On 28 March 2014, the CIBL held its first ever talk on traditional Chinese culture in the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The topic of the event was ‘Awareness of Chinese Traditional Culture for Better Communication’, and was attended by nearly 20 senior FCO staff. CIBL China director Prof. Lisheng Luo first talked about the characteristics of Chinese culture and the influence of Confucian thinking on the shaping of Chinese culture. He then compared the differences and similarities between Chinese and Western culture from the aspects of table manners, the exchanging of gifts and name cards and greetings. He went on to explain how these cultural differences may lead to misunderstandings and provided some useful advice on how to avoid this. The talk took place in former Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s office in the Old Admiralty Building and was very well received.