手機版
A few weeks ago, a family friend asked if I would be interested in going on a road trip with him to Xuzhou, a third-tier city in the eastern Jiangsu province, where he was going to visit a few business friends he met in Africa.
For a business journalist it was a rare chance to rub shoulders with some small-town entrepreneurs determined to make money in Africa. I immediately said yes.
But what I had forgotten was the expectations of serious drinking, a custom once near-universal in any Chinese business meeting, but one that is starting to die out in Beijing and Shanghai.
Alcohol still plays an important role in the business world in second- and third-tier cities, however. My experience in Xuzhou was instructive for this Beijinger, who rarely takes part in a culture that has defined generations of Chinese officials and businessmen.
The drinking started soon after we arrived at an upscale seafood restaurant. The host, Mr. X, whose company has been doing business in Africa for more than 10 years, was accompanied by a newly-retired government official and some other business associates.
I was seated next to the retired official, who was acting as host because Mr. X is allergic to alcohol. There were four glasses for each setting, one each for wine, tea and juice—and a small one for baijiu, or Chinese liquor.
For the welcome toast, the retired official said everybody had to have baijiu. Baijiu, which literally means white liquor, has very high alcohol content, and its taste has been compared to kerosene and even paint thinner. While I like sipping wine with friends on weekends, I never learned to like baijiu. It's simply too strong for my taste.
My appeal to drink wine instead was dismissed right away. I stood with everybody, toasted and finished a shot of Maotai, the premium baijiu brand.
Then the official turned to me. 'You're a friend from a faraway place,' he said. 'To follow customs in Xuzhou, I'd like to have two toasts with you. The first means, 'Nice to meet you.' And the second means, 'Let's be friends.'' What could I say? I finished two more shots of Maotai.
Before I could sit down and take a break, he spoke again, 'There's the third drink. After this one, we'll be family.'
After that, I lost track of the toasts as everybody started toasting with me, though thankfully I was allowed to switch to wine. At one point, I realized that I was expected to toast back, or I would be considered rude.
No business was discussed, as is the case at most Chinese business banquets. However, at that meal I found the answer to why business meals have to involve so much baijiu. Most people at the table were reserved middle-aged men. Baijiu helped them loosen up—fast. Besides, after much drinking, they may share a secret or two, which in turn helps build camaraderie.
It could have been the baijiu that landed some of us in a Karaoke room at a high-end nightclub later that night.
We were greeted by two rows of beautiful young women dressed like flight attendants. They wore smart purple mini-dress uniforms with trolley suitcases standing neatly on one side. They were there to serve as a kind of hostesses for hire, to serve drinks for guests and sing with them.
Earlier this year, a widely-circulated diary, allegedly written by a local tobacco official, caused a huge stir not only because he wrote candidly about his affairs with his female subordinates but also because of his frequent mentioning of drink-soaked meals. In multiple entries in the one-year diary, he wrote that he 'drank too much.'
Not drinking can be a serious problem for a businessman in much of China. Mr. X said that once 15 years ago, a business partner told him that they would have a deal if Mr. X could finish the baijiu in front of him. He said no and lost the business.
A top banker at a major commercial bank, who also doesn't drink, told me that not being able to drink has become an obstacle for him in socializing with his colleagues. 'They never remember that I'm at the dinner table too,' he said, sitting alone (with me) at a big gathering of the bank as other top executives were toasting from one table to the next.
Mr. X said that over the past two decades he's tried many times to learn to drink but failed. A small amount of alcohol can turn his body red and burning hot. But 'allergic to alcohol' is not a good enough reason for some people. They believe he doesn't drink because he doesn't respect them. 'This is a weakness I can't fix,' he says.
So those who can't or won't drink have invented all kinds of tricks. A U.S. official in Beijing told me that he always 'accidentally' spills most of the baijiu in his glass at banquets. But a couple of times his not-too-smooth acting has offended his hosts and got him into trouble. Some people resort to spitting drinks into napkins or tea cups.
Too bad I didn't learn any of these tricks before my trip to Xuzhou. But I did learn the power of baijiu.
That night when it was my turn to sing, I bravely stood up and sang three songs by Cui Jian, a Chinese rocker I liked in college. I guess the men had consumed too much baijiu to run away in horror.
中文閱讀：
幾個星期前，一位世交問我有沒有興趣跟他一起開車去江蘇徐州。他要去那兒拜訪在加蓬和赤道幾內亞做生意時結交的幾個朋友。
對於一名商業記者來說，並不是每天都有機會遇到有誌於在非洲發展的鄉鎮企業家。我馬上就說好。
我徹底忽略了可能會發生被猛敬白酒的局麵。喝酒曾經是中國商界會麵不可或缺的一個節目。雖然在北京、shanghaidengdachengshiyijingkuaijuejile，danzaiersanxianchengshi，hejiuyiranshishangjieliqi。wochangnianshenghuozaibeijing，henshaoshezuzheleichanghe，yincizhecixuzhouzhixingduiwojiaoyiposhen。
我們下午5點30分左右入住徐州的賓館。到了6點半，我們已經坐在一家看上去十分豪華的海鮮餐館的包間裏了。請客的是X先生，他在非洲做生意已經有十幾年了，陪他一起來的還有一位退休沒多久的政府官員和他手下的幾位得意助手。
我被安排坐在那位退休官員旁邊。由於X先生對酒精過敏，這位官員就負責招呼大家。每個人麵前都擺著四個杯子，分別用來喝紅酒、白酒、茶和果汁。喝白酒的杯子要小一些。
那na位wei退tui休xiu官guan員yuan說shuo，第di一yi杯bei迎ying賓bin酒jiu，所suo有you人ren都dou得de喝he白bai的de。白bai酒jiu的de酒jiu精jing度du很hen高gao，有you西xi方fang人ren把ba它ta的de味wei道dao比bi作zuo煤mei油you甚shen至zhi塗tu料liao稀xi釋shi劑ji。雖sui然ran我wo喜xi歡huan周zhou末mo的de時shi候hou跟gen朋peng友you們men一yi起qi啜chuo飲yin紅hong酒jiu，但dan從cong來lai沒mei學xue會hui品pin白bai酒jiu。對dui我wo來lai說shuo，白bai酒jiu還hai是shi太tai烈lie了le。
我提出以紅酒代替白酒，但馬上就被駁回了。我跟大夥兒一道起身碰杯，將一杯茅台一飲而盡。
然後那位官員轉向了我。他說，你是來自遠方的朋友，照徐州的規矩我得跟你喝兩杯──喝了第一杯就表示我們認識了，喝了第二杯就表示我們是朋友了。我還能說什麼呢？隻能又喝了兩杯茅台。
我還沒來得及坐下喘口氣，他又開口了：“還有第三杯，喝了這杯咱們就是一家人了。”
zainazhihouwojiuwanquanbujidezijiganleduoshaobeile，dajiadoukaishigenwojingjiu，yehuxiangjing。buguohaihaowohuozhunhuanchenglehongjiu。zaizhegeguochengzhong，woyishidaoyiyiwoyaohuijing，buranhuibeirenweimeilimao。
和中國大多數的商務宴會一樣，席間沒人談生意。不過那頓飯讓我明白了一直百思不得其解的一個問題：為什麼中國商場上的人一起吃飯要喝那麼多白酒。桌上坐的大多是平素不苟言笑的中年男子。白酒能讓他們放鬆──而且很快。除此之外，喝多了的時候，他們可能會相互吐露一些秘密，而這又反過來增進了友情。
我們中的一些人那天後半夜又去一家高級夜總會唱卡拉OK，沒準兒就是因為喝了白酒的緣故。
在zai夜ye總zong會hui，兩liang排pai漂piao亮liang的de年nian輕qing姑gu娘niang向xiang我wo們men致zhi意yi。她ta們men穿chuan著zhe打da扮ban如ru同tong空kong姐jie，身shen穿chuan俏qiao麗li的de紫zi色se迷mi你ni裙qun製zhi服fu，旁pang邊bian是shi排pai得de整zheng整zheng齊qi齊qi的de拉la杆gan箱xiang。她ta們men是shi可ke以yi花hua錢qian雇gu的de伴ban唱chang，幫bang客ke人ren們men點dian歌ge、倒酒。
今(jin)年(nian)早(zao)些(xie)時(shi)候(hou)，據(ju)說(shuo)是(shi)出(chu)自(zi)一(yi)位(wei)地(di)方(fang)煙(yan)草(cao)局(ju)官(guan)員(yuan)之(zhi)手(shou)的(de)一(yi)本(ben)日(ri)記(ji)流(liu)傳(chuan)甚(shen)廣(guang)，引(yin)發(fa)了(le)極(ji)大(da)的(de)反(fan)響(xiang)，其(qi)原(yuan)因(yin)不(bu)光(guang)是(shi)這(zhe)名(ming)官(guan)員(yuan)直(zhi)白(bai)地(di)寫(xie)下(xia)了(le)他(ta)與(yu)幾(ji)個(ge)女(nv)下(xia)屬(shu)的(de)婚(hun)外(wai)情(qing)，還(hai)因(yin)為(wei)他(ta)頻(pin)頻(pin)提(ti)及(ji)喝(he)得(de)昏(hun)天(tian)黑(hei)地(di)的(de)飯(fan)局(ju)。在(zai)曆(li)時(shi)一(yi)年(nian)時(shi)間(jian)的(de)日(ri)記(ji)中(zhong)，有(you)很(hen)多(duo)篇(pian)都(dou)提(ti)到(dao)“喝多了”。
在中國很多地方，商人要是不喝酒，問題可能就會很嚴重。X先生說起15年前的一次經曆，當時一位合作夥伴說，要是X不幹了他麵前的白酒，生意就沒得做。X先生不能喝，那單生意就黃了。
yijiadashangyeyinxingdegaoguanqianjigeyueyegenwoshuo，buhuihejiuyijingchengletagentongshimenjiaowangdezhangai。zaigaiyinxingdeyicidaguimojuhuishang，taduzizuozaiyizhangfanzhuoshang（跟我在一起），其他高管都在挨桌敬酒，他說，他們經常不記得我的存在。
X說，過去二十年裏他很多次嚐試學著喝酒，但還是不行。隻要喝一點點酒，他就會全身發紅發燙。但對於一些人來說，“酒精過敏”並不足以成為拒絕喝酒的理由。他們覺得他不喝酒就是看不起他們。X說，這是個無法彌補的缺陷。
所以，那些不能或者不願喝酒的人想出了各種逃酒的花招。一位駐北京的美國政府官員跟我說，他在這類宴會上總是“不小心”把(ba)自(zi)己(ji)杯(bei)子(zi)裏(li)的(de)酒(jiu)灑(sa)出(chu)一(yi)大(da)半(ban)。不(bu)過(guo)有(you)幾(ji)次(ci)他(ta)演(yan)得(de)不(bu)太(tai)自(zi)然(ran)，讓(rang)主(zhu)人(ren)很(hen)不(bu)高(gao)興(xing)，他(ta)自(zi)己(ji)也(ye)惹(re)來(lai)了(le)麻(ma)煩(fan)。有(you)的(de)人(ren)則(ze)采(cai)用(yong)把(ba)酒(jiu)吐(tu)到(dao)餐(can)巾(jin)上(shang)或(huo)茶(cha)杯(bei)裏(li)的(de)小(xiao)伎(ji)倆(liang)。
我去徐州之前沒學學這類招數真是太失策了。不過我確實見識了白酒的威力。
那天晚上，輪到我唱歌時，我異常勇敢地站起來，唱了三首崔健的歌。我猜在場的男士們都喝高了，連駭極而逃的力氣都沒有了。
我想那天我是過了中國商界的喝酒關，我豪爽的表現顯然贏得了徐州這些企業家的“信任”。第二天他們又安排了兩場酒... 我慶幸自己是幹新聞的。
相關閱讀 文化視角：中西方商務餐差異
