Which words come to mind when you are asked to describe the unhealthy tendencies among some Party officials? For most Chinese people, their first responses will be either "red-faced" or "a breath reeking of alcohol." The currently rampant drinking problem at local official receptions has become a key factor in affecting the image of Party officials, according to recent research by journalists from Banyuetan, one of Xinhua News Agency's most popular journals.

Many local officials said that they have to wine and dine their superiors when they come over to look over their work, especially those who hold important resources or those from key departments. One county-level Party secretary complained that he once had to accompany them day and night and keep drinking at more than ten receptions a day.

A mayor from China's central region told journalists from Banyuetan that there are over 1,500 receptions awaiting him during his one-year work schedule. This means on average four to five meals a day, sometimes even including breakfast and night snacks. He barely has time to dine at home.

Officials at the county and village level suffer most from this twisted reception trend. They themselves feel it's a huge waste too since it often costs them several thousands of yuan for just one meal, with half the sum spent on buying different alcohols. They feel guilty for not being able to spend more time with their wives and children. Many feel lost when indulging in drinking and the (often) meaningless official receptions.

"I don't know what the point of doing all these things is and I feel like I am wasting my life," said one local official who has been engaged in official receptions for a long time. And the worst part is that some officials have found themselves involved in gambling, prostitution and bribery after drinking.

The official reception is by no means a small problem. It is closely related to concerns over the image of both government and Party officials, said Wang Shiyi, director of the Clean Governance Research Center with the Jiangsu provincial Party school. Strict limitations should apply to both the number of people attending as well as the total cost of these receptions.

The calls for reforming the current official reception system are getting increasingly louder. Supervision is urgently needed when pushing the reform forward, according to Professor Zhou Shuzhen from Renmin University, Beijing, who has paid keen attention to the anti-corruption issue. The key to success is to introduce a system which combines supervision from both within the Party, from the public as well as from the media, she said.

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