Senior government officials across the nation have been spotted getting up close and personal with the public after the Spring Festival holiday, following President Xi Jinping's spontaneous visit to a Beijing fast food restaurant in December.

Miao Ruilin, mayor of Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, took a crowded bus during a construction inspection tour to a local bus station on Friday.

Li Jianhua, secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Ningxia Hui Autonomous Regional Committee and Liu Hui, chairwoman of the region, were seen sweeping snow on the streets of Yinchuan on the same day.

Qiang Wei, Party chief of Jiangxi Province joined a group of copper miners for a canteen lunch in Dexing Friday.

In less than 15 months, 34 similar cases of officials reaching out to the grass-roots have been reported after the 18th CPC National Congress in November 2012, while 47 instances were reported in the previous five years, according to Southern Weekly.

President Xi's restaurant visit could be seen as a signal to further advocate the fight against formalism and bureaucracy, said Ma Changshan, a law professor at the East China University of Political Science and Law.

Following the 18th Congress, a series of regulations restricting officials behavior was issued. 

Shen Yang, a political commentator, told the Global Times that some local officials may be simply following the top leader, "But it's a sign of improvement that they've started to take public opinion seriously," Shen said.

Many local officials might want to use such acts to gain political credit when they do not have impetus or measures for actual reform, said Shen.

However, the intense public attention given to these "close public interactions" may mean that some officials may use them to build their own personal image, demonstrating that while bureaucracy still prevails in China, previously leaders only made public appearances while carrying out official duties.

"Although such 'shows' are still an individual practice, given that there are no institutional requests, they indicate a rising trend for actual changes to bureaucracy," Wang Zhanyang, a professor with the Central Institute of Socialism, told the Global Times.

Wang noted that China is moving toward "modern politics," and a political dynamic based on public opinions is emerging, which requires officials to value public opinion while at the same time, following top leaders' orders.

Liu Hailong, an associate professor at the Renmin University of China pointed out that some officials now focus more on urban residents and the middle-income class, instead of visiting poverty-stricken areas only.

The interaction attempts followed a key aspect of the "mass line campaign," which was launched in June 2013 with aims to boost ties between CPC officials, Party members and the people.

While some members of the public have lauded the actions of senior officials, others have criticized them for doing it for the sake of appearances. 

"The news said that Nanjing's mayor asked where to buy a ticket. It's obvious he hadn't taken a bus before. This is just for show," said a Net user surnamed Bai on Sina Weibo.

 "These officials have simply copied Xi's action without understanding the intention," said Ma. "In the end, they must work to serve the public or make it a habit, instead of accidental encounters on the street that provoke public doubts," Ma noted.