Snake and wild bird soup with red wine mixed with lemonade

Woke up at 11.30am and immediately had to go for lunch downstairs. I was quite hungover and didn’t really feel like it but made the effort. Xiao Li got me to have a glass of beer…looks like they also have the hair of the dog…well it did the job and a bottle later I’d survived the meal, then went straight back to bed and didn’t surface until 5.30pm

After we had finished our meal Xiao Li and I went out to play table tennis in the dark again. On the way we stopped off at some friends who own a computer shop. We went upstairs where they were having a meal that included a very nice snake and wild bird soup. Naturally we joined in and before I knew it I was being handed a cup of bai jiu – white alcohol; it’s not literally alcohol but it is pretty strong. I managed one glass and respectfully refused any more, at which they poured me some red wine…oh dear…except this time they added lemonade which made for a very drinkable red shandy. About an hour later we left with the boss and his wife and really did play table tennis.

Horse Boss's wife and Horse Boss himself about to engage in night-time ping pong

On the way back from table tennis we stopped off at the bbq to get some food for the ladies. Before we knew it we bumped into some friends and not long later we were eating again and playing drinking games. There was a girl there who worked in a hotel where we’d been eating a week or so back and she said she’d be able to get me some beer advert posters to take back to the UK. She was wearing a top that said “wear juicy” which I found quite amusing.

Wear juicy

She might also be able to get one of the Li Quan tops the beers servers wear. They are very pretty slightly figure-hugging white and green tops adorned with the Li Quan logo. I would love Tan to wear one and serve me beer at home but I might as well wish for Tony Blair to be voted the next president of China. Or indeed anyone to be voted the next president of China.

As we left the bbq a couple of Xiao Li’s mates turned up in their cars. Apparently we were to go somewhere with them and that girl. I stamped my authority and told them that we were taking food home to our women, so we did. Without the girl. Back home the two blokes came in – one of them was the son of the leader of Pingguo – to drink tea. Well, we did drink tea, plus nine bottles of beer, till 3am.

Xiao Li, me, two government officials, Lu Wen

A funny thing happened around 2am though. I don't recall the context but I innocently brought up the subject of politics. That was it. I merely mentioned the word. What had hithertothen been a relatively raucous group of individuals immediately turned into the most sober beings on the planet and calmly said, nearly in unison, that we don't talk about politics here (here in China?). No explanation, nothing. And then just like that the smiles and laughter returned and we were back to where we were seconds before. That will stay with me forever. It's just part of life that doesn't exist here, like a lack of a limb. It barely bothers me at all...it's not a million miles away from families that don't talk about politics, or religion, or whatever other subject, except that here the "family" seems to be about every citizen who is not a government official.