A family affair?

The concept of filial piety, once a core value in China, is waning rapidly in the wake of the country's growing industrial power. However, heavy-handed attempts to reinstate the practice have sparked headlines and criticism, as Xin Dingding reports.

Lyu Meiye, the owner of a beauty salon in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, has stopped taking calls and has refused all requests for interviews after unguarded comments about her "filial piety tax" sparked headlines in China and across the world.

While being interviewed for a newspaper article about filial piety - a core tenet of Confucianism - in October, Lyu disclosed that every month she deducts 10 percent from the salaries of unmarried employees and 5 percent from those of married staff members and wires the money directly to their parents. The policy is made clear to every potential recruit, she said, and "those who disagree will not be hired".