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Big drink culture in China a problem
By Sam |
December 15, 2010, Wednesday
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Print Edition
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CHEN Li,
Some things you wrote about in your article "Eye-opener for Chinese girl in NZ" (Shanghai Daily, December 13) really rubbed me the wrong way.
I am not from New Zealand, so I am not personally offended by your comments but I think perhaps you need to take a good look at your own country: China has THE most widely accepted drinking culture I have EVER seen and I am sure I have been to more countries than you - I can tell by your naive observations.
In the West most people drink to enjoy themselves while in China most people drink to get smashed - forcing others to ganbei and playing silly dice games are a daily occurrence in China.
So serious is this stupid culture of forcing others to drink I don't even like to go out with Chinese friends anymore because I don't drink.
I have been yelled at, abused and been told I wasn't a man on many occasions when I have refused baijiu (distilled spirit), more peer pressure than I ever had in high school.
If you have never seen intoxicated Chinese people behaving badly, trying to pick a fight out in front of a bar, KTV or restaurant, then you don't get out much.
And the only reason you hear so much about drunk driving in New Zealand is because they are actually addressing the problem and trying to fight it!
There are ads on TV, print campaigns and breathalyzer units on the streets, so you hear about it often in the news - unlike China.
In New Zealand, if someone is killed by a drunk driver then it is in the news. In China, if some poor villager is killed by a drunk driver, their family is paid 10,000 yuan (US$1,502), or something, and you never hear about it.
Teen pregnancies are a big problem in many cultures, true. I think you will find it is a growing problem in China, too, though many are covered up by abortions and you won't hear about them. You need to wake up - alcohol is a problem everywhere, ESPECIALLY China.
Believe me, I could write a book about what I think is wrong with society in China but I prefer to focus on the good things.
Some things you wrote about in your article "Eye-opener for Chinese girl in NZ" (Shanghai Daily, December 13) really rubbed me the wrong way.
I am not from New Zealand, so I am not personally offended by your comments but I think perhaps you need to take a good look at your own country: China has THE most widely accepted drinking culture I have EVER seen and I am sure I have been to more countries than you - I can tell by your naive observations.
In the West most people drink to enjoy themselves while in China most people drink to get smashed - forcing others to ganbei and playing silly dice games are a daily occurrence in China.
So serious is this stupid culture of forcing others to drink I don't even like to go out with Chinese friends anymore because I don't drink.
I have been yelled at, abused and been told I wasn't a man on many occasions when I have refused baijiu (distilled spirit), more peer pressure than I ever had in high school.
If you have never seen intoxicated Chinese people behaving badly, trying to pick a fight out in front of a bar, KTV or restaurant, then you don't get out much.
And the only reason you hear so much about drunk driving in New Zealand is because they are actually addressing the problem and trying to fight it!
There are ads on TV, print campaigns and breathalyzer units on the streets, so you hear about it often in the news - unlike China.
In New Zealand, if someone is killed by a drunk driver then it is in the news. In China, if some poor villager is killed by a drunk driver, their family is paid 10,000 yuan (US$1,502), or something, and you never hear about it.
Teen pregnancies are a big problem in many cultures, true. I think you will find it is a growing problem in China, too, though many are covered up by abortions and you won't hear about them. You need to wake up - alcohol is a problem everywhere, ESPECIALLY China.
Believe me, I could write a book about what I think is wrong with society in China but I prefer to focus on the good things.
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