What does it take to get a "gold bowl" -- a permanent, prestigious and well-paid job and become a government employee in China? The short answer is "a lot," even more than what it takes to get hired by a Fortune 100 company's Chinese operation. Since I write for Plastics News, I'm not going to tell you all the unspoken secrets about Chinese government's human resources practices.

But here is a tip about what some Chinese government employees have to do to keep their jobs, which I bet their American counterparts can't even imagine. Next time you go on a trade mission to China, you can feel more knowledgeable about the society.

Government employees in the Dongpo District of Meishan City in China's southwestern province Sichuan (known for its spicy cuisine) are required to recite at least 10 poems written by ancient poet Su Dongpo, who the city district is named after, according to Sichuan News Web.

The local government organized a training session on the poems and distributed study materials.

What is the point of doing this? An official said: "When receiving foreign and domestic guests and potential investors, if an official couldn't even recite some Dongpo poems, wouldn't it be embarrassing?"

I don't think any businessman will base an investment decision on local officials' knowledge of ancient Chinese literature.

But the official also said something more telling, "[studying the poems] won't affect their regular work, we just encourage people to spend some of their drinking and card game time on studying."

There you go, drinking and card games. They are not just personal hobbies. Believe it or not, they can be work. Recently, a Chinese local official, Mr. Guo, died from drinking at a late-night reception (this is considered overtime work) and received an award, according to Oriental Today.

Mr. Guo, age 46, died "at work," according to a report. After it was revealed to the public that his death was by alcohol, the government said it would take back the award. But I actually feel very bad for him, because drinking is part of a government job, and he did die for his work.

If you refuse to drink to "bottoms empty" at a traditional-style reception in China, you are deemed disrespectful to the host or the person who toasts you. Mr. Guo and his family deserve something from the government, maybe not an award, but perhaps a change in the system?

Speaking of change, the local government had introduced an alcohol ban long ago. After Mr. Guo died, officials interpreted the ban to the questioning press: "the ban is only for lunch, not for dinner."

I guess I'd prefer the poems to drinking. But nothing is optional in the political world.