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

In mid-2009, the atmosphere in the meeting room of the Shaanxi Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee was more somber than usual. On both sides of the long conference table, the Standing Committee members had different expressions, and their eyes would occasionally fall on Secretary Qin Zhenbang, who was sitting in the main seat. A silent contest was filled in the air.

The meeting's agenda was to recommend candidates for the position of Party Secretary of Yancheng City.

A few days ago, an internal message quietly circulated in the provincial party committee compound—the central government's assessment of Li Xiangming had successfully concluded, and he was about to leave Shaanxi Province to assume an important leadership position in Shanghai. This meant that the position of member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Yancheng Municipal Party Committee was officially vacant.

Everyone present was well aware of the significance of this position. Yancheng is an old revolutionary base area and now a leading economic force in Shaanxi Province. After more than three years of development, its GDP has jumped to first place in the province, and its industrial structure has shifted from traditional energy to a diversified pattern of "red tourism + modern agriculture + digital technology," with unstoppable momentum. More importantly, this position is a member of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee, belonging to the vice-ministerial level. It not only means being the helmsman of a key city but also a crucial stepping stone for accumulating political capital.

Therefore, the moment the topic was raised, it stirred up a storm in the meeting room. Although everyone knew that the final decision-making power rested with the central government, and the provincial party committee only had the right to make recommendations, the weight of this list of recommendations was enough to influence the subsequent course of events.

"Comrades," Li Xiangming spoke first. Although he had already decided to step down, he was still an incumbent member of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee and Secretary of the Yancheng Municipal Party Committee. His words carried considerable weight at this moment. "The selection of the Secretary of the Yancheng Municipal Party Committee is crucial to the overall development of the old revolutionary base area and, more importantly, to the strategic layout of the entire province. Let me state my position first—I firmly recommend Comrade Zhou Jin to succeed him."

As soon as he finished speaking, the conference room fell silent. Several standing committee members who had previously hesitated to speak all turned their gazes to him.

Li Xiangming put down the documents in his hand and said earnestly and firmly: "I have worked with Comrade Zhou Jin for three whole years. Comrade Zhou Jin took office at the end of 2005 and officially started working in 2006. In these three years, I have personally witnessed him transform an old revolutionary base area that relied on energy and fiscal transfer payments into the leader of economic growth in the province."

He raised his hand and listed a series of solid data: "In three years, Yancheng's GDP grew at an average annual rate of 18.3%, 3.5 percentage points higher than the provincial average; the per capita net income of farmers increased by 98%, completely shaking off the situation of being below the national average; the added value of high-tech industries accounted for 16.8%, far exceeding the national average. What's even more remarkable is that what he did was not a short-lived political achievement project, but a practical project that lays the foundation and benefits the long term, such as the pilot project for building a strong country in science and technology and industrial upgrading."

"There's one more thing," Li Xiangming added, "Comrade Zhou Jin has a high political stance and a solid work style. Over the past three years, he has always adhered to the principle of 'the municipal party committee making decisions and the government implementing them,' seeking instructions and reporting on everything, never overstepping his authority, and never forming cliques. In personnel appointments and removals, he only looks at actual performance, not connections, and the cadres he promotes are all grassroots hard-working individuals. Such cadres can not only stabilize the overall development of Yancheng City, but also shoulder the heavy responsibility of revitalizing the old revolutionary base area."

No sooner had Li Xiangming finished speaking than someone raised a dissenting opinion. A standing committee member in charge of organization frowned and said, "Secretary Li's words make sense, but Comrade Zhou Jin is too young, only 36 years old this year. Yan City is a standing committee position, a vice-ministerial level position. Isn't it too rash to entrust such an important task to someone so young? There are many more senior city leaders in the province, such as the secretaries of Baoji and Xianyang, who are all veterans at the grassroots level with rich experience."

"Seniority is one aspect, but ability and performance are more important." Another member of the Standing Committee chimed in, "Baoji and Xianyang are developing steadily, but they lack breakthroughs. Yancheng's current situation is unique in the province. If a cadre who is only concerned with maintaining the status quo is replaced, it may not be able to maintain this momentum, let alone take it to the next level."

Discussion resumed, with voices of support and skepticism mingling. Some valued seniority, others performance; some worried about his youth, while others recognized his boldness. The atmosphere in the meeting room grew increasingly tense.

Just then, Secretary Qin Zhenbang raised his hand, signaling everyone to be quiet. His gaze swept steadily across the room as he slowly began to speak: "Comrades, the core of the debate is nothing more than the balance between 'seniority' and 'achievements.' Let me share my opinion—I support Comrade Li Xiangming's suggestion to recommend Comrade Zhou Jin to succeed as Secretary of the Yancheng Municipal Party Committee."

As soon as he finished speaking, the meeting room fell mostly silent. Secretary Qin Zhenbang's attitude often represented the core opinion of the Provincial Party Committee.

"Comrade Zhou Jin is young, which is not a weakness, but an advantage," Qin Zhenbang said confidently. "Currently, the whole country is emphasizing the rejuvenation of cadres, and we need young cadres with drive and vision to take on important responsibilities. The development of Yancheng relies on 'daring' and 'innovation,' and Comrade Zhou Jin's ideas are highly compatible with the needs of Yancheng. Moreover, he has been working diligently in Yancheng for three years, gradually figuring out the path for the development of the old revolutionary base area from the position of mayor. No one knows the situation in Yancheng better than him."

He looked at Governor Wang Jianjun beside him, who immediately nodded in agreement: "Secretary Qin is right. From the perspective of the province's development, Yancheng is at the forefront of the national science and technology power pilot program. Comrade Zhou Jin is the designer and promoter of this pilot program, and no one understands Yancheng's shortcomings and potential better than him. If someone else were to come, it would take half a year just to familiarize themselves with the situation, which is too much of a waste. Moreover, during his time in Beijing, Comrade Zhou Jin participated in the financial defense and connected with national-level strategies. His vision is broader than that of cadres within the province, which is of great significance for Yancheng to connect with national resources."

The unanimous statement from the provincial party secretary and governor acted as a stabilizing force, instantly calming the situation.

The dissenting voices gradually subsided. Everyone knew that Qin Zhenbang and Wang Jianjun's opinions basically represented the provincial party committee's recommendation direction. Moreover, Zhou Jin's achievements over the past three years were undeniable, and Yancheng's development was evident to all; this reason for recommendation was extremely solid.

Qin Zhenbang looked at the entire room and solemnly concluded, "Alright, comrades, after considering opinions from all sides, the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee has reached a preliminary consensus—to recommend Comrade Zhou Jin for the position of Standing Committee Member of the Shaanxi Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Yancheng Municipal Party Committee. Subsequently, the Organization Department will follow procedures to complete the investigation, public announcement, and other stages before submitting the report to the Central Committee. I hope that after you return, you will do a good job of ideological work to ensure a smooth transition in all aspects of work in Yancheng, and that the overall development will not be affected by personnel adjustments."

"agree!"

"no comment!"

The Standing Committee members nodded in agreement, and the tense atmosphere in the meeting room finally dissipated.

After the meeting, Li Xiangming stayed behind and found Qin Zhenbang: "Secretary Zhenbang, thank you for your support."

Qin Zhenbang patted him on the shoulder and laughed, "I'm not just supporting you, I'm supporting the development of Yancheng City and supporting capable cadres. Zhou Jin has been working in the old revolutionary base area for three years and has achieved real results. He hasn't let us down."

Sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating the documents on the conference table. Zhou Jin's name stood out prominently on the proposed list of nominees.

Everyone knew that this was not just a change of job, but the beginning of a new chapter in Yancheng's development. Zhou Jin, however, was completely unaware of this, currently leading her team to inspect the progress of the second phase of the apple processing base construction project.