Exhibition in China is all about corruption

BEIJING - A city in China has come up with a unique exhibition, which it hopes will lead to a decrease in corruption in government offices.

Chongqing city has put up this exhibition dedicated to clean government, which cost the local government more than 23 million yuan ($3.4 million). The exhibition shows actual bribes - in cash and in kind - confiscated from corrupt government officials.

The “Corruption Expo” has received over 19,500 visitors from across the country since its opening in March this year, Global Times reported.

Some of the exhibits include videos showing how corrupt officials regret their wrongdoing.

The confessions of Wen Qiang, former chief of the Chongqing Judicial Bureau, who was sentenced to death in April for protecting gangsters, taking bribes and raping women, have attracted many visitors.

Wen is shown crying in the video, saying he should have lived a simple life. “Why didn’t I learn to treasure all the things I had before losing them?” Wen says in the video.

Apart from exhibiting the bribery loot seized from corrupt officials, the exhibit praises “model officials” who authorities believe should inspire people to do good deeds.

The exhibition is being used to educate officials on how to better serve the people.

“We want to promote anti-corruption messages to all the cadres and visitors through education,” Xu Jingye, director of the Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China in Chongqing region, was quoted as saying.

Meanwhile, a county-level official surnamed Zhang said corrupt officials might be intimidated by the exhibit, but whether it will prevent corruption is another question.

“The most effective way to prevent officials from corruption is to monitor their power efficiently,” Zhang said.