The seating arrangement is probably the most essential part of Chinese table etiquette. When invited to table by the host, guests take the seats assigned to them by the host. The seating order on the part of the host is somewhat complex and follows strict rules.
The seat of honor, reserved for the master of the banquet or the guest with highest status, is the one in the center facing east or facing the entrance. When a family holds a banquet, the seat of honor is for the guest with the highest status and the host of the house has the least important seat. If dining tables are round, the seat facing the entrance is the seat of honor. Those of higher position sit nearer to the master of the banquet. The guests of lowest position sit farthest from the seat of honor.
Traditionally, the Chinese consider the right side as the superior and the left side as the inferior. Therefore on formal situations, for example, meetings and banquets, the host always arranges for the main guests to take seats on his right side. Therefore, those on the right side of the seat of honor are third, fifth, seventh and so on in importance, while the seats on the left side are second, fourth, sixth, etc in importance, until they join together.
At a banquet where the guests sit at several separate tables, the guest of honor and the highest-ranking ordinary guests gather at the table with the same “centrality” aspect just like in the single-table case (or where multiple tables form a single, connected row). Similarly, the right and left table “rows” closest to the table where the guest of honor sit are occupied by ordinary guests who rank just below the ordinary guests who sit at the same table with the guest of honor. The second “row” of tables is seated by the next rank of ordinary guests, and so on and so forth.
Even within a given social ranking, the host at a banquet will try to mix the guests in such as way as to promote good communication while paying special attention to guests in need of it. The significance of the seating arrangement to Chinese table etiquette cannot be overemphasized, as violations would take the risk of offending almost everyone present except the person or persons wrongly favored. Therefore such kind of accidents is quite rare.