Máotái in the eyes of foreign Presidents
Posté par ITgium le 19 mai 2016
It’s like the beating heart of China, a tradition, part of its lifestyle, a gift that comes from heaven.
Old as the nation, máotái jiǔ has witnessed nearly all episodes of China history, from time immemorial until now.
Beyond the political changes, disorders, tears and weeping, guìzhōu máotái remained the reliable anchorage point to revitalize the faith in friendship. Among other virtues, it has played a big part in China’s international relations.
The national liquor (guó jiǔ) that stuck so well to the country’s skin sometimes suggests a somewhat misunderstanding among the foreigners. Here, the question : why the máotái is so relevant ?
- Yes it is ! answered Zhōu Ēnlái to the French President, Georges Pompidou, during a Beijing welcoming gala in 1973. In this very tiny and small glass, you will taste a subtle balance of strength and smoothness, the salt of the earth. That is why we must drink it in a one big gulp.
As the president Pompidou showed some difficulties in doing so, Zhōu Ēnlái added with a smiling face.
- Sure the alcohol level is high but it serves as a resounding reminder of the road with have gone over the centuries.
The same year, the Mexican President Luis Echeverría Álvarez was invited in China a year after the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries. During a well-earned dinner, the same scene with a slightly different angle.
Yet again, the foreign President had a hard time drinking.
- I usually drink tequila or mezcal, he apologized.
- Take your time ! Drink slowly, suggested Zhōu Ēnlái. I guess that you will enjoy at the end. As the tequila for the Mexican, máotái is part of the Chinese soul.
A few years later, in 1986, the Mexican President at that time, Miguel de la Madrid Hurtado, alerted of the Chinese drinking habits by the former president, drank the liquor at one mouthful in front of the enchanted eyes of Lǐ Xiānniàn (李先念), the once president of China.
The glass on the table, The Mexican president coughed quite a bit.
- Next time, take all your time, and drink slowly. It takes time to train oneself to the Chinese millinery culture.
And then again, the next decade, in 1993, the newly Mexican president, Carlos Salinas de Gortari, warned by both predecessors, took another stand.
To ease the drinking, he recited at the same time the well-known poem of Lǐ Bái, Jìng yè sī.
Of course, he had a very poor Chinese accent, almost incomprehensible, but when he came to the last verse dī tóu sī gù xiāng (低頭思故鄉), President Jiāng Zémín congratulated him. Then he drank the máotái all of a sudden.
- Poetry and alcohol are some of the brightest resources of the Chinese culture, said the Chinese President.
Some tells the story of another Mexican president who boasted himself at an official luncheon, assuming that he was a very successful heavy drinker. Then comes a fish on the table with its head pointing on him. According to an old Hunan province tradition, in that case, the person must drink three cups of máotái instantly. No talks. As it is. The Mexican president asked for forgiveness.
- I actually haven’t been feeling that well lately, he said failing back on the defensive.
That’s when his elegant wife observed with a maliciously smile.
- Darling if you don’t drink that beverage, you will never be a “real man”, as Sir Charlie Chaplin used to say.
- Don’t worry about it ! exclaimed the Chinese official Make yourself comfortable ! Do as best you can ! But, all the same, dive into the real world of Chinese legends and fall under the spell of eternal tales.
François de la Chevalerie jùn mǎ 俊 马
Publié dans Alcool chinois, Boire en chine | Pas de Commentaire »