Chapter 8. Drinking Culture Section 1. Customs and Traditions The Chinese Way, Ding and Xu, 2014 Chapter 8. Drinking Culture 1

Outline Introduction Why the Chinese drink (a lot) Rules of drinking Interactions among Westerners and the Chinese Drinking as a job requirement Road ahead The Chinese Way, Ding and Xu, 2014 Chapter 8. Drinking Culture 2

Introduction Alcohol: about culture and identity Demand for expensive hard liquor – Maotai and Wuliangye The Chinese Way, Ding and Xu, 2014 Chapter 8. Drinking Culture 3

Why the Chinese drink (a lot) A different type of toast: jìng jiǔ ( 敬酒 ) 1. “the way one drinks reflects the way one works.” – Business owners often determine employees’ roles in their companies based on their drinking behaviors The Chinese Way, Ding and Xu, 2014 Chapter 8. Drinking Culture 4

Why the Chinese drink (a lot) 2. Drinking can energize the atmosphere during dinners – toasting each other can change the atmosphere from dull to exciting – It creates an interface for people to communicate. The Chinese Way, Ding and Xu, 2014 Chapter 8. Drinking Culture 5

Why the Chinese drink (a lot) 3. How much one drinks is a metric for mutual trust. – There is no secret when someone is drunk – It shows how much that person values the relationship at the expense of his own health The Chinese Way, Ding and Xu, 2014 Chapter 8. Drinking Culture 6

Why the Chinese drink (a lot) 4. Drinking is a way to develop both personal and business relationships – “When drinking with someone who understands you, a thousand glasses are not enough.” – 90% of business in China is discussed over dinner and liquor – It is requisite to go to parties and drink a lot for many Chinese people. E.g., a real estate professional needs to attend four to five dinners per week The Chinese Way, Ding and Xu, 2014 Chapter 8. Drinking Culture 7

Rules of drinking Rules must be carefully followed The most important guest always sits at the head of the table (facing the door) Making toast: – Wait for the most important person to make the first toast – A guest often will leave his seat to carry out a personal toast – When clinking glasses, the person with lower or junior status should always keep his glass slightly lower than the other person’s glass. The Chinese Way, Ding and Xu, 2014 Chapter 8. Drinking Culture 8

Rules of drinking Non-alcohol toast: – It is acceptable to not to finish all of the liquor for religious or healthy reasons, but not acceptable to drink nothing. – Although it is perfectly fine not to drink alcohol, a person (especially a junior person) is still expected to toast other guests around the table. – Once a person drinks on one occasion, she will be expected to drink in other contexts. Give face to the government officials(drink a lot) The Chinese Way, Ding and Xu, 2014 Chapter 8. Drinking Culture 9

Rules of drinking Regional differences – Southerners are more subtle while northerners can hold their liquor and enjoy drinking a lot – Heavy drinking is said to play an especially important role in business in less developed regions and rural areas. The Chinese Way, Ding and Xu, 2014 Chapter 8. Drinking Culture 10

China interacts with the West Cultural difference – Story : “A stingy German” Changing behavior of Westerners The Chinese Way, Ding and Xu, 2014 Chapter 8. Drinking Culture 11

Drinking as a job requirement People are forced to drink (e.g., a survey 75.8%) A person becomes more employable if she can drink. – Many college students begin practicing their drinking skills – Some companies even hire people whose sole job is to drink The Chinese Way, Ding and Xu, 2014 Chapter 8. Drinking Culture 12

Road ahead The culture of “drink until you drop” will gradually disappear, at least in official settings. Why? 1. The Xi government takes drinking very seriously, as alcohol is seen as facilitating corruption. 2. people are beginning to care more about their health. 3. China is transitioning from a relationship society to a rule-based society. 4. Learn from the best in terms of drinking patterns The Chinese Way, Ding and Xu, 2014 Chapter 8. Drinking Culture 13