Shaming the smiles of officials, and the watches on their wrists

It seems like every week brings another reason for mainland officials to turn their smiles into frowns. Now cadres are learning that one careless grin in public, say, while surveying a disaster scene, can bring a lot of grief.

Yang Dacai, the portly chief of the Shaanxi Provincial Work Safety Administration, was spotted in the background of a Xinhua photograph of a fatal bus-truck collision last Sunday wearing a broad smile.

The photo went viral and Yang was savagely attacked for his apparent lack of concern over the deaths of 36 bus passengers. Internet users mockingly dubbed him "the smiling official".

State media quickly joined the fray. "We don't understand how officials could laugh after a disaster like this. We are disgusted by shameless smiles," the Qianjiang Evening News said. "What was he laughing at? Ordinary people were dead. If you don't want to cry, fine, but please at least show some respect for the dead."

Some, such as novelist Qiu Xiaogang, cautioned against drawing a conclusion from a single image. But it was too late. More photographs of Yang were soon in circulation, these showing the supposedly modestly paid official wearing at least five expensive watches on different occasions.

Again, the media jumped on board. The Southern Metropolis Daily had appraisers check out the timepieces. They estimated the watches were worth a total of 200,000 yuan (HK$244,300), a hefty sum for someone earning a few thousand yuan a month.