Jiangxi officials face dismissal over mahjong playing habit

Officials in a county in East China’s Jiangxi Province were warned Wednesday they may be fired if they play mahjong.

The government of Ningdu county issued a document that forbids senior local officials from playing mahjong under any circumstances at any time, saying they may be fired if they are caught playing, even if no money is involved, news site cnr. cn reported Friday.

The Ningdu government also publicized a tip line and email address in the document, and said they will also conduct covert investigations into board- game playing officials.

An employee of the Ningdu government told cnr. cn that senior local officials said they should be the first people subject to these regulations to set a good example for others.

Liu Chao, head of the Ningdu supervision office, said that the ban aims to encourage officials to devote free time to work, and change the “unhealthy” trend of playing mahjong.

Mahjong is very popular in Ningdu, a resident surnamed Zeng was quoted by cnr. cn as saying. “My relatives spend all their spare time playing mahjong, sometimes even during work hours. They can lose over 10,000 yuan ($ 1,456) in a day,” Zeng said.

A Ningdu local surnamed Liu said that junior officials would no longer play mahjong if their superiors stop playing.

Other residents, however, believe this policy is taking things to an extreme. “It’s not reasonable to forbid people from playing mahjong in their spare time. It’s fine to play mahjong just for entertainment,” a local resident told cnr. cn.