Poor family upbringing is to blame for some of the most serious corruption facing China and officials should learn from the examples of heroic figures from the earliest days of Communist rule, a top paper said on Monday.

President Xi Jinping has embarked on a sweeping campaign against deep-seated graft since taking office two years ago, vowing to take down powerful "tigers" as well as lowly "flies."

Two of the most senior figures caught so far are the powerful former domestic security chief Zhou Yongkang and Ling Jihua, who was an aide to Xi's predecessor, Hu Jintao.