   neutral   you have it right. Alcohol is a medium for communicating emotion in China. Drinking with business partners or would-be friends is a way of solidifying friendship, especially in Northern China.     neutral   I just felt embarrassed if I refused to drink when people toasted to me. But if I keep gulping down one cup after another, I'm afraid I would feel unfit or sick.  
    neutral   you lose face by refusing to drink, and the host might think you refuse to give him face. The right thing to do seems to be drinking yourself into incoherence until you throw up. This will endear you     neutral   a few guys even threw a drunken fit last night, crying hoarsely and bawling whole heaps of nonsense that I never understood.  
    neutral   then he must be opening his heart to the friends. In a word, as long as you demonstrate a readiness to drink more in spite of already suffering extreme discomfort, no one will jeer at you.     neutral   
 my mother often asked,'What are your Chinese class mates doing during winter vacation? Do
 what really upsets my tummy, though. are all kinds fo alcoholic cock