Three cheers for China’s ‘Big Brother’: the banquet guru who has taught people how to drink their way up the social ladder
More than 4,000 students have taken Xiu Weiliang’s ‘Tricks of the Dining Table’ classes in past decade, but government ban of lavish spending has seen him switch to ‘Better public speaking’
Lavish meals loaded with booze have long been a mainstay of Chinese politics and business for centuries, but for many they are more a source of anxiety than joy.
For some, salvation has come in the form of a middle-aged former wedding planner, Xiu Weiliang.
The banquet table is the place for Chinese people to exchange their feelings. Some people will encourage you to drink to excess and lose control to achieve their aims
At the “Art of Communication School” in the northeastern city of Harbin, businessmen and bureaucrats are taught to drink themselves up the social ladder.
Xiu, its founder, appears an unlikely guru: softly-spoken with a penchant for woolly jumpers, and frequently mopping sweat from his brow in class.
Yet he said more than 4,000 students had taken his classes in the past decade.
“The banquet table is the place for Chinese people to exchange their feelings,” said Xiu, beaming from behind a wooden desk in his office.