.

Singapore and China are on the same longitude line, and there is no time difference with Beijing time.

Singapore customs taboo

Shake hands and greet people. Due to the long-term influence of Britain, Singapore has been westernized, and people should shake hands when meeting and breaking up. Don't rush to visit your host for the first time, you should make an appointment in advance. When introducing people, people should usually be addressed as "Mr.", "Mrs." and "Miss", which applies to all ethnic groups in Singapore. You can call others by their first names at their own request, otherwise it is best to match them by their surnames according to the rules. If asked to use his title, it is advisable to do so. If you attend a social gathering, people will introduce you to everyone, but it will be introduced quickly, so you don't have to shake hands when you walk past them.

Smoking instructions In Singapore, people strongly disapprove of smoking. Smoking is forbidden in elevators, public transport, cinemas, especially in government office buildings, and offenders are fined S $5. It's best to ask the other person's permission to smoke.

clothing and apparel Singapore's climate is influenced by the ocean and latitude, with high temperature and high humidity, and the daily temperature ranges from 25 C to 34 C. Therefore, it is most suitable to wear light clothing in summer. People generally wear casual clothes at work. After work, they can wear T-shirts and denim pants. Only at formal banquets, they must wear suits and ties. Ladies have to wear evening dresses, which also makes the host family feel respected.

the way to entertain people is usually to invite them to dinner or lunch. Locals generally don't invite guests who meet for the first time to dinner, but after the host knows something about the visitors, he can hold a formal banquet and negotiate business during the dinner. Similarly, visitors should not be in a hurry to treat guests. Frequent meetings will bring the two sides closer, and it is not too late to entertain each other. As long as it is not a business banquet, guests can attend with their wives.

When entertaining customers in Singapore, you should pay attention to their tastes. Singaporeans like light, slightly sweet taste, the staple food is rice, and enjoy fried fish fillets, fried shrimps, crispy chicken, tomato cabbage rolls, shredded chicken peas, hand-grabbed mutton and other flavor dishes. They like to drink beer, northeast wine and other drinks, and they also like China Cantonese food very much. Be careful not to use your left hand when eating with Indians or Malays.

friends and colleagues often visit each other without prior agreement, but if you are not familiar with the host family, you should call first. In any case, don't visit before dinner time, which will make others feel that they have to invite you to stay for dinner.

if you go to someone's house for dinner, you should help with the cleaning after dinner, although the host usually doesn't want your help.

Gifts No matter where you go, there is no need to bring gifts. There is no habit of giving gifts among businessmen in Singapore, but people cherish company souvenirs. Sometimes Singapore hosts will invite foreigners to their home for dinner. If the guests can bring a gift (a box of chocolates or a bunch of flowers), the hostess will appreciate it. Singaporeans think it is impolite to open the gift in front of the giver, so don't be surprised to see the gift left intact when you leave.

table manners Chinese Singaporeans often use chopsticks and porcelain spoons when eating in restaurants. If foreigners need it, the hotel will provide forks and spoons, but if a foreign tourist can use or try to use chopsticks, it will be considered as a sign of respect. Sometimes it is allowed to help with your fingers, especially when eating chicken or other poultry. Malays and Indians may use their right hands instead of chopsticks and banana leaves instead of plates. When eating in the way of Malays and Indians, you should ask the host for advice or imitate his practice. When eating, don't put chopsticks on bowls or dishes. When not in use, don't cross them. Instead, put them on brackets, saucers or plates with bone chips. If there are sailors, fishermen or other boaters at the same table, don't turn over the half-eaten fish on the plate, because it will indicate that the boat will capsize and the fish bones should be removed and eaten from the top to the bottom.

Conversation taboo In social conversation, it is forbidden to talk about political gains and losses, racial friction, religious rights and wrongs, spouse situation, etc., but you can exchange travel experiences and talk about all kinds of experiences in countries you have visited. Good conversation topics are local flavor food, restaurants, popular tourist areas and the business achievements of the host.

In Singapore, there are very few people who openly show their sense of humor, and not all jokes can be appreciated by people, so it's best to joke less before getting to know others well.

Singaporean Yan Ji said "Congratulations on getting rich". They understood "wealth" as "ill-gotten wealth" or "being rich and unkind", and saying "Congratulations on getting rich" was considered as an insult and a mockery to others.

It is considered extremely rude to point at people with your forefinger, hit the other open palm with your clenched fist, or clench your fist and insert your thumb between your forefinger and middle finger. Don't put your hands on your hips casually, because that is a sign of anger.

Don't sweep the floor or wash your hair during the New Year, or your good luck will be swept away and washed away. Don't break things in the house, especially don't break the mirror, because it will herald the division of the family or other unfortunate things; Don't wear old clothes, needles and scissors, they will bring bad luck.

Numbers are taboo. Singaporeans think that "4", "6", "7", "13", "37" and "69" are negative numbers. They hate "7" most and try to avoid it at ordinary times.

Color taboo Singaporeans regard black as the color of bad luck and bad luck, and purple is also unpopular. They prefer red and regard it as a symbol of solemnity, enthusiasm, excitement, courage and generosity. They also welcome blue and green.

Pattern Taboos Singapore prohibits the use of images of Tathagata on the packaging of goods, and religious terms. Taboo the patterns of pigs and turtles.