中國公職人員迎來"清淡"春節

China’s public servants are in no Mood to be festive this lunar new year. They dare not take bribes, but that is just the half of it.

中國的公職人員在今年春節前夕的心情可不怎麼樣。他們不敢收受賄賂，但這還只是心情不好的一部分原因。

Plenty of the more innocent perks of the season have also been quashed: no more taxpayer-funded office feasts or galas; no more ­lavish new year raffles.

很多比較無傷大雅的節日福利也被撤銷：不再有由納稅人買單的辦公室盛宴或節日晚會，也不再有奢華的新年抽獎。

Even the most insignificant treats – from fruit baskets to sunflower seeds, calendars to cooking oil – have been curbed in the name of the new leaner, cleaner, more abstemious China.

即便是最微不足道的待遇——從果籃到瓜子，從掛曆到食用油——也在更精簡、更清潔、更節制的新名義下受到遏制。

Lunar new year has been the high point of work life in China for decades. But last year many government departments and state-owned enterprises cancelled year-end office parties after a flurry of edicts from Beijing. This year, the January 31 celebrations are taking frugality further.

幾十年來，春節一直是中國人職場生活中比較令人興奮的時刻。但去年許多政府部門和國有企業在接到高層的一連串指示後，取消了年底的辦公室聚會。今年，在1月31日的農曆新年到來前夕，各單位的節儉程度進一步提高。

“We already moved our nianhui (new year office party) from a five-star hotel ballroom to our canteen, where the food is terrible. But what I hate the most is, they cancelled the prize-giving,” says a disgruntled employee of state-owned China Mobile in Guangzhou, who would not give their name. “They kept the traditional lottery as a kind of game, but whoever wins it gets no gift!”

“我們已經把年會（新年辦公室聚會）的地點從一家五星級酒店的宴會廳改到了我們的食堂，食堂的東西很難吃。但最討厭的是，他們取消了發獎。”國有的中國移動(China Mobile)在廣州的一名不滿的員工（此人要求匿名）表示，“他們保留了傳統的抽獎作爲一種遊戲，但中獎者將得不到任何禮物！”

Some also complain of the cancellation of traditional year-end subsidies, sometimes in the form of grocery gift cards used to defray the expenses of celebrating the spring festival at home.

還有人抱怨傳統的年終補貼被取消，這種補貼有時以超市購物卡形式發放，用於貼補家裏過年的花銷。

“I understand that the higher levels of government worry that, once they loosen their grip, people under them will find a loophole. But to cancel such nianhui hurts department cohesiveness,” says a junior civil servant in Shanghai.

“據我所知，政府高層擔心，一旦他們放鬆規定，下面的人就會找到漏洞。但是撤銷這種年會不利於部門凝聚力，”上海一名初級公務員表示。

But little things irk: “We planned to have a tea party in our own canteen with sunflower seeds, candies, singing and games, but our superiors wouldn’t approve it,” says one staff member at a state oil company.

令人心煩的是，“小意思”也往往遭到否決：“我們計劃在自己的食堂開個茶話會，提供瓜子、糖果，唱唱歌、做做遊戲，可我們的上級竟然不批准，”某國有石油公司的一名職員表示。

An employee in a state-owned financial services company says a ban on the printing of calendars bothers him most. Another told the Beijing News his state-owned company replaced new year gifts such as iPads with toothpaste.

某國有金融服務公司的一名僱員表示，禁止印刷掛曆的規定最讓他心煩。另一名人士告訴《新京報》，他所在的國企將新年禮物從往年的iPad降格爲牙膏。

But some public servants say there is a silver lining.

但是，一些公職人員表示，他們看到了一些積極的方面。

The employee whose planned canteen party was not authorised says: “I was half wishing that they would not approve it, because it’s not really fun. I actually felt relieved.” Some say they are also relieved to avoid the heavy drinking at government banquets.

食堂茶話會計劃未獲批准的那名職員表示：“我本來就暗地裏希望他們不會批准，因爲這真的沒什麼意思。我其實鬆了一口氣。”有些人說，不用在政府宴會上豪飲，也讓他們鬆了一口氣。

The ministries of public security, civil affairs and culture must live without their own new year galas screened on China Central Television this year, according to Xinhua. Even spending public funds on firework displays, the most traditional new year activity, has been banned.

據新華社報道，公安、民政、文化等部今年不得舉辦在中國中央電視臺播放的春節晚會。放煙花爆竹是過年時最傳統的活動，但今年就連用公款購買菸花爆竹也被禁止。