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Getting Drunk in China: What Guanzui Means in Mandarin

Each culture approaches the concept of drinking differently. Not only do they produce their own unique alcoholic beverages, but they also have their own cultural traditions and taboos. One thing that remains the same across all cultures, however, is the hangover. Mercifully, the Hangover Hospital produces the best hangover cure in Key West, so if you’re recovering from the night before, we can help you get feeling better in an hour or less. Call us!

One Mandarin term for “drunk” is guanzui or guan zui. Literally, it means something along the lines of “befuddled”. That a drinking term would be related to confusion is not exactly uncommon, however, the term can mean both “to get someone drunk” or simply “to get drunk”. In other words, it related to the notion of befuddling or bamboozling someone.

Drinking Laws in China

The Chinese have a slightly more permissive attitude toward alcohol than we do in the United States. For instance, it is unlawful for any vendor to sell an alcoholic beverage to someone under the age of 18 years. There is, however, an exception. Sixteen or seventeen-year-olds may order a glass of beer with their meal in a restaurant.

Indeed, alcohol has been a part of Chinese culture for thousands of years. Despite widespread concerns over rising alcohol consumption, Chinese culture is still relatively permissive when it comes to enjoying liquor, beer, and other intoxicating beverages. Alcohol is enjoyed during festivals, weddings, and other major occasions.

However, the WHO noted that with the increase in China’s economy, there is also an increase in the number of those consuming alcohol. Those who are consuming alcohol tend to consume more of it than did in decades past. According to the WHO, high-risk drinking habits have reached “epidemic proportions” in China.

The Poverty-Stricken are More Likely to Drink

This may come as no surprise, but those who are in the lowest socioeconomic classes are more likely to drink than those in higher economic classes. This is true just about anywhere in the world. While many believe that poverty drives you to drink, there are others who believe excessive drinking results in poverty.

Drunk Driving Laws in China

Currently, China has hundreds of very large urban centers and many of the over 1 billion Chinese cohabitate in cities. On the one hand, a good number of the population only use bicycles or public transit to get around Chinese cities. On the other hand, since China’s economy has strengthened more and more people are driving cars. Because of this, China instituted very harsh penalties for driving under the influence in 2011. To be sure, if you want to befuddle yourself, you’ll need to steer clear of any significant amount of booze. In fact, you should even bother using mouthwash. The legal limit for BAC is .02.

While drunk driving was illegal before 2011, the penalties for driving drunk were quite light. With more booze being consumed and more Chinese drivers on the road, drunk-driving was taking far too many lives so the government decided to do something about it.

Just a few days after the law was implemented, one of the judges for China’s Got Talent was arrested for driving under the influence. The government saw an opportunity to make an example of him. He was given a six-month jail sentence and forced to pay the equivalent of $620. He caused an accident involving four vehicles.

One of the major changes to the law: If a driver kills another person while they are driving drunk, they will lose their license for the rest of their life. Even if no one was harmed, a driver could lose their license for five years.

Strict DUI laws have shown promising results. Far fewer Chinese individuals are getting into accidents due to drunk driving. There have been 42% fewer reported cases of drunk driving and fatalities have dropped 27%.

The Hangover Hospital Cures Hangovers!

How much vanilla extract to get drunk | hangover hospitalHangovers are curable. The results of a drunk driving accident are not. If you’ve befuddled yourself, the Hangover Hospital can deliver the ultimate hangover cure right to your door in Key West. Just give us a call and we can help ensure you feel better after a night of drinking.

Call Today! (305) 912-4911