Phasing out outdated practices through advocacy

A series of recent local regulations targeting civil servants has drawn huge media attention. Kaili, a city in Southwest China's Guizhou province, issued a regulation on banquets which, among other things, says officials can hold a banquet for only their "first marriage".

The regulation says officials should not organize a banquet if they get married a second time (after divorce from or the death of their first spouse) because they cannot have two banquets for the same reason. It also says people should fill out an application form and submit it to the relevant local department saying when they plan to hold a wedding banquet, and the application will be kept by the local disciplinary authority as part of their personal record.

In Binxian county, Northwest China's Shaanxi province, the local government even issued a specific rule that says the prices of cigarettes and wine offered to guests at banquets should not exceed 10 yuan ($1.5) a pack and 100 yuan a bottle.