According to Modern Express, an online video about Guangdong officials on an overseas trip has resulted in heated discussions recently, many netizens being shocked by the standard of luxury enjoyed by the group.

On February 17, a Guangdong netizen on a local "Luoding Forum" claimed that he had received a video by accident, and he uploaded it under the title "Fact-finding mission, or foreign holiday? Look at the arrangements!" It was immediately referenced by other forums.

The 17-minute video records a 14-day tour by government officials from a district of Guangdong, including the district head.

According to the captions and commentary, their targets of the trip were South Africa, Egypt, Turkey and the UAE (United Arab Emirates), but the actual places visited are all well-known tourist sites. The delegation visited the Ostrich Garden and the Cape Town Peninsula, then went on to a Seal Sanctuary. They also toured gold and diamond workshops where they purchased South African diamonds and watched belly-dancers. None of the trip appeared to have anything to do with fact-finding other than a single visit to one government office in Sun Town, which one of the trippers introduced as a government office in front of a statue of Nelson Mandela.

The 14-day mission ended with a visit to the only 7-star hotel in the world – the BurjAl-ArabHotel in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates. On March 11 (their fourteenth day), the group flew on to Hong Kong.

The video has generated heated debate online – without knowing the exact cost, the standard of luxury provided would clearly classify it as an overseas holiday.

Some netizens are skeptical, arguing the it may be an piece of mischief produced by netizens, but most conclude that its filming and editing make it look like some kind of a travel documentary, picked up by a netizen after someone carelessly allowed it to leak out.

Many netizens have expressed fury about this kind of misbehavior, demanding severe punishments if the claims should turn out to be accurate.

The video indicates that the trippers come from the suburbs of Luoding City in Guangdong. Many netizens are asking such questions as: "Does it make any sense that Guangdong leaders investigate the African desert?" "Are they learning methods to control desertification?" One netizen called "fck003" claimed that those involved come from Duanzhou district of Zhaoqing City in Guangdong, and posted some photos for comparison.

A look at a map shows that Zhaoqing is adjacent to Luoding; moreover, the District Head in the video resembles Tan Rigui, the actual head of Duanzhou District, and the Deputy District Head in the video resembles the actual Chen Meizhu.

A Duanzhou District officer said he knew nothing about any of this and refused to provide an interview, while local departmental organizations also failed to clarify the claims.

(China.org.cn by Jessica Zhang, February 23, 2009)