China's ruling Communist Party will release an anti-graft comic book during the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday to help officials avoid corruption, state press said Tuesday.The pocket-size comic book, which includes caricatures depicting common forms of graft and bribery, will be distributed as a gift to 100,000 party members in the central province of Henan, Xinhua news agency said.

The books also contain "anti-corruption policies, maxims and aphorisms about clean government," it added.The books are to be handed out before the Lunar New Year, China's biggest holiday falling on February 7, according to Ye Qingchun, head of the party's Henan disciplinary body.

"The Chinese New Year is a crucial time to test if the Party cadres are incorruptible," the report quoted Ye as saying. "The pocket comic books can constantly remind them to keep a close lookout for any possible wrongdoing."Henan, China's most populous province, is also one of the nation's poorest regions and, according to state press reports, rife with crime and corruption.