The local Chinese businessman flashes me an evil grin, tops up my thimble-sized glass, and chuckles.

"So, you Australians can drink, right?"

It's late 2013, I've only just arrived in China, and I'm working in a small town in Jiangsu province. At the invitation of some friendly locals, I find myself sitting at a banquet table where the baijiu (China's famous white spirit) is flowing.