What a fourth-century drinking game tells you about contemporary China

Some time in the fourth century, a politician called Wang Xizhi gathered 42 friends at the beautiful Orchid Pavilion on Mount Kuaiji in what is now eastern Zhejiang province in China. The men floated lotus-leaf cups filled with rice wine down a stream. When a goblet stopped, the nearest guest had to drink and write a poem. The drunken Wang was delighted at the ensuing literary outpouring. So he wrote a preface to the collection. In 324 characters Wang, who was acclaimed for his skill in calligraphy, expressed joy at the ensemble and melancholy at such fleeting happiness.