Do gentlemen wear shorts? What are the rules regarding interior decor in a high-security prison? Is it ever acceptable to send Valentine's cards to one's pets? The twenty-first century is an age of innumerable social conundrums. Around every corner lies a potential faux pas waiting to happen. But if you've ever struggled for the right response to an unwelcome gift or floundered for conversation at the dinner party from hell, fear not: help is at hand. In Rules for Modern Life, Sir David Tang, resident agony uncle at the Financial Times, delivers a satirical masterclass in navigating the social niceties of modern life. Whether you're unsure of the etiquette of doggy bags or wondering whether a massage room in your second home would be de trop, Sir David has the answer to all your social anxieties - and much more besides.

Brilliant... Hugely entertaining * The Times *
Useful and, more importantly, vastly entertaining * GQ *
Incisive, outrageous and preposterously entertaining. Reading these essays in style, manners, gossip, grace and good sense is like sharing a private railway carriage with a mad but marvellous maharajah. I never wanted the journey to end -- Stephen Fry
Funny, clever and disgraceful. In terms of a useful guide to modern living, it knocks the New Testament into a cocked hat -- Richard Curtis
Excellent advice that we didn't know we needed -- Sir Michael Caine
Sir David Tang is the second funniest David in the world -- David Walliams
A trenchant and entertaining guide to negotiating the pitfalls of contemporary living * Daily Mail *
I absolutely love Rules for Modern Life! David's amazing sense of humour and wit keep one glued to this 'pop culture bible' that everyone MUST read. It is not only educational but enlightening as well. Bravo David! -- Tommy Hilfiger
David Tang always brings something extra to life, which is what we all want -- Sir Mick Jagger
Uncompromising and full of style. You will laugh out loud -- Tracey Emin
Sir David Tang is effortless in his sense of style and being. And that's how it should be -- Naomi Campbell
I feel a curious joy of life when I am around David Tang. He knows best -- Eva Herzigova
A degree course in 21st-century decorum. It will make an aristocrat out of an arriviste -- Duke of Marlborough
Sharply funny and surprisingly informative. I would rather read style notes from the pen of Tang than any other source on the planet -- Joanna Lumley
Eloquent and humorous -- Eric Schmidt
David is a life-changer -- Mario Testino
Filled with valuable advice. Amusingly written and a real pleasure to read -- Sir Terence Conran
David Tang is the thinking woman's Fu Manchu. If you are allergic to the combination of wit, brains and mischief you won't enjoy this book -- Barry Humphries
A marvellous compendium of good manners and good sense in society, reinforced with insight and sly humour -- Wilbur Smith
Anyone who wants to move up the social ladder, or avoid sliding down, must read Rules for Modern Life. It is the essential primer for 21st century social success -- Geordie Greig
Hilarious and edifying. Absolutely essential reading about the nuances as well as the complexities of life today -- Dame Julia Peyton-Jones
I have long admired David's irrepressible humour, quick wit and keen eye for style. This anthology is a collection of indispensable wisdom -- Lord Foster
A perfect compendium of distinguished, humorous and polished advice for a gentlemanly way of living -- Leonardo Ferragamo
David Tang has never held a commonplace opinion in his life. He is the most provocative, amusing, sophisticated, counter-intuitive and energetic man I know, and these qualities are present on every single page of this remarkable anthology -- Nicholas Coleridge
Wise, witty and wicked, with useful advice for living -- Anouska Hempel
David Tang is a living treasure, a unique polymath, equally at ease thinking inside and outside the box, East, West, modern, old, refined or not. His 'rules' are anything but conventional, they are refreshing and humorous reflections on our daily actions, much more than a code of conduct -- Nicolas Berggruen
Genuinely hilarious. David was the only person who could make my father laugh (and who incidentally rated him and only him as being at his level as a club owner) -- Robin Birley
David Tang is an astute observer of the social scene with a wicked sense of humour. A most welcome read in these dark times -- Adrian Zecha
David Tang is my 'UNCLE DAVE': Unique, Notorious, Charismatic, Lovable, Eccentric, Daring, Anal, Vivacious, Enigmatic -- Kate Moss
Can't wait to read it -- Axl Rose

Sir David Tang is founder of the China Club, Shanghai Tang and China Exchange. Prior to his career in business he taught philosophy at Peking University. He writes a weekly column for the Financial Times, in which he answers readers' questions about property, interiors, architecture and gardens - although he often strays beyond his remit to debate concerns about everything from etiquette to grammar.