Frugality campaign stepped up to fight overindulgence

China's new rules on official receptions have been welcomed by grassroots cadres at a time of the year that in the past involved overindulgent banquets and glutted stomachs.

"In previous years, with floods of guests to entertain, I used to sleep at scenic spots night after night during the peak seasons," said a head of a local reception office in Damao County in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

"My glutted stomach finally gets a rest as receptions, especially ones involving accommodation, are few and far between because of the frugality campaign," the official surnamed Guo said.

Chinese central authorities on Sunday issued a 26-item directive detailing regulations on how local authorities should spend public money when hosting visiting Party or government officials.

It lists 38 banned practices to promote frugality and curb waste.

It is a detailed version of the "eight-point" guideline issued last year, which tells Communist Party of China (CPC) officials to reduce pomp, ceremony, bureaucratic visits and meetings.

"We finally have regulations to follow," said an anonymous government employee in east China's Anhui Province.

After taking the helm of the CPC last November, and later as the country's top leader in March, Xi Jinping vowed to fight corruption and harmful work styles, calling on the entire Party to stay on full alert, as corruption is a threat to the Party's survival.

Almost 20,000 Chinese officials had been punished by the end of October for breaches of the "eight-point" guideline.

"Official receptions are easily heard about. Extravagance will damage the government's image, as well as affect the relationship between the Party and the masses," said Dai Yanjun, a professor with the Party School of CPC Central Committee.

Dai said previous regulations and bans on official receptions were merely formalistic and in general terms. The new rules provide detailed information on food, accommodation, transportation and tour arrangements.

"They are more operational and considered, which is deemed as progress for the CPC," he added.

The document prohibits cigarettes, expensive alcohol, and dishes containing shark fin, bird nests and wild animal products at official receptions.

Also, officials below provincial level should not stay in hotel suites on business trips.

The new document targets to block off all "countermeasures" on frugality. More importantly, it shows the CPC's determination to arrest the spread of corruption, said Fan Hesheng, vice director of School of Sociology and Political Science of Anhui University.