The new guy did not drink.
During a company dinner in Beijing on Thursday, his boss at Xiamen International
Bank demanded that he order an alcoholic beverage. When he refused, another
executive slapped him.
It was the slap heard around the country, prompting broad reflection on a professional
drinking culture in China that rewards excessive drinking and alienates those who do not
imbibe.
"If certain ‘cultures’ or ‘rituals' come at the expense of health and mortality,
can you still call it ‘culture?'" Xu Chao. a medical doctor, wrote in a widely shared
blog post after the episode went public.
Around the globe , alcohol has long been seen as a way for workers to bond, as a
catalyst for business deals and as a vital lubricant for professional connections.
Yang Wenzhan, a lawyer in Beijing, wrote in a blog post Monday: "If you say you
don't want to drink, that can provoke some people. But if you give in and say you'll
drink a little, then you've surrendered your line of defense."
But the lawyer, who is abstinent, said he had never been coerced into drinking
against his will. Many social crowds are formed based on drinking habits, he noted,
and dinner banquets can be divided into two tables: one for those who love to drink
and another for those who do so moderately or not at all.
"If you can drink and make professional connections, that will help," he wrote.
"But if you don't have this ability, you can still make a good lawyer."