By+Yin+Pumin

According to a recent survey conducted by The Beijing News among 100 government officials across China， 92 percent said that their non-salary income had declined in 2013 and more than 80 percent of them reported a drop in attendance at dinners covered by public funds.

While many job hunters in the country consider civil service a “golden rice bowl，” 93 percent of the respondents said that “benefits from such a job may no longer be what many people have expected.”

This gap between perception and reality largely results from the ongoing anti-extravagance campaign that is being carried out nationwide.

In December 2012， the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China （CPC） Central Committee issued explicit requirements on how Party members should improve their working practices in eight areas so as to get rid of excessive red tape， extravagance and corruption.

To further support their efforts， the Party initiated a “mass line” education campaign in June 2013， with the aim of strengthening ties between the people and the Party， while weeding out undesirable work practices such as formalism， bureaucracy， hedonism and extravagance.

After the campaign was launched， the CPC issued a series of detailed policies aiming to regulate the use of public funds and officialspersonal behavior in various fields.

In a conference on plans for the second phase of the “mass line” education campaign on January 20， President xi Jinping， also General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee， urged the Party to show tenacity in promoting frugality and curbing extravagance.

Ren Jianming， Director of Beihang Universitys Clean Governance Research and Education Center， said that continuous action undertaken by the central authorities during the past year or so have revealed the top lead- erships determination to fight extravagance.“As signs indicate， the campaign will go even deeper in 2014，” he said.

Determination

According to figures released by the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection（CCDI）， the Partys top anti-graft body， a total of 30，420 Party officials and government functionaries were punished for violating antiextravagance rules in 2013. The violations included using government cars for personal purposes， abusing public funds for travel or entertainment， and holding extravagant weddings or other ceremonies.

In the latest move to cut off the various“grey benefits” available to some officials， the CPC Central Committee and the State Council， Chinas cabinet， issued a circular on December 29 last year， banning the purchase of cigarettes with public funds.endprint

In a xinhua News Agency report on the ban， it was revealed that an official in Hequ County， north Chinas Shanxi Province， spent more than 60，000 yuan （$9，920） in public funds to buy over 150 cartons of cigarettes to give officials who participated in a meeting.

“The high smoking rate among govern-ment officials has something to do with corruption because many of the cigarettes they get have been offered as gifts，” said Yang Gonghuan， a professor at Peking Union Medical College.

The smoking ban is one of the follow-up measures to regulations issued by the central authorities in late November last year to standardize fund management and ban Party and government extravagance.

The regulations， which contain 65 items in 12 sections， outline the proper management of funds in various fields， including official travels， receptions， meetings， as well as government vehicles and buildings.

They are meant to guide Party and government departments to practice frugality and reject extravagance， according to a statement issued by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council.

In the wake of the November regulations， rules on official receptions and officials funerals were also issued in December 2013.

The regulations on official receptions list 38 banned practices and impose a stringent cap on the expenses for reception banquets. It is stipulated that a hosting unit can hold only one dinner for visitors if it is necessary for their work. At most， three workers at the concerned hosting unit are allowed to participate in the dinner if the number of visitors is fewer than 10. Expensive dishes and those cooked with protected wild animals are prohibited at such dinners， as are cigarettes and fine liquors.

Expenses for reception events must be included and listed separately in annual budgets of government departments so that they can be scrutinized， according to the document.

In light of the regulations on funerals， officials are asked to set examples by keeping them simple and frugal. They are also forbidden from taking advantage of the occasion to collect condolence money.

The reasoning behind the requirements is that funerals are increasingly a platform for some officials to show off wealth and connections， with the degree of opulence and the number of mourners symbolizing the “achievements” of the dead， and setting a benchmark for competition among the living.endprint

“The regulations provide a clear basis for stopping corrupt customs among officials， an example that can be followed by the public，”said xu Yuebin， a professor at the School of Social Development and Public Policy of Beijing Normal University. He believes that the regulations will help prevent corruption among officials and cut the use of natural resources such as land and wood.

Wu Hui， an associate professor of governance at the Party School of the CPC Central Committee， said that the bans by the central authorities on a wide range of issues such as large-scale government-funded TV galas， luxurious official buildings and vehicles， as well as expensive gifts during festivals， are effective in closing loopholes that corrupt officials could take advantage of.

On January 15， a communiqué issued after the Third Plenary Session of the （CCDI） pledged name-and-shame measures for officials if they were caught violating relevant regulations and bans on spending public money on expensive dinners， gifts and tours， visiting private clubs， as well as accepting money or gifts in any form from their subordinates and other interested parties.

Capital example

On January 15， the Beijing Municipal Government issued an order to close all private clubs and high-end entertainment venues in public parks.

The campaign was launched after the CCDI released a set of regulations last December， which ordered officials to shun high-end clubs to avoid extravagant practices and power-formoney or power-for-sex deals.

In recent years， some high-end private clubs have been opened in ancient buildings and parks and they cater to some officials pur- suits of luxury and privacy， Zhao Yuqi， an official from the CPC Beijing Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection， said at a briefing.

Kong Fanzhi， former Director of the Beijing Municipal Administration of Cultural Heritage， said that clubs in parks and historical buildings are a clear invasion on public resources by the privileged.

“Parks and historical sites are public treasures， which should be open to everyone， rather than just a privileged few，” Kong said， adding that operating clubs in historical buildings also goes against local regulations on cultural relic protection.

According to the CPC Beijing Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection， 24 clubs have been targeted in the recent campaign.

The commission has also issued a notice ordering all officials in Beijing to sign a pledge undertaking not to enter or join the clubs， and to receive supervision from the Party and the public.

In an interview with China Central Television， Chinas state broadcaster， xin Ming， another professor at the Party School of the CPC Central Committee， said that more details on defining corrupt practices at private clubs should be added to the regulations to make enforcement easier.

Zeng Yuanji， Vice Dean of the Graduate School at the Beijing-based Communication University of China， agreed. He suggested authorities investigate why such clubs were built inside public parks， especially since the construction was under the supervision of park management departments.

“The fundamental root of such misconduct should be found and eradicated to curb corruption，” Zeng said.endprint