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分享一篇文章： Lifestyle changes are often spearheaded by trendsetters, such as movie stars and hip-hop idols. Rarely does a bureaucrat sitting in a non-descript office have the power to influence what people eat, drink, wear, smoke, etc. But Zhou Jiugeng did it. He could be the single biggest damper on China's conspicuous consumption, at least in the official arena. Zhou did not start with a fashion agenda. He just happened to appear in a couple of snapshots, which were later posted online. Blown up were a Vacheron Constantin watch that retails at the least for 100,000 yuan ($16,000) and a pack of Nanjing 95 Imperial Cigarettes, which costs about 150 yuan. People started asking questions: How can a public servant afford such expensive stuff? Where did he get the money? Eventually, what he wore on his wrist and what he puffed from his mouth became the sparks that kindled the proverbial prairie fire. After an official investigation, Zhou was convicted of accepting 1.07 million yuan and HK $110,000 ($14,000) in bribes. The 49-year-old was given a "lenient sentence" of 11 years in jail, with 1.2 million yuan ($176,000) worth of personal property being confiscated by the Nanjing Intermediate People's Court. Although the sentence was announced over the weekend, Zhou's impact started late last year shortly after his images were thrust into the spotlight. The price of that brand of cigarettes plummeted by a third. Nothing was said of the watch, but the exposure probably brought a wrong kind of brand awareness for its makers or retailers. | 
