GUIYANG, April 15 -- A teacher in southwestern China's Guizhou has been suspended after he reportedly rated students' drinking capacity.

Gu Ming, who teaches Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) manufacturing at Guizhou Anshun Vocational Institute, has been removed from his teaching position after he asked students to down liquor shots at his office.

"Those who 'ganbeied' [finish] a full glass of liquor get a full 100 mark for their exam, half glass gets 90 marks, and a sip gets 60. Those who do not drink at all will fail," one student posted on Weibo.

Fu Guisheng, deputy director of the institute, told Xinhua that Gu may had meant it as a joke, but clearly his remarks did not go down well with netizens.

Several students were seen intoxicated on campus, he said.

The incident has drawn intense debate online, with many lambasting the teacher, while others sympathized, saying the teacher was only helping students get used to a usual social practice.

Many of students may go to sales meetings, and how much one can drink may decide how many deals he can seal, said Lapingjun, another Weibo user.

"There is a culture of gaining other people's trust and recognition through drinking, which is sad but true," he said.