A 41 year old Chinese man says he likes to relax by eating live snakes and washing them down with beer. Wen Xide of Wangzhuang village, Zhumadian, says he has been eating live snakes for 10 years.

He started by eating one to win a bet with friends for a packet of cigarettes.

"From then on I became addicted to eating live snakes," he said.

Wen demonstrats his habit in the street, chewing down two live snakes bit by bit over a bottle of beer.

"It's a bit smelly, but they're very delicious," Wen said.

Wen says his son is now following his lead and has eaten eight live snakes this year.

But Wang Tianming, a doctor specialising in digestion at a local hospital, said Wen could suffer nerve problems and risked infection from parasites.

This proverb talks of how one can be modest and create low expectations whilst delivering highly on promises. Yet again Confucius (孔夫子) is very wise, and says things that are picked up time and time again. As a marketer myself, the idea that you can overdeliver on promises and expectations is a powerful notion.

- Confucius