For civil servants, this Spring Festival has been different because neither did they get extra pay nor were they showered with gifts from lower-level departments or officials. And luxurious restaurants and clubs did less business than before because austerity measures kept civil servants away from them.

Strange? But this is what the festival should be like for civil servants.

Indeed, some complaints were heard from civil servants, who had become used to getting extra pay or receiving gifts from lower-level departments and/or enterprises that needed their help to get things done in a more "convenient" way. Some officials have complained that they had to dig into their pockets to pay for the gifts they bought or fund their travel expenses, which used to be reimbursed in one way or another from public funds.

Thanks to the stipulations issued by the central authorities and their strict enforcement, officials, even the powerful ones, found it very difficult to misuse public money.

Of course, officials or civil servants will need some time to give up their unhealthy working style, which blurred the line between their public and private lives and saw them abusing power for personal gains and indulging in luxuries using public funds. Some officials may even expect the old practices to make a comeback with the passage of time.

It is these officials that have given the civil service a bad name, tarnishing the reputation of the government and estranging its relationship with the people.

As far as the future of individual civil servants is concerned, a pretentious and luxurious working environment will erode their will and corrupt their morals. It will also make them vulnerable to corruption.

For the nation's better future, civil servants should be subjected to strict regulations based on the rule of law that should be strictly enforced. This will help the government regain public trust and lay out the rules for the bureaucracy.

For the Chinese nation's renewal and its long-lasting prosperity, it is extremely important to have a team of government officials, who can set a good example by performing their duties in an earnest manner.

The idea should be to make the civil service like Spring Festival, simple but meaningful.