When a man attains the Tao (enlightenment), even his chickens and dogs ascend to heaven.' This ancient wisdom has long been used to describe the rampant official nepotism that can be found throughout Chinese history, showing that when one man is promoted, all those connected with him benefit.
The saying applies today.
When a mainland official is nailed for corruption, his wife, children and secretary are usually also implicated for taking advantage of the power of his office for personal gain. So it should not come as any great surprise to mainlanders that details have emerged showing that even the chauffeurs of corrupt officials are equally corrupt, if not more so.
According to the China Comment, a fortnightly magazine published by Xinhua, corruption among the drivers has become a new black hole of power in recent years, as many of them have taken advantage of their bosses' positions to make tidy gains for themselves and their bosses.
The job of ferrying officials from one meeting to another and having to suffer the boredom of long waits in between may not sound attractive, let alone profitable.
But it is probably the most sought-after job among mainland drivers as it not only denotes a status symbol, but also provides easy access to the inner circle of officials, particularly powerful leaders.
Like their counterparts elsewhere in the world, Chinese chauffeurs can also be privy to the most intimate thoughts of those officials by observing them and catching bits from their phone conversations.