It was a small gesture, but with the global financial crisis rippling into China, Gao Deliang's refusal to accept luxury accommodation while attending an official political event has struck a chord throughout the country.

A group of more than 20 political advisors in south China's Guangzhou City discussed Wednesday whether accommodation at a five-star hotel was necessary during their ongoing annual session.

The discussion was sparked after Gao, a restaurant owner and member of the Guangzhou municipal committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), refused to stay in the Baiyun International Convention Center during the session that began Sunday.

"We can drive home in half an hour. Many rooms in the hotel were left vacant, the food was discarded. What a waste it is," Gao said in the group discussion.

The Guangzhou city government is spending 250 yuan (37 U.S. dollars) for accommodation and 200 yuan for food for each of the session's 600 political advisors daily, said Gao.

A document from the city government said 6.5 million yuan was set aside for the four-and-a-half-day political advisory meeting and 7 million yuan for the five-day legislative meeting.

Gao had proposed political advisors not overnight together in the hotel before their meeting, but the proposal was turned down.

Liu Weijia, a Guangzhou political advisor, said not every advisor owned a car and it was time-consuming to take buses to the meeting. Liu and another advisor named Yang Haoyi suggested the organizers not provide accommodation for all, but only for those in need.

Some other advisors said the five-star hotel was too luxurious for the meeting. They suggested future meetings could be held in a less-expensive hotel in downtown areas.

Gao's stand has been taken up by the public and official media alike, in a country where proposals for such abstinence are rare.

A commentary in Procuratorial Daily paper on Tuesday said: "Gao honors his duty as a political advisor... his move is profound in meaning." It added "the government has a lot to do in cutting spending".

Commentator Hu Wei wrote on www.chinacourt.org, the official website of the Supreme People's Court: "A public criticism like Gao's is rarely heard. Although the issue of accommodation is not on the agenda of a political advisory meeting, but the point is that the government spending and tax-payers' money are involved."

A senior official with the CPPCC Guangzhou municipal committee told Xinhua that it was commendable that political advisors put forward proposals to save money, but staying together would give them more time for discussion.

China's economic powerhouse of Guangdong Province, with Guangzhou as its capital, warned last month of belt-tightening ahead as concern mounts over the effects of the international financial crisis.

"We should tighten our belts and be thrifty in everything this year," Guangdong Governor Huang Huahua said.

He said thrift was essential even in celebrating the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, saying the printing of elaborate invitation cards to events and celebrity performances would be viewed as a waste of money.

(Xinhua News Agency February 26, 2009)