Society

Ganbei culture goes bottoms up

By Yan Jie (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-12-18 07:32

Goodbye ganbei?

In an attempt to put the cork in booze-filled banquets that have been blamed for alcohol-related deaths across the country, the city of Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan province, has given officials their last call.

The city government on Tuesday issued a regulation aimed at curbing cases of drinking while on duty, drunken driving, making people drink toasts against their will at banquets and getting drunk at any time or under any circumstances, official media reported yesterday.

The rule applies to all officials, public servants, policemen, employees at State-owned or State-controlled enterprises and teachers in the city.

The ganbei culture - featuring round after round of toasts - hit the spotlight again following the recent death of a traffic officer. In October, a traffic policeman in the southern city of Shenzhen, Guangdong province, died of alcohol poisoning after he had been coerced into excessive drinking.

The news made a splash nationwide because the policeman's family demanded he should receive the status of martyr, a title usually awarded to people who sacrifice their lives for public causes. Though initially bestowed, the honor was rescinded after it made headlines, and the family is still fighting for compensation.

It is not yet known when Kunming's new statute will come into effect. However, an expert on corruption argues that it will be quite difficult for local authorities in Kunming to carry out the new rule.

"It's hard to define the concept of toasting against another's will," said Ren Jianming, director of the anti-corruption and governance research center of Tsinghua University.

Excessive drinking at banquets paid for by public funds is a pattern of corruption that causes a large amount of waste, Ren said, adding that the statute is a positive policy signal.

At present, government officials are forbidden from drinking at lunch in most parts of China, according to Ren.

Kunming is a step ahead of other cities in respect of reining in the toasting culture, he said.

Penalties are severe if officials are caught breaking the new regulation. Those who breach the rules three times face the risk of losing their posts.