bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sponsorType

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Adrian Wan

Shark's fin and abalone are conspicuous by their absence. Vintage wines will stay tucked away in the cellar.
As deputies gather in Beijing this weekend for the annual National People's Congress (NPC) session, many are bracing themselves for a fortnight of unusual austerity.
The legislature of the world's largest country is also the wealthiest - among its 5,000 members are more than 80 billionaires.
The annual gathering has always provided good networking opportunities for the country's rich and powerful, but the days of excess seem to be over.

Even for Hong Kong business leaders, who are used to lavish parties, the entertainment outings during the annual sessions in Beijing are legendary.
Jeffrey Lam Kin-fung, a Hong Kong member of the country's top political advisory body, recalled a dinner he attended at the Anhuacheng restaurant in the capital during the congress.
A six-course meal for five people cost Lam's host, a fellow deputy, 45,000 yuan (HK$57,000) - the equivalent of an average worker's annual salary in Beijing.
"We, the host included, were shocked as we never imagined it could be this expensive."
Lam believes such luxury dinners will now be a thing of the past after the crackdown on official extravagance by President Xi Jinping .
He said: "Austerity is a positive change beneficial to the state. I believe demand for luxurious food and wine will decrease, making them cheaper."
But he said deputies would continue to socialise, even if they have to do so in a less glamorous style. "Members are so busy during the day with meetings that dinner provides a chance to communicate."
The nightly indulgence at Anhuacheng restaurant is popular with many members of the NPC and Chinese People's Political Consultive Conference (CPPCC).
Ma Fung-kwok, a Hong Kong deputy to the NPC, recalled: "I had a three-course lunch for two at the place and the bill was 3,000 yuan (HK$3,800)."
Even the local media was shocked by the prices at the restaurant. The Beijing Times reported in 2007 that an "average" banquet for 12 people at Anhuacheng would cost 100,000 yuan.
The restaurant has quietly removed the expensive items from its menu this year. A manager at Anhuacheng said many of those booking for the banquet dinner were NPC deputies. "We have many guests who are [NPC and CPPCC] deputies from different provinces," she said.
This year, the restaurant has revised its menu after Xi's call for austerity. The restaurant now serves only "regular dishes" and there will be no minimum charge for the private rooms.

	So many people were having to share the food, there wasn't much to eat

	Hong Kong deputy in Chongqing
The most expensive item on the menu - abalone that costs 2,000 yuan a portion - has disappeared from the menu.
The manager said there were still tables available for the next two weeks, but they were being booked up quickly.
Thomas Cheung Tsun-yung, a catering industry leader in Hong Kong, said he was forced to close his restaurant in Beijing after Xi's crackdown on official extravagance.
"Business at my restaurant, Diamond, plummeted after Xi gave the order. So our family decided it was time to get out," he said. "The whole high-end catering market [in Beijing] just collapsed as its primary source of custom is disappearing,"
Each year, before the national conference, local legislators and advisers would hold their own sessions. These meetings may offer a taste of things to come at the national level.
A Hong Kong member of the Chongqing provincial political consultative conference said he noticed a distinct change from last year.
"Suddenly, for the welcome party, we were shown to home-style dinner buffets. So many people were having to share the food, there wasn't much to eat," said the delegate, who asked not to be named.
"The year before it was so different. We even had a band performing at the welcome dinner," he said. "This year they just played recorded music."
Bowie Hau Chi-keung, a member of the Huizhou political consultative conference, also described their meals as "simple and frugal".
He said: "There are some fried noodles, sausages and greens. That's about it."


Censors were at WeChat offices before crackdown on accounts

Premier Li Keqiang delivers a healthy dose of realism

Fresh China media crackdown hits popular accounts on Tencent's WeChat

We will keep tighter rein on debt and shadow banking, Li Keqiang says

Chinese parliamentary sessions 2014

Austerity bites for delegates to China’s National People’s Congress

The luxury Anhuacheng restaurant in Beijing. Photo: Adrian Wan

Conference austerity police put a new twist on 'personalised' bottled water

Tea attendants stand in line as they wait to serve delegates during the plenary meeting of the National People's Congress in Beijing. Photo: Reuters

Austerity measures for China's officials drag down growth, says NDRC 

Xi Jinping speaks at a congress in Beijing, Dec. 4, 2012. (Photo: Xinhua)

Communist Party's lower ranks feel squeeze of Xi's austerity drive: poll

Participants wait to enter the annual national public servant examination in Nanjing, Jiangsu province. Photo: Xinhua

President Xi Jinping launched a crackdown on extravagance after he rose to power last year. Photo: Xinhua 

Hunan introduces party-pooping austerity measures

Preparations are made for wedding banquet Foshan, Guangdong province Photo: Chinasmack

Are Moutai advance orders a signal that China’s austerity drive is on the wane?

Bottles of Kweichow Moutai at a supermarket in Beijing. Photo: Xinhua

News

China

President Xi Jinping's austerity drive is likely to dampen the party spirit in Beijing as delegates gather for the annual meeting of the NPC


Shark's fin and abalone are conspicuous by their absence. Vintage wines will stay tucked away in the cellar. As deputies gather in Beijing this weekend for the annual National People's Congress (NPC) session, many are bracing themselves for a fortnight of unusual austerity.


Focus

Austerity bites for delegates to China’s National People’s Congress

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}President Xi Jinping's austerity drive is likely to dampen the party spirit in Beijing as delegates gather for the annual meeting of the NPC

President Xi Jinping's austerity drive is likely to dampen the party spirit in Beijing as delegates gather for the annual meeting of the NPC