"No lunch treat!" Court leaders in Henan ordered to learn cooking

Zhang Liyong, president of the High People's Court in Henan province, inspects a kitchen established in a court. (Photo source: official website of Henan High People's Court)

(ECNS) – A statement made by Zhang Liyong, president of the High People's Court in Henan province, that chiefs of courts must be able to cook, has sparked discussions on the Internet, Southern Metropolis Daily reported.

The statement was cited from a report in Henan Legal News, saying Zhang addressed the significance of lunch while visiting five local courts. "Chiefs must be capable of cooking and the skill will be introduced into the performance appraisal system," Zhang said.

Zhang added that having a poor lunch can influence staffers' concentration at work. "And if someone outside the court offers to treat you to lunch, you are very likely to accept it, which will lead to corruption and harm the court's reputation," Zhang said.

A judge said evaluating cooking skills was "strange," and another vice court chief thought Zhang was joking.

However, it was not just a joke.

The Intermediate People's Court of Nanyang, in Henan, has required its officials to check local chiefs' cooking skills when visiting the lower courts.

The court of Tongbo county has allocated funds for buying disinfection cabinets for local branches.

The head of the court in Nanzhao county proposed cooking training for a month and removing those who still couldn't cook.

The court in Neixiang county said the skill would be on the year-end performance appraisal list.

A judge at an unnamed county in Nanyang confirmed the reports, but said the public may have misunderstood the sentiment.

Starting last year, courts in Henan have been establishing their own canteens, with dorms, vegetable gardens, libraries and playrooms to improve staffers' lives, the judge said.

He believed these actions made sense. "When staffers and officials are accustomed to having lunch in their courts, no one would dare to accept invitations to lunch," he added.