Death by drinking: man in China dies after speed-downing litre of strong liquor at office party in bid to win US$2,700 contest prize
- Company boss sets off boozy party competition which offers cash prizes for drinking ‘prowess’
- Contest ends in tragedy after staffer downs litre of strong Chinese baijiu in just 10 minutes before dying in hospital
The death of a man in China who downed a litre of strong liquor in just 10 minutes during a work drinking contest to win a 20,000-yuan (US$2,700) prize has shocked mainland social media.
The Southern Metropolis Daily reported the victim, surnamed Zhang, worked for a company in Shenzhen in southeastern Guangdong province, and had attended a team-building dinner in July.
His boss, surnamed Yang, initiated the drinking competition during the dinner, pledging a 20,000-yuan reward for anyone who could outdrink Zhang.
“After Zhang toasted at the boss’s table and returned, his boss openly proposed a reward of 5,000 yuan to anyone who could drink more than Zhang,” a colleague said. “No one responded until he increased the amount to 10,000 yuan.”
“Zhang then inquired about the stakes if he won the contest. Yang said if Zhang won he would be awarded 20,000 yuan. However, if he lost, he would have to pay 10,000 yuan to treat the whole company to afternoon tea.”
Yang then chose several employees, including his driver, to compete against Zhang.