For China’s Communists, the party is finally over. No free fruit or free haircuts and prawns and sea cucumbers are off the menu as the Communist party congress, set to usher in a second five-year term for president Xi Jinping, promises to be an austere affair. In a break with previous years, officials attending the meeting will not be welcomed by large banners and extravagant flower arrangements, according to Wang Lilian, who managed delegate hospitality for the three previous party congresses.
