BEIJING - As the traditional Mid-Autumn festival nears, the Communist Party of China (CPC)'s top discipline agency is calling on the public to report incidents of officials lavishly spending during the holiday.

The CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) opened a special column on its website to invite the public to submit tip-offs of excessive spending by officials during the upcoming festival.

Misconduct could include using public funds to buy mooncakes and gift cards, a statement on the CCDI website said late Sunday.

Violators would be named and shamed in a weekly report on the website, they said.

Celebratory gifts and feasts, usually involving the sweet or savory filled pastries known as mooncakes, are a custom during the Mid-Autumn Festival, which falls on Sept. 8 this year.

"The moves aim to better implement the eight-point rule and prevent a relapse of harmful work style," the statement said.

The eight-point rule was introduced by the CPC leadership at the end of 2012 with the aim of rejecting extravagance and excessive formalities among Party members.

By the end of June, 61,703 officials had been disciplined for breaches of the eight-point rules, according to figures from the CCDI.