Study Buddy (Explorer): Buy a cocktail and hit a villain at this bar in Guangzhou, China
Content provided by British Council
Read the following text, and answer questions 1-9 below
[1] A bar in southern China is trending on social media for providing cocktails and giving customers a chance to indulge in a traditional ritual used to drive away bad luck. The drink – a 'Villain Hitting Cocktail' – is served at the Lotus Lounge bar in Guangzhou, Guangdong province and claims customers can banish bad energy with a slipper in their hand.
[2] According to a video clip that attracted 50,000 likes and 130,000 shares on a leading social media platform, after a customer makes an order, a waitperson will bring them a wooden box with a cocktail glass inside and a woman's slipper made of plastic on top.
[3] Customers can smack the 'villain' themselves or ask the waiter to do it on their behalf while they watch the process. In one video, a woman filming can be heard telling a waiter, 'Please help me whack those I dislike and whack my troublesome boss.'
[4] The waiter is then seen holding a slipper that will be used to beat a piece of green incantation paper. Beforehand, the customers write down the names of 'villains' on the piece of paper. '[I] hit your head so you will never succeed in your life; hit your hand so you cannot pick up money even when the money is in front of you, and hit your foot so you will not have any shoes to wear,' the waiter chants while smacking the paper with the slipper.
[5] At the end of the ritual, the waiter uses a lighter to burn the paper to signal that the bad luck is gone. Then the rite is over. The waiter opens the wooden box to present the cocktail inside to the customer. It is not clear how much the 'Villain Hitting Cocktail' is, but the average price for a drink at the bar is around 150 yuan (HK$159) per person, according to a top customer-reviewing website, dianping.com.
[6] The 'beating the villain' ritual, or da siu yan in Cantonese, has been popular in Guangdong for centuries. Before the Chinese government cracked down on superstitious activities in the 1960s, helping customers 'beat the villain' was common in Guangdong cities, with stalls usually set up by elderly women under bridges or in alleyways. Today, some temples in Guangzhou are said to be the most effective venues for beating the villain. Visitors pay about 100 yuan for the ritual.
[7] The bar's novel service has gained traction online. 'It is so funny. I want to try to repel all the bad people or bad things from me,' one internet user said. Another person saw a business opportunity and said, 'This bar is near my home. I can go there to hit the villain for you.'
Source: South China Morning Post, April 23
Questions
1. What is the purpose of the drink according to paragraph 1?
2. What does the 'order' in paragraph 2 refer to?
3. In paragraph 2, the box contains …
A. a pair of wooden utensils.
B. a cocktail and a menu.
C. a drink and footwear.
D. footwear and an empty glass.
4. Find a word in paragraph 3 that means 'hit'.
5. According to paragraph 4, the last part of the chant is directed at which part of the 'villain's' body and why?
6. Decide whether the following statements about paragraphs 4 and 5 are True, False or the information is Not Given. Fill in ONE circle only for each. (4 marks)
(i) Hitting the hand prevents the 'villain' from becoming wealthy.
(ii) The cocktail contains gin and lemon juice.
(iii) Customer write their own names on the paper before the ritual.
(iv) Burning the paper signifies the removal of bad luck.
7. In paragraph 6, when did the Chinese government ban da siu yan?
8. Who typically ran the 'beat the villain' stalls in the past, according to paragraph 6?
9. What does one internet user, mentioned in paragraph 7, offer to do for others?
Customers can 'hit' the villains – names written on green incantation paper – themselves or ask a waitperson to do it. Photo: Douyin
Answers
1. to drive away bad luck
2. a 'Villain Hitting Cocktail'
3. C
4. whack
5. The foot, so they never have any shoes to wear.
6. (i) T; (ii) NG; (iii) F; (iv) T
7. in the 1960s
8. elderly women
9. One internet user offered to go to the bar and hit a villain on someone else's behalf.
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