THE FIRST LIGHT OF the Hainan dawn broke to find the smoldering fires of the previous night’s celebrations bearing their dying embers, only to be stoked again to prepare the morning’s meals. For some the transition from midnight’s revelry to daylight’s preparation was little more than a steaming cup of tea and a shank of spit-fired leg of camel. For others, dawn signaled the start of hangover - Han style. And in true Han spirit, the treatment was coffee and Baijiu.
While some were lifting their last toast of the previous night, Liao awakened somewhat less refreshed than he had expected. He could not have been more prepared for this tournament, but the rigors of the day, both physical and emotional, had taken their toll on him. The celebrations of the night before, while fulfilling his nee
