Drinking Etiquette in China initiative, essential, together

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"A thousand cups of wine is not too much when bosom friends meet," according to an old Chinese saying. In fact, drinking together is an essential part of socializing and camaraderie. Thus, as any code of social conduct, it adheres to strict rules
  1 .One should never refuse to participate in a toast, as that could be interpreted as being Impolite. All people sitting at the same table must stand up, upon the initiative of one of the guests, and toast in succession;
  2. Elderly people and superiors should be served first. One should pay attention not to raise his/her glass higher than those of the respected elders; and
  3. If ganbei' is called, the drinkers must slam the contents of the glass, and then show the other guests their glasses are empty.

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Bottoms Up! Drinking Games (Jiuling)有趣的行酒令


Drinking games are a popular pastime, have a long tradition in China. The following are some examples of jiuling.

Finger guessing: Two people sit at the same table. Using one hand, they simultaneously stretch out fingers (several fingers stick out, while the others are close to the palm) and shout out a number between one and 10. If a player guesses right, and says the total number of fingers extended by both players, he/she wins. The loser then has to take a drink. If both players guess right or if both guess wrong, the game continues. If a person accidentally shouts a number that is less than the number of fingers he/she has stretched, he/she has to take a drink.

A little bee: Chinese have their own version of the”rock, paper, scissors” game. It is a game for two. First, the players sing a little verse: "Liangzhi xiao mifeng ya, fei dao huacong zhong ya, fei ya" (two little bees fly to the flowers, and fly). After singing, each player imitates either a rock, paper or scissors with his/her hand. The winner (the one who showed a sign that beats the other player's sign’)must pretend to slap the other player, while saying "Pya Pya." The loser must pretend to be slapped, while saying "Ah Ah!.，If both  people show the same sign, they pretend to kiss, while saying ”Mua Mua.” Of course, this has to be done as quickly as possible. The first to say the wrong sentence or does thewrong action must take a drink.

Seven: The principle is to avoid saying the ”bad”number, which is seven. People sitting around the table, in succession, say numbers. The first player says "one,“ the second says "two,” and so on. The person who is supposed to say “seven” must move directly to "eight." The Players go on counting, avoiding the number "seven," all of its multiples (14, 21 etc.) and all the numbers including "seven,“ such as 17, 27, 37 etc. Of course, this gets harder and harder.Do you have any idea what the punishment is for the person who accidentally says a forbidden number?

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Drinking with a single draught is a sign of boldness.


Drinking in China is not only about pleasure, it has much to do about respect, self一affirmation, friendship and the perpetuation of traditions. In China, no wedding ceremony is complete unless the bride and groom perform the traditional jiaobeijiu, which requires the couple to drink from their respective glasses while intertwining their arms, without spilling alcohol. The jiaobeijiu is followed by a dutiful toast to each of the newlyweds' parents.

The fact that drinking is so deeply rooted in Chinese culture worries doctors who specialize in alcohol abuse, and some are calling for changes in drinking practises. A law that forbids the sale of beverages with an alcohol content of 0.5 per cent or higher to anyone under age 18 took effect on January 1.