Emojis frown on corruption

An emojis package highlighting the eight-point austerity rules has become a hit on the internet.

It was launched by China's top discipline watchdog to promote the spirit of austerity in an innovative way.

The package has 16 emojis, each promoting a specific idea, for example, opposing formalism, bureaucracy, hedonism and extravagance, opposing privileges, forbidding improper allocation and use of official vehicles or reducing the number of meetings.

The emojis went viral after they were published on the website and WeChat account of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection on Nov 3.

The emojis package has been downloaded over 130,000 times on WeChat, and has been shared more than 500,000 times via the app, the CCDI said.

The package was launched to coincide with the fifth anniversary of the eight-point rules, which were issued by the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee on Dec 4, 2012, aiming to reduce bureaucracy, extravagance and undesirable work practices of Party members.

The CCDI said that the launch was to consolidate and strengthen the implementation of the eight-point rules, and promote the spread of the spirit of austerity among people in an easily understood way.

An official from the CCDI told Beijing News on Dec 4 that they want to find innovative ways to convey serious subjects by making good use of modern communication.

"There's still room for the emojis to be improved in both quantity and quality," the official told the Beijing News. "They are far from covering all aspects of the eight-point rules due to their limited number."

China Discipline Inspection Daily said last week that the emojis were popular because China's anti-corruption achievements in the past five years have really won the deep support of the people.

Over the past five years, about 263,000 Party members who were found to have violated the eight-point rules have been punished, the CCDI said.