Eyes on officials during Spring Festival

At one of Beijing's famous tea stores, shop assistants easily sold beautifully wrapped packages of tea priced at 42,000 yuan ($6,160) before the Chinese Lunar New Year on Feb 14.

At department stores, customers buying gift cards had to wait in long queues.

The Chinese tradition of presenting gifts to family members and friends during the lunar new year has now been extended to sending gifts to officials, posing new challenges to the country's anti-corruption efforts.