How to drink your way to the top

[Randy W]

. . . from the Global Times

 

How to be a successful drunk

 

"People say traveling is better than reading a thousand books, but I say the honor of meeting all the leaders who are present at the banquet today is better than traveling a thousand miles."

Chen's toast was given high praise by the visiting officials and quickly brought both sides together for follow-up conversations. By the end of the night, Chen was granted a government infrastructure contract worth more than 30 million yuan.

Chen did not come up with those words by himself. The once introverted man spent more than 1,000 yuan on the "toasting technique" taught by Xiu Weiliang, the principal of the Harbin Weiliang Art of Communication School.

From drinking to public speaking, Xiu taught his students, a majority of which are government officials and management-level business people, how to "drink their way to success" and "talk their way up to a bright future."