Chinese civil servants should be fired if they put on too much weight,
middle-aged anchors on the state-run television news should be replaced by
younger, more attractive presenters, and professional footballers should not be
allowed to visit prostitutes.
Children are no longer allowed to appear in tv commercials
These were just some of the demands that came out of CPC last week as
delegates met in Beijing for their annual two-week session.
Many of the proposals passed covered familiar terrain - calling on Taiwan to
curb its independence movement, urging the government to improve rural education
and to take more initiatives to eradicate poverty - but less predictable
suggestions were also mooted by delegates who insisted that they reflected the
wishes of ordinary citizens.
A further 2,000 representatives are appointed to the Chinese People's
Political Consultative Conference, a body intended to keep the country's leaders
in touch with what concerns their citizens. Both bodies are becoming
increasingly vocal on social, political and economic concerns. More than 6,000
policy proposals were made during the conference, which ended last week.
To combat the corruption that plagues China, delegates backed a call for any
civil servant who puts on too much weight to be sacked. Their demand reflects
widespread anger at the frequent sight of Communist officials wining and dining
at lavish banquets, usually at the public's expense.
Television was also a target for delegates, who proposed that two of China's
most familiar news anchors, Luo Jing and his female colleague Xing Zhibin, who
have presented the main state-run evening bulletin for the past 20 years, be
replaced by younger, more attractive hosts.
Delegates were also concerned about the behaviour of Chinese footballers who,
despite being less well paid than their counterparts abroad, appear to indulge
in similar behaviour. Recent press reports of players turning up in brothels
prompted a demand for a ban on professional footballers using the services of
the "oldest profession".
In the deepening moral climate, it was also proposed that children should no
longer be allowed to appear in television advertisements.
The proposals backed by the congress are being passed on to the relevant
ministries, which must decide whether to turn them into legislation. Only a
small percentage of the proposals are likely to end up on the statute
books.