"We did make a mistake. We had no idea that Louis Vuitton was a luxury brand, and we were muddleheaded to put it online."

Chang Jianhua, head of the work safety bureau of Dali, Yunnan province, explained about a public bidding document the bureau issued, which listed suitcases from the French fashion house and Samsonite. The document sparked criticism over the bureau's "lavish spending", with many saying the practice goes against the top leadership's frugality campaign. Chang said the bureau finally chose a much cheaper brand from Taiwan.