Zhao was transferring to a Wenzhou flight at Beijing Airport at noon on August 21 when she was stopped at airport security. A worker told the woman in her forties that she was not able to bring the imported cognac through the security checkpoint in her carry-on. As it was too late to transfer the cognac to her checked-in luggage, Zhao did what any responsible person that hates wasting food would do: she sat down in a corner and drank the entire bottle of cognac herself.

That created a new security problem though, and it had to do with the bottle of cognac that was now inside her.

Zhao started acting wildly and yelling incoherently. Due to her massive inebriation, when Zhao fell to the floor, that’s where she stayed. When police arrived at the scene, they decided not to let her board her flight out of concern that she had become a security risk to others and herself as Zhao was travelling alone.

Zhao was taken to a convalescence room and was checked out by a doctor. It wasn’t until 7pm when she sobered up and realized what she had done. Zhao was eventually released by police to her family who had come to Beijing Airport to escort her home.

Hard choices have been made before at security checkpoints in Chinese airports. This past June, two brothers were stopped at the security checkpoint at Guangzhou Airport for having wine stashed in their carry-on. The brothers explained that this wine had special medicinal properties used to help male fertility. However, the security workers were adamant in enforcing regulations, and so the brothers decided to drink the RMB 8,000 bottle of wine themselves (below).

And if you’re thinking this would make a funny scene in a Chinese movie, well, it already has been. In Xu Zheng’s breakout hit Lost on Journey (2010), Wang Baoqiang’s yokel character is prevented by airport security from bringing a drink onto the airplane, so he decides to drink it himself. Of course, the distinction here is that Wang’s character chugs down an entire bottle of milk.

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The poll, done by the National Institute for Nutrition and Health of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, surveyed 30,605 junior and senior high school students between 12 and 20 years old in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Jinan, Chengdu and Harbin.

It found that 51 percent of teens have tried alcohol, while 15 percent have admitted being drunk. Of the children that have consumed alcohol, 62 percent said they frequently drink at parties, while 53 percent said they often drink at family dinners.

Another poll on underage drinking showed that A quarter of respondents admitted to trying alcohol before the age of ten.a quarter of respondents admitted to trying alcohol before the age of ten. As well, 30 percent admitted to drinking as a social enabler, saying that “gathering in groups but not drinking is unsociable”.

China banned underage drinking in 2006 over concerns that permissive parents have encouraged minors to drink. However, implementation of the ban sparked confusion since it was “merely a regulation, not a law”. Almost ten years later, it seems nothing has changed. Professor of public health at Peking University Ma Guansheng said although Chinese laws prohibit selling alcohol to juniors, the laws are difficult to enforce.

“Alcohol abuse among minors has been pretty much ignored in schools and society as compared to drug use or even smoking cigarettes,” said Sun Yunxiao of the China Youth Research Centre. “There has never been an effective mechanism like there is overseas for preventing the problem.” Countries like the USA require identity cards to purchase alcohol, and enforce regulations with harsh penalties. By contrast, people who sell to minors in China can be fined RMB 2,000 ($322).

Sociologists say the rise of underage drinking is due to a growing middle class and greater independence among young people to use their money to go to restaurants, bars, and karaoke parlors.   The report also teenagers are unaware about the harmful effects of alcohol use. Many believe high-quality liquor or wine is not harmful to human health, or that drinking beer is no different from drinking water.

Underage drinking has been an issue in China for a while now. In 2006, People’s Daily reported 25 percent of middle-school students and up to 80 percent of high schoolers have consumed alcohol. A 1997 survey had similar results.

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According to an anonymous baijiu industry insider, the Shandong government to looking to introduce new regulations when official banquets are held that would see baijiu replaced by wine.  The source goes on to say that this new policy is already in place in Weifang, an area in Shandong.

Despite being as yet unverified, the source says the new rule is coming: “We have somebody who has seen this Shandong government document that says wine – and not baijiu – is to be used for greeting guests. I personally haven’t seen it, but it’s real.”

China’s baijiu industry has fallen on hard times over the past two years. Austerity measures designed to fight against corruption have led to declining sales, sending the industry into a readjustment. On the other hand, the wine industry is enjoying a boom in China. Last year, China became the largest consumer of wine in the world by sheer numbers, surpassing France. In 2013, Chinese wine drinkers consumed 1.86 billion bottles of wine.

Baijiu remains entrenched in Chinese culture from its association to festivals and holidays, like Chinese New Year. However, as the baijiu industry itself admits, a purchase once a year is not enough to sustain the slumping industry.

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The International Beverage Exposition and Competition (IBEC) 2013 was held over the weekend at the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center in Futian District.

The IBEC is “quickly becoming one of Asia’s premier beverage events,” according to the official website. The event showcased wines, spirits, beers, and even non-alcoholic beverages such as coffee from international producers, importers and distributors. The website lists Carrefour and Wal-Mart among the large retailers taking part in the forum.

“Wine consumption in China is clearly on the rise, with the younger generation leading the way with increased knowledge and sophistication. Cocktails and spirits are becoming more popular drinks of choice. Shenzhen is an ideal location for the IBEC due to the age demographic and fast-paced growth of the city,” IBEC says on its website.

IBEC is certainly correct when it says wine consumption in China is on the rise. It is already the world’s largest market for fine wine, and locations such as Yinchuan City are being hailed by many as China’s future wine capital.

However, President Xi Jinping’s crackdown on extravagance among officials may be having unintentional consequences for the country’s wine industry, with a recent report by the South China Morning Post on Tuesday claiming that sales in Hong Kong are down, and that “Value of re-exports to the mainland has dropped 27 per cent since [the] president ordered cadres to curb their lavish lifestyle.”

Photo credit: Shenzhen Daily

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Few details are known so far about the incident which took place on February 20, towards the tail end of the Chinese New Year.

Two passengers were angry over the late arrival of a China Southern Airlines flight from Melbourne, Australia, and took out their anger on a gate agent, who they beat to the ground.

As you can see in the picture below, he is cradled, covering his face. A few barriers can be seen knocked down.

All in all, it looks like a mess.
This incident is pretty similar to the actions of Yan Linkun, the now suspended CPPCC committee member and deputy chairman of state-owned Yunnan Mining Corporation, who was caught on CCTV smashing the place up after he missed his flight.

We’ve now got a video with sound to hear his unfortunate episode.

He went berserk at one of the gates at Kunming Airport for missing his flight, not once, but twice. All the damage, thankfully, was to inanimate objects rather than airline staff who bravely watched on.

Here’s a series of notable passenger incidents in February as Adam Minter points out:

— Feb. 6, Kunming Changshui International Airport: In a video that has gone viral internationally, Yan Linkun, a mining executive and county-level Communist Party official, smashes two boarding gate computers and attempts to send the frame of a sign through the glass door standing between him and the second flight that he and his family have missed.

— Feb. 14, Beijing Capital International Airport: Six business-class passengers traveling together refuse to fasten their seat belts or turn off their phones prior to takeoff, then become abusive toward the flight attendants and captain, forcing a return to the gate and a substantial flight delay.

— Feb. 22, Air France Flight 132, somewhere between Paris and Wuhan: Two men, reportedly drunk, swipe between seven and 16 bottles of wine (accounts vary) from a drink cart. When confronted, they become so belligerent that the pilot has to intervene. They still manage to threaten the life of a passenger whom they judge as particularly nosy.

This is just the tip of the iceberg but I think we all need a bit of travelling etiquette.

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