Binge Drinking
Global Periscope
A deal maker for
doing business in the
Forbidden Kingdom
By Yishen Liang
(MBA cohort 2017)
There are many ways to get to know your business
partner. A meeting over Italian coffee or a Philly
cheesesteak and beer, are a couple of the ways
businesspeople meet prospective clients to close
a deal. But Chinese businessmen using binge
drinking to get to know future business partners
can provide a culture shock.
I experienced one of the most impressive moments
of our drinking culture in 2011, when I travelled with
my two French customers and my Dutch boss. We
were visiting a new supplier, because our French
customers, on their first trip to China, wanted to
meet the supplier and inspect the factory.
Like any business trip, we arrived at the factory and
had our routine meetings with the factory owner.
He showed us around and explained to our French
customers how the product was processed. Before
Yishen is a Shanghainese with a 3-year
old daughter. He has 10 years’ working
experience in international trading. He
likes to try everything and is dedicated
to making the best of it. He likes Chinese
traditional calligraphy and is good at
table tennis. He loves travel especially
to Japan. He has an appreciation for
Chinese, Japanese and western culture,
creating a worldly perspective.
long, the owner informed us that it was dinner time,
urging us to move to a designated restaurant where
the discussion would continue.
The restaurant, the best in town, served foods
that are only available at the specific region where
the factory was located. Baijiu, a wine with 64%
alcohol, was served of course. Soon after, some
friends of the owner joined us in order to fill all the
spots on a round table. Dinner started with a toast
The opening of US-China trade was finalised by POTUS Richard Nixon and Premier Zhou Enlai
over a bottle of the best Baijiu.
Image source: http://insight.amcham-shanghai.org/wp-content/uploads/P21-small-nixon.jpg
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AGSM