A photo of the offices owned by Harbin Pharmaceutical Group Sixth Pharm Factory, which features luxury decorations. [File Photo: Beijing Business Today]

Several photos of the palace-like offices of a state-owned pharmaceutical company based in Harbin city, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, have recently provoked heavy criticism among netizens, "Beijing Business Today" reports.

The luxurious offices owned by Harbin Pharmaceutical Group Sixth Pharm Factory, show Versailles-style furnishings and a hall decorated with woodcarvings and gold leaves.

In response to questions by the public, an unnamed person, who is in charge of the factory's publicity affairs, argued that the photos were actually taken at the company's Print Museum rather than its offices. He said the company set up the museum to preserve the fading art of Beidahuang prints, a type of woodblock prints that were developed in Harbin.

The company's official website confirms that it did build a Print Museum. However, the museum photos posted on the website only shows ordinary walls, none of which presents the luxurious decoration which triggered the online uproar.

A netizen nicknamed "Gao Xiaoshuai CC" said on Weibo.com that the company failed to assume proper social responsibility by spending a fortune to decorate its offices but not protect the environment.

In August, the pharmaceutical group, one of China's largest drug producers, was ordered to pay a hefty fine for gas emissions that did not meet environmental requirements.