Want a promotion? How about being nice to mom and dad?

Administrative skills alone are not enough for a step up the ladder, filial piety has to be proved - that's the message being sent to officials in a county in Henan Province.

Under new measures for appraising officials in Changyuan County, assessment teams will interview officials' family members, friends, neighbors, colleagues and subordinates as well as members of the public to gauge their character and see whether they are caring toward their parents.

Up to 500 people could be contacted by independent teams, said Su Jingquan, a county personnel official.

"The assessment teams will have a lot of work on their plate, but the new measures are an impartial way of appraising officials' image in the eyes of the public," said Su.

The county government sends investigators to conduct door-to-door interviews with an officials' neighbors and inquire about the relations between the official and family members, or whether they are addicted to alcohol or gambling.

All the information is factored in while deciding whether the official should be promoted.

"Officials should possess traditional values of filial piety and family responsibility, which are the foundation of a successful career," said Liu Sen, head of the county committee of the Communist Party of China.

Filial piety is considered a prime virtue in China and was one of the main criteria for the selection of officials as early as the Han Dynasty (206 BC- AD 220)

As the country modernizes and family ties come under strain, many are calling for the revival of traditional values such as filial piety and respect for the elderly.

Chinese law stipulates the obligation of children to support their parents.

According to the Law on Safeguarding the Rights and Interests of the Elderly, offspring are obliged to provide economic support, care and comfort for the elderly. Those who shirk their responsibility or violate the rights of the elderly face criminal charges.

(China Daily April 9, 2007)