Filial piety has been an essential element of traditional Chinese culture since the time of Confucius and is all about the way Chinese relate to their parents and other family members. Now the concept has found its way into the workplace. Recently this virtue was introduced as one of the criteria for selecting government officials, leading to a flurry of debate among the public.

In Weixian County, north China's Hebei Province, Qi Jinghai, Secretary of the Weixian Committee of the Communist Party of China, introduced a regulation stating that candidates applying for positions in government would be ineligible if it was proved they didn't respect or care for their parents. Similarly, existing officials would be ignored for promotion if the same were found. According to local authorities, before appointing an official, the government will investigate the candidate's relationship with his or her parents, in-laws, spouse and children, asking them to sign a certificate to prove that the candidate is pious toward their parents. Those who cannot provide a signed certificate will not be considered.

To date, 11 officials in Weixian failed to be promoted, as their parents would not confirm their pious behavior.

In a mixed bag of response to this news, people in favor believe that filial piety reflects an official's morality. Anyone who doesn't respect or care for his or her parents cannot qualify to be in public service. Those who disagree say that filial piety is a kind of private virtue and should not be confused with loyalty to people in general or to one's country. People pious to parents are not necessarily qualified officials.