As part of a sweeping crackdown on what’s been deemed improper dining by Communist Party leaders—lavish, inappropriate dining and drinking, especially on the public dime—civil servants across China are under scrutiny for even modest gatherings. In some provinces, officials are warned not to dine in groups larger than three.

There’s a popular Chinese idiom that goes back to the Han Dynasty: “民以食为天,” or, “Before everything else, the people want food.” But in today’s China, a dinner plate can carry political peril. From banquets laced with bottles of Moutai to humble noodle shops near local party offices, where and what officials eat has become a political minefield.

There’s a popular Chinese idiom that goes back to the Han Dynasty: “民以食为天,” or, “Before everything else, the people want food.” But in today’s China, a dinner plate can carry political peril. From banquets laced with bottles of Moutai to humble noodle shops near local party offices, where and what officials eat has become a political minefield.

As part of a sweeping crackdown on what’s been deemed improper dining by Communist Party leaders—lavish, inappropriate dining and drinking, especially on the public dime—civil servants across China are under scrutiny for even modest gatherings. In some provinces, officials are warned not to dine in groups larger than three.

Elsewhere, they face daily breathalyzer tests, are instructed to go straight home after work, or are required to study lists of 20 “dangerous” dining configurations—such as meals with colleagues from other departments, dinners held at upscale private clubs, banquets hosted by businesses or subordinate agencies, or even reunions framed as clas