The 2021 “No. 1 Document” of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, which sets rural policy for the year, called for stronger action against high bride prices, 人情攀比, competition in gift-giving, lavish funerals and waste. The 2026 No. 1 Document again called for “continued action against competition in gift-giving and lavish events.”
A news report on the 2026 document described rural banquets held for no occasion at all. “The exchange of favors,” it said, “has become a heavy economic burden.”