Vice-president of Party school suspended after 'creative dish' fiasco

A vice-president of a Party school in Wubu, Shaanxi province, was suspended from their position and placed under probe after the "creative" dish names during an officials' training session were criticized for pointless formalities.

The Party School of the Communist Party of China Wubu County Committee recently launched an anti-corruption themed launch. The dishes had names such as "clear distinction between black and white" for stir-fried black fungus and Chinese yam, "clean and pure" for stir-fried cabbage, and "color of honesty" for sauteed lotus root slices, which sparked social debate.

During a training course for grassroots Party secretaries held from July 10 to 14, the county Party school arranged the themed lunch as part of an integrity training program. The intention was to give the dishes names that imply "clean government" but that sparked discussions and criticism from the media and netizens, causing a negative impact, said a statement issued by the CPC Wubu County Committee on Friday.

The committee immediately formed a working group to conduct an investigation for the incident. The committee has instructed the Party school to carry out comprehensive rectification and suspended the vice-president of the school. The county discipline inspection commission will investigate and handle the responsible officials, the statement said.

At the same time, the committee will draw lessons from this incident and conduct a thorough rectification of formalism issues throughout the county, effectively improving work style and enhancing work efficiency.

Commenting on the matter, China National Radio stated that the dish names were "creative", but they seemed ridiculous and absurd. Can the culture of integrity really be encapsulated in the names of these dishes? Can the participants really receive a "clean government education" by simply having a meal?

The reason why this approach has been met with some criticism and mockery from netizens is because it is overly pretending and a typical form of formalities. It is not only ineffective but may also result in negative results. What the public is concerned about is not whether the leaders have had a "clean meal", but whether they conduct themselves with strict self-discipline and integrity in public service, the commentary said.

Creativity is not restricted in enriching the culture of integrity. The key is to firmly avoid empty gestures and practices, but adhere to truthfulness and pragmatism, it said.