"Entertaining at home will become more and more common in Taiwan in the future,"says Li Tao, the director of external affairs at Ford Lio Ho Motors, who will occasionally whip up a few steaks for special guests. The display of personal care, the warm atmosphere and the savings all make entertaining at home a good choice. For people like him who stress family life, the host needn't leave home and the guest can bring his whole family over. It replaces the business dinner, in which people just go through the motions, with a happy occasion that people truly enjoy.

Intimacy and consideration:

Wen C. Ko, the chairman of the WK Technology Fund, has recently tried another kind of weekend entertaining. He invites friends over to his house after dinner (say about 8:00) to chat over tea. In this way, neither party has to deal with the hassle of going out to a meal, and the meeting won't drag out too long. Both the host and the guest enjoyed it.

In recent years, Taiwan's higher quality of life has been reflected in the ways people socialize. For instance, Chang Kuang-cheng, the president of Chung-yuan Christian University, often invites friends to go with him to a concert so that they can keep in touch with each other. Wen C. Ko was once invited to go to an opera, and he found the experience new and refreshing. "Usually with so much to do, even if I know there's a moving concert, I won't have time to buy tickets, and so this kind of invitation really makes me happy." Not long ago, when the National Palace Museum held an exhibit of the French impressionist Monet, many lovers of art--whether they worked in business or government--arranged to go together.

Socializing activities involving exercise are also becoming more prevalent by the day. In the past, many young people saw playing golf as "the secret to success." If they didn't have enough money to practice on a real course, they'd buy a little practice putting green for home. Recently, swimming, climbing mountains and jogging have all become set activities done with groups.

Respecting choice:

A physical activity that is an enduring favorite is taking saunas. Wang Hsing-ching, chief editorial writer at The Journalist, points out that Chinese won't just go take a bath with anyone, and so if you can say you're "a bathing buddy" of some Mr. Big, your listeners will know that there is some substance to the friendship.

Of course, the growing number of ways to socialize is good news. It gives people greater creativity in the way they choose to network, and maximizes the enjoyment of both the host and guest. But no matter how interesting these activities are, there are always people who won't want to go, and so it's key to reduce the social pressure to attend these gatherings.

When Li Tao gets an invitation from a good friend, he doesn't worry about offending them by not coming. Sometimes he tells them frankly, "Thank you for inviting me, and thank you even more for respecting my freedom of choice not to attend." Many people dream that some day all social relationships will be so naturally relaxed and free from obligation.