Drinking lessons

How many lives have to be snuffed out before we bring to a halt the notorious tradition of drinking too much at business or official banquets? The death of a village head because of an overdose of liquor during the weekend has once again brought the question to the fore.

The Party secretary of the famous Xiaogang village in Anhui province, where the country's rural reform was initiated, is at least the third official to meet such a fate this year. The other two were local government officials in Hubei and Henan provinces.

It is a long-standing tradition for the Chinese to drink excessively at banquets, considered a way of showing sincerity. Sometimes, one needs to frequently down glasses of liquor to seal a business deal.