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Civil servants in China are avoiding dining out: What's the reason?

Civil servants across China are avoiding dining out—even in private settings. The reason? A renewed push for Beijing's austerity campaign, due to which many officials are adopting a better safe than sorry approach to manage risk under local interpretations of central directives, according to a report by South China Morning Post. Chinese President Xi Jinping's long-running campaign against wasteful spending gained fresh momentum in March, with inspectors sent across ministries, regional governments and state-owned enterprises to ensure compliance with newly revised rules. These include bans on alcohol at work meals, luxurious dishes, and excessive office décor. What is Xi Jinping's austerity drive? Launched in 2012, Xi Jinping's austerity drive aims to curb corruption, extravagance and bureaucratic excess within the Communist Party. Initiated through the 'Eight-point Regulation', it targets lavish banquets, excessive travel, luxury offices and formalism, promoting frugality and discipline among officials. The campaign intended to restore public trust, consolidate Xi's authority, and ensure the Party's survival by improving its image and internal conduct. It also serves to identify loyal cadres and enforce political conformity. How much restriction is too much restriction? Although central directives do not ban all forms of socialising, the fear of being caught out by ever-changing interpretations has led to widespread self-censorship among officials. An official surnamed Luo from Sichuan province told South China Morning Post that a dine-out ban was announced in his department in early May. 'Eating out during this period is not good for you,' he said, citing his department head's warning. Luo described the development as a result of ceng ceng jia ma, a Mandarin phrase meaning 'adding extra layer upon layer of control'. It is widely understood in Chinese bureaucracy to describe the tendency of local authorities to excessively implement central policies, often to the point of overcorrection. The report cited another civil servant from Anhui province, who said her department had begun daily alcohol tests, coupled with post-lunch checks. 'It is just very intrusive and I don't know what the point of that is,' she told South China Morning Post. 'If I drank last night, you probably can't detect it by next morning.' One-size-fits-all response becomes the norm In Gansu province, an official surnamed Zhao said he had stopped dining out completely after being instructed to avoid 20 types of gatherings. 'This is too troublesome and too risky,' he told South China Morning Post. 'You never know what kind of dinner or entertainment will land you in trouble. The best way is just to turn down everything.' Zhao shared an example from a multiple-choice quiz issued by his disciplinary head. When asked what to do if a promoted superior's son is getting married, the 'correct' answer was to offer congratulations but not attend the banquet—an answer that contradicts longstanding cultural norms around red-envelope gifting. Luo, the Sichuan official, added that several colleagues received 'gentle reminders' from supervisors for simply eating hotpot together, despite splitting the bill. 'Our boss is trying to protect us,' Luo explained. 'If some whistle-blowers report them, they will have lots of explanation to do.' Pushback against excessive control Top authorities have begun to push back against the intensification of austerity measures at local levels. A June 17 report in the Communist Party mouthpiece People's Daily cautioned that banning banquets altogether violated the spirit of Xi's eight-point regulations on party conduct. The article stressed that the rules are meant to be applied with precision—like a 'scalpel'—but some local bodies were wielding them like a 'sledgehammer', imposing blanket bans and ignoring livelihoods. The country's food and drink industry, which generated over 5.5 trillion yuan ($775 billion) and more than 30 million jobs in 2024, was also highlighted as being at risk. Party chiefs Ma Xingrui of Xinjiang and Sun Shaocheng of Inner Mongolia echoed the message, urging officials to avoid ceng ceng jia ma and ensure the campaign is not enforced with a one-size-fits-all approach.