Xi Story: A simple meal, a strong message

During President Xi Jinping's visit to Fuping county, Hebei province, on Dec 29, 2012, the menu for Xi and those accompanying him included braised chicken, local mixed stew, stir-fried pork, vegetables, wax gourd soup, dumplings and rice, all of which are things that Chinese people often eat.

Xi also asked the staff members to specifically require that no alcoholic drinks be served.

After the meal, Xi stayed in a modest 16-square-meter guest room that had a bathroom with cracked tiles. When the hotel employees raised concerns about the dated facilities, Xi smiled and said it was fine, reassuring the staff members not to worry.

Xi's visit came just weeks after the Political Bureau of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China had passed the eight-point decision. The eight-point decision is a set of rules to address chronic bureaucratic issues, including official privileges and extravagant banquets.

His meal choice sent a strong message, as Chinese people regard "food as the first necessity", and what the top leader ate rightly reminded all Party members of the Party's fine tradition of frugality: they must resist any tendency to extravagance — lavish meals included.