Sharpening the Blade Against the Red Wall: From Hong Kong to Handong

In late March 2006, the auditorium of the Yancheng Municipal Government was packed to capacity for a city-wide conference on the implementation of investment promotion achievements. On the stage, Zhou Jin, dressed in formal attire, scanned the audience with sharp eyes—all the vice mayors, heads of county and district governments, and heads of relevant departments such as the Development and Reform Commission, the Industry and Information Technology Bureau, and the Commerce Bureau were present, each with a thick list of investment projects in front of them.

"Comrades, at this Hong Kong investment promotion conference, we signed cooperation projects worth 38 billion yuan, and the total for the entire province exceeded 10 billion yuan. This is a great start, and even more so, a pledge!" Zhou Jin's voice resonated powerfully through the microphone in the auditorium. "Signing agreements is not the end, but the beginning of service. From today onward, we must completely abandon the old approach of 'emphasizing investment promotion while neglecting service,' and strive to build a service-oriented government that can attract, retain, and thrive businesses!"

He raised his hand and tapped the documents on the table, his tone serious: "I want to emphasize three requirements here: First, establish a responsibility system of 'one project, one leader, one special team, and one thorough follow-up.' Each signed project must have a clearly defined responsible unit and person, a special team must be formed within three days, and on-site consultations with enterprises must be conducted within a week to address their needs. Second, simplify approval processes and promote 'parallel approval' and 'time-limited completion.' All approval items related to project implementation should be combined or simplified where possible, and situations of 'difficult access, unfriendly faces, and difficult procedures' must not be tolerated. Third, strengthen resource guarantees. Departments such as land, housing and construction, electricity, and water should intervene in advance to prioritize the project's land, water, and electricity needs, resolving enterprises' concerns."

In the audience, the vice mayor in charge of industry was the first to raise his hand and speak: "Mayor Zhou, our Industry and Information Technology Bureau has sorted out the technical requirements for apple deep processing and photovoltaic power stations, and is currently connecting with research institutes inside and outside the province to ensure that the project's technology keeps up."

The director of the Municipal Bureau of Commerce then stated, "We will establish a service log for enterprises, conduct regular follow-ups, and promptly resolve any issues encountered by enterprises during the process of establishing themselves, ensuring that enterprises do not waste time and effort."

Zhou Jin nodded in satisfaction: "Very good. Let me make this clear from the outset: anyone who shirks responsibility or shirks their duties during project services will be held strictly accountable! What Yan City needs is not just an empty agreement, but tangible results: project implementation, increased employment, and higher incomes for the people!"

The meeting lasted two hours, detailing every requirement from the establishment of the special task force to resource support, from approval processes to supervision and assessment, down to specific departments and timelines. After the meeting, department heads hurriedly left with their documents, instantly imbuing the entire Yancheng Municipal Government compound with an atmosphere of earnest and pragmatic work.

In the days that followed, Zhou Jin's life was divided into two distinct halves.

By day, he is the decisive and efficient mayor of Yancheng. The lights in his office are almost never off as he and his municipal government staff meticulously refine the implementation plan for building a service-oriented government. The plan contains no empty rhetoric; every point is closely aligned with the objective realities of 2006.

In response to the slow approval process reported by enterprises, the construction of a "one-stop service hall" was proposed, integrating the windows of departments such as industry and commerce, taxation, and land resources, and implementing "one-window acceptance and internal processing." This was a groundbreaking measure in northern Shaanxi at the time.

In response to the financing difficulties faced by small and medium-sized enterprises, the government took the lead in coordinating with local banks to launch the "Special Loan for Investment Projects," with the government providing partial guarantees to lower the threshold for enterprise loans.

In response to shortcomings in the business environment, Yancheng City has formulated "Ten Measures to Optimize the Business Environment," which explicitly prohibits arbitrary charges and apportionments and requires public officials to "not disturb without cause and to be present when necessary."

To make the solutions more practical, Zhou Jin and her team visited businesses in various districts and counties, listening to entrepreneurs complain about their pain points and offer suggestions. Sometimes they would spend an entire afternoon chatting in the workshop, covered in dust and smelling of machine oil, but every aspect of the solutions was imbued with the fragrance of the earth.

At night, after everyone in the office had left, Zhou Jin would brew a strong cup of tea, draw the curtains, and begin his "secret work." He would take out a thick notebook from his drawer and start refining the technology recommendation report he had written for his old superior.

He dared not write anything too far ahead of its time, only cautiously outlining the future technological blueprint with phrases like "based on an assessment of international technological development trends" and "in conjunction with the needs of domestic industrial upgrading." He wrote: "Mobile internet may become the core of the next generation of information technology. It is recommended to lay out the smartphone industry chain in advance and support local telecommunications companies in developing their own operating systems." He cautioned: "The research and development of underlying technologies for artificial intelligence is urgent. GPU chips are key. It is recommended to increase investment in related fields in universities and research institutes." He emphasized: "The new energy industry is not only an environmental requirement but also the core of future energy security. It is recommended to expand photovoltaic and wind power pilot projects in northern Shaanxi and explore the integration model of 'new energy + agriculture.'"

With each stroke of his pen, he carefully considered every detail, ensuring that the future direction of development was accurately pointed out while remaining consistent with the cognitive level of 2006, leaving no room for error. The night outside the window grew deeper, the lights of Pagoda Hill flickered in the distance, and Zhou Jin's pen scratched across the paper, transforming a time traveler's expectations for the future of the country into lines of meticulous and earnest words.

Qin Gang often stood guard outside the office door, watching the light inside stay on until late at night, silently preparing midnight snacks and hot water for him. He didn't understand what Zhou Jin was writing, he only knew that the young master carried a responsibility heavier than a mountain on his shoulders.

Late that night, Zhou Jin finished writing the last word, closed his notebook, and rubbed his aching shoulders. The sky outside was already faintly bright, a pale white tinge appearing in the east. He walked to the window, opened it, and the chilly morning wind rushed in, but it made his mind exceptionally clear.

The service-oriented government plan aims to make Yan'an a better place today; the science and technology report aims to make the country stronger tomorrow.

He knew that the road ahead was long and arduous, but his steps would never falter.