If you’re a westerner trying to do business in China, you might be flummoxed, amazed, or even alarmed by the amount of drinking involved. Social drinking is widespread in the West, of course, and happy hour is sometimes a part of company culture. But for the most part, we tend to draw a bright line between business and pleasure. In China, on the other hand, social drinking is a fundamental part of any business relationship. Why? It has to do with the ancient concept of wu wei. A Taoist idea, wu wei can be translated as “effortless action”—a state of being in the world without overt conscious control. In Taoism, wu wei is how you remain in harmony—rather than at odds—with nature. In business, it’s how you network and establish trust. And scientifically speaking, there’s nothing better for short-circuiting the conscious control mechanism of your brain’s pre-frontal cortex than a couple of drinks.Wu Wei: A state of effortless action, characterized by subdued consciousnessChine...