| China’s government officials and state-owned company heads cut back spending on lunar new year meals, drinks and gifts in response to Beijing’s frugality campaign, according to the ministry of commerce. |
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据中国商务部介绍，中国政府官员和国有企业掌门人响应高层的节约号召，在农历新年宴会、饮品和礼物上缩减了支出。 |
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| Expensive restaurants and luxury brands reported a sharp fall in sales as officials obeyed orders to reduce conspicuous consumption, which Beijing believes inflames resentment against the government. |
在官员们遵守减少铺张浪费的指令之际，高档餐厅和奢侈品品牌纷纷报告销售急剧下滑。北京方面相信，铺张浪费助长了民间对政府的不满。 |
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| Xinhua, the state news agency, reported that the revenue of upmarket restaurants – where meals can cost from Rmb300 ($48) to thousands of renminbi per person – dropped 35 per cent in Beijing, 20 per cent in Shanghai and 30 per cent in the eastern port city of Ningbo during the peak new year banqueting season. |
据官方的新华社报道，春节宴请高峰期间，北京、上海和华东沿海城市宁波的高档餐厅——人均消费从300元人民币（合48美元）至数千元人民币不等——营业收入分别下降了35%、20%和30%。 |
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| “All the five-star hotels have been hit,” said one Shanghai hotelier, who normally does brisk new year business. “Our government business was almost cancelled totally. They did not reduce the price of their banquets – they just cancelled them outright,” she said, noting that government officials “are afraid to be seen at locations linked with luxury”. |
“所有五星级酒店都受到打击，”上海一家酒店的主管表示。她所在的酒店通常在春节期间生意兴旺。她表示：“我们的政府业务几乎全被取消。他们不是要求降低宴会的规格，而是彻底取消。”她指出，政府官员“不敢被人看见自己光顾高档场所”。 |
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| The ministry said sales of luxury dishes also declined, with products such as bird’s nest soup and abalone falling 40 per cent, and shark fin down more than 70 per cent. Luxury food gift boxes – a popular purchase during new year, when many companies hand out largesse to officials and the media – fell 45 per cent, according to a ministry survey released this week. Prices of luxury Chinese alcoholic drinks such as Maotai and Wuliangye fell about 30 per cent, the ministry said. |
中国商务部表示，高档菜式的销售也出现下降。燕窝汤和鲍鱼等菜式的销售下降40%，鱼翅汤的销售下降逾70%。商务部本周发布的调查显示，高档食品礼盒（春节畅销商品，许多企业慷慨地赠送给官员和媒体人员）的销售下降45%。商务部称，中国高档名酒如茅台和五粮液的价格下降大约30%。 |
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| Western business people said there had been a steep decline in requests from government departments and state-owned enterprises for them to “donate” expensive products to serve as giveaways at year-end events. One western executive bemoaned the fact that “we can’t even find anyone to take to lunch this year”. Multinationals, like other companies in China, often spend heavily on wining and dining government officials around the holidays. |
西方商人透露，政府部门和国有企业要求他们“捐赠”昂贵产品作为年终活动礼物的情况骤减。一名西方高管哀叹道，“今年我们甚至找不到人共进午餐”。与中国别的企业一样，跨国公司在节日前后常常砸重金请政府官员吃喝。 |
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| Ordinary diners more than made up for the abstemiousness of government and state-owned enterprises with overall restaurant spending up strongly. The ministry said sales in restaurants surveyed in big cities rose 5-18 per cent. |
普通就餐者弥补了政府官员和国企高管厉行节约造成的缺口，总体上的外出就餐支出强劲增长。商务部称，在调查覆盖的各大城市，餐厅销售增长5%至18%。 |
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Post By：2013/2/27 12:02:28
