Who sits where at a Chinese banquet table, and how to read the room

In a private dining room, a bāojiān (包间), in Beijing or Chengdu, the round table looks equal. It is not. Every chair has a rank, and the room shows you which is which before anyone speaks.

Find the chair that faces the door

The seat of honour, zhǔwèi (主位), sits opposite the entrance, with a clear view of anyone who walks in. In many restaurants the napkin at that place is folded taller than the others, sometimes into a fan or a crown, so staff and guests can read the table at a glance.

Rank runs outward from the host

The host usually takes that seat, or gives it to the most senior guest. The most honoured guests sit on either side, often starting on the host's right, and rank drops as the circle moves toward the door. The chair with its back to the entrance, nearest to where the dishes come in, goes to the most junior person at the table.

That low seat is not a punishment. Whoever sits there orders more tea, calls the server and tops up glasses, a job often given to a younger colleague or relative who knows the menu.

What a guest should actually do

Pause at the edge of the room for a moment. The host will almost always guide you with a hand on a chair back and the phrase qǐng shàngzuò (请上座), "please take the upper seat." Accepting the seat you are offered is more gracious than refusing it twice. If nobody guides you, pick a chair near the door. If they want you higher up, someone will move you.

客人进门时，主人通常会先说一声“请上座”。