Ten years ago, it would have been almost rude not to serve fiery white liquor to guests in China’s restaurants. Drunk drivers would head back home, with predictably disastrous consequences.

Alarmed by data that showed at least 20 per cent of serious road accidents were alcohol related, the Chinese government decided to crack down on drunk driving. Almost overnight, the authorities set up frequent random roadside sobriety checks and rigorously enforced harsh penalties — including compulsory jail time for first offenders and an automatic six-month driving ban.

It worked. Attitudes have changed. Drinking and driving is now almost universally frowned upon in China. Death rates caused by drunk drivers have plunged nationwide, and random checks, now few and far between, have become almost superfluous.