Dine Dance Drink Liquor again becomes a necessary companion of the Spring Festival

By Liu Yunyun and Bai Shi

There is an old Chinese saying: no liquor no banquet. For locals, alcohol is an essential ingredient in spicing up celebrations.

In preparation for parties to come, consumers flock to stores and markets, buying up hordes of special purchases, including liquor, while beverage brands spare no effort in promoting sales. Among an array of choices, locals favor baijiu, clear spirits traditionally distilled from sorghum or other grains with an alcohol content of about 38 to 68 percent.

In China, producers have created a large variety of liquor over thousands of years. However, baijiu has gradually come to dominate the market.

According to an industry report published in July 2012 by China Competition Information, a market research institute and consulting service provider, baijiu output for the first half of last year increased 17.2 percent over the same period in 2011. Sales of the liquor reached 202.3 billion yuan ($32.5 billion), a year-on-year rise of 29.65 percent,denoting its popularity on the market.

No liquor, no deal

For many businesspeople, the period surrounding Lunar New Year holidays is the busiest season,providing an opportunity for renewing partnerships and building new connections. “Bottoms up” is general practice at all dinner tables.

Manager of a fire extinguisher factory in Jiangsu Province Wang Changqing said the ground rules during a business dinner include getting the other party drunk before any serious talk takes place. “Whoever remains sober wins a favorable contract,” he said, having already attended seven such events prior to festival time.

Wang used to manage a state-owned company before it went bankrupt in 1998, resorting to being a driver for his current employer. But he quickly moved up the ladder to again reach a managerial position in his 40s because of his capacity for liquor.

“My wife complains a lot whenever I drink too much because I never stop talking,” Wang said. “But what can I do? Clients expect me to drink. How can we get the contract signed if we only sip coffee and talk about the weather?”

LIQUOR LOVE:visitors view expensive collections at an exhibition of baijiu in Beijing on January 10,2012

As a veteran of the drinking game, Wang said he can place the origin of any alcohol after only a sip. For example, liquor from Sichuan Province tastes gentle and sweet. On the contrary, that produced in north China is strong and fiery.

In China, regardless of drinking wine, beer or baijiu, people should follow certain rules.

At the dinner table, it is always the eldest or most respected who proposes the first toast and sets the measure of each drink. Guests should drain their glasses if the host does so in order to avoid offense. In many cases, the more one drinks, the more loyal a person might appear to his or her superior or business partner.

“Keep in mind,” Wang said, “When clinking glasses, yours should be lower than that of the other party to show respect.”

A different perspective

Foreigners are often astonished at the prevalence of drinking when they first arrive in China.

Judith Hagenhofer, an Austrian who has toured China thrice, found the culture of drinking an interesting phenomenon. “The first time I visited the country, I met a French guy doing an internship in Shanghai. He had brought a bottle of very exquisite French wine to give to his boss and colleagues, and was quite shocked when they simply did ganbei!”she said, referring to the “bottoms up” tradition when drinking at dinner parties.

Having attended several such occasions,she found it awkward that those who refrain from drinking for whatever reason are considered impolite or rude.

However, her memory of drinking baijiu is not all bad. She was once the guest of a Chinese family in Henan Province and was invited to celebrate Spring Festival with them and their relatives. That winter was particularly cold and“We were grateful for the baijiu served with the food, because it kept us warm.”

ONE FOR ALL: Hundreds of residents raise their glasses in Xi’an, capital of Shaanxi Province, on September 5, 2012

Sloan Lindsey, an American, said that drinking with colleagues was a free and interesting way to jump social boundaries when he worked at a Department of Materials Science and Engineering of Zhejiang University lab in 2008-09. “However, I don’t think I ever walked out of any work party in a straight line,” he added.

In American culture, he explained in referring to formal occasions and drinking with superiors, “We clink glasses, but it is very important to not drink too much for fear of looking like someone with poor self-control.” Lindsey added that the concept of “bottoms up” is usually only applicable in a situation where everyone is treated as equals.

Nowadays, due to increasing exposure to Western life styles and ideas, the phenomenon of persuading people to drink as much as they can is diminishing, especially in metropolises such as Beijing and Shanghai.

Nevertheless, while many parties throughout China still don’t finish until everyone is dead drunk,the culture of enjoying liquor remains open to any who savor fine tastes and traditions. ■

The History of Alcohol

Baijiu’s success is closely linked to the long history and profound culture of liquor in China. In 1979, Chinese archeologists discovered a group of Neolithic tomb relics at the foot of Taishan Mountain in Shandong Province, along with several hundred pieces of pottery containing carbonized grain, used in brewing alcohol. The site has subsequently been dubbed the birthplace of China’s liquor culture.

During the Western Zhou Dynasty (1046 - 771 B.C.), spec ific regulations on the production and consumption of liquor were set in place alongside officials to administrate the process. At the time, alcohol was for the exclusive use of the upper classes such as imperial families and nobles. In addition to being consumed, liquor was additionally used in sacr ificial ceremonies.Brewing techniques also made big progress with the introduction of yeast.

Over time, liquor managed to maintain its close relationship with literature. Li Bai (701-762),the greatest poet of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), had a hobby of drinking wine, during which time he composed some of his best work. Nowadays, the poet is fondly known as “the saint of alcohol.” Li’s friend, fellow writer Du Fu (712-770), even wrote a poem to describe the connection between the former and drinking. “Li could create a hundred poems by drinking a liter of liquor,” it read. In the end, Li died from over-consumption of alcohol.

Well-known liquor brands in China include Moutai from Guizhou Province, Wuliangye from Sichuan, Fenjiu from Shanxi and Jiuguijiu from Hunan Province.