Giving gifts is a way of showing thanks or love, and it helps to build friendship. The rules of accepting gifts are different in China and in the West.
When Lucy, from the UK, gave a gift to her Chinese friend for the first time, he couldn't understand it. "He refused to accept it twice, and when he finally accepted it, he didn't open it. He just took it and put it away. After that, I never heard about it again. He never said he liked it or not.
In the West, it is polite(有礼，貌的；客气的)to open it in front of the giver and say thanks. When you get a gift, the giver hopes that you are excited and really like it. But it is different in China. Usually, people don't open the gift until the giver leaves. If they open the gift in front of the giver, the giver will think of them as impolite or greedy(贪婪的). For the same reason, the Chinese will refuse a gift twice or three times before accepting it. If you are the giver, give it again until it is accepted after the third time.
Today, more and more young people in China are turning to Western(西方国家的)rules of accepting gifts. That's OK, but it would be better to follow Chinese people when it comes to getting gifts from elders.
