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

In April 2013, as the spring breeze swept across Shaanxi Province, the provincial Party Committee Auditorium was packed to capacity for the solemn convening of the Provincial Party Committee's Party Building Work Promotion Conference. As the newly appointed Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Zhou Jin chaired the meeting for the first time in her capacity as the leader of the province's Party building work. Attendees included deputy secretaries and organization ministers of various municipal Party committees, heads of Party building work from provincial departments, and members of the leadership team of the Provincial Party Committee's Organization Department.

At the beginning of the meeting, Zhou Jin got straight to the point: "Comrades, the core of today's provincial Party building work promotion meeting is twofold—first, to summarize the practical experience of Yancheng City's six-year pilot project on Party building and organizational work; and second, to deploy the next steps in light of the actual conditions of each city. Party building is the root and soul of development. If Shaanxi Province is to achieve high-quality development, it must meticulously and practically carry out Party building work, so that Yancheng City's 'red experience' can take root, blossom, and bear fruit in Shaanxi."

As soon as she finished speaking, Zhang Li, Minister of the Organization Department of the Provincial Party Committee, presented the core achievements of the Yancheng pilot project through a PPT. Zhou Jin then explained them one by one with examples: "The core of Yancheng's experience is the deep integration of Party building with the central tasks. It's not just empty slogans, but a concrete solution to problems."

He pointed to the data on the screen: "In terms of grassroots organization building, we have addressed the 'hollowing out' of rural Party building by implementing the 'First Secretary + Returning Party Member' model, sending 320 government officials to reside in villages, and attracting more than 1200 young Party members to return to their hometowns to start businesses. Now, the cohesion of rural Party branches in Yancheng City has been significantly enhanced, and 80% of the villages have an annual collective economic income of more than 50 yuan. In response to the 'marginalization' of non-public Party building, we have adopted the 'unified construction in industrial parks and joint construction in industries' approach, increasing the coverage rate of Party organizations from 38% to 96%. In the photovoltaic industrial park and the apple deep processing base, Party members have taken the lead in overcoming more than 230 technical problems, truly transforming the advantages of Party building into development advantages."

"In building our cadre team, we have broken away from the seniority-based system and implemented the 'Seedling Cultivation Program,' in which 85% of young cadres under the age of 35 who have been trained at the grassroots level have taken up leadership positions. We have established a dual-dimensional assessment system of 'performance + reputation,' with public satisfaction accounting for 30% of the weight, which forces cadres to shift from 'emphasizing visible achievements' to 'emphasizing people's livelihood.' At the same time, we have improved the 'promotion and demotion' mechanism, adjusting 47 cadres who were not performing their duties and granting leniency to 15 cadres, making the cadre team both constrained and dynamic."

Zhou Jin emphasized: "The key to Yancheng's experience lies in 'seeking truth from facts'—not copying blindly, but finding solutions based on its own pain points; the core lies in 'integrating into development'—not creating a disconnect between theory and practice, but making Party building the 'golden key' to solving development problems. These experiences are of reference value to all cities in the province, but they must not be copied blindly."

Following this, the meeting moved into the deployment phase. Zhou Jin, considering the regional characteristics of Shaanxi Province—"resource-based cities in northern Shaanxi, industrial cities in Guanzhong, and ecological cities in southern Shaanxi"—proposed the work requirement of "categorized policies and precise efforts":

I. Northern Shaanxi region (resource-based cities such as Yushi and Yanshi)

"Cities in northern Shaanxi should focus on 'Party building leading resource transformation,' learn from Yancheng's experience of 'non-public Party building + industrial upgrading,' and establish temporary Party branches in areas such as clean coal utilization and new energy development, so that Party members can take the lead in tackling circular economy projects; in response to the weakness of rural Party building, we should promote the 'Party branch + cooperative' model, build Party organizations on the industrial chain, drive farmers to participate in supporting industries for resource transformation, and achieve a win-win situation for ecological protection and improvement of people's livelihood."

II. Guanzhong region (industrial and scientific cities such as Anshi, Baoji, and Yangshi)

"As the core economic area of ​​the province, Guanzhong should emphasize 'Party building leading technological innovation and urban governance.' In the High-tech Zone and Economic Development Zone, we should replicate the 'Party Member Vanguard Post + Technical Breakthrough' mechanism of Yancheng City, and promote the pairing and co-construction of Party organizations in universities and research institutes with enterprises; in urban communities, we should promote 'Party Member Linking Households + Grid Governance' (Note: Guanzhong's core cities launched a grid management pilot in 2013, and this is based on actual practice), and the registration rate of on-duty Party members should reach 100%, focusing on solving livelihood problems such as the renovation of old residential areas and the supply of school places, so that Party building can be integrated into the urban fabric."

III. Southern Shaanxi Region (Ecological Cities such as Hanzhong, Ankang, and Shangluo)

"Southern Shaanxi should leverage its ecological advantages to create a model of 'Party building leading ecological protection and rural revitalization.' Drawing on the experience of Yancheng City's 'First Secretary stationed in the village,' cadres should be selected and sent to key ecological protection villages and rural tourism demonstration villages to promote the development of ecological industries under the leadership of Party organizations. In response to the problem of inconvenient transportation in the mountainous areas of southern Shaanxi, a 'mobile Party branch + online organizational life' model should be established to ensure that the education and management of Party members are not interrupted. At the same time, through Party building to lead investment attraction, ecological resources should be transformed into advantages in green industries such as tourism and health care."

During the deployment process, many city officials asked questions on the spot. The Deputy Secretary of the Yulin Municipal Party Committee asked, "Our city has many coal enterprises, and the foundation of Party building in the non-public sector is weak. How can we quickly improve the coverage rate of Party organizations?" Zhou Jin responded, "We can start with large-scale enterprises, with the Organization Department of the Municipal Party Committee taking the lead in providing 'one-on-one' assistance. At the same time, we can rely on the Coal Industry Association to establish joint Party branches, first achieving 'work coverage' and then promoting 'organizational coverage.' The key is to make Party building serve the development of enterprises, rather than adding burdens."

The Organization Minister of the Hanzhong Municipal Party Committee added: "The aging of Party members in some rural areas of southern Shaanxi is a serious problem. How can we attract young Party members to return?" Zhou Jin, drawing on the experience of Yancheng City, suggested: "On the one hand, establish a 'Returning Home Entrepreneurship Support Fund' to connect projects and funds through Party organizations; on the other hand, set up 'Young Party Member Demonstration Posts' in industries such as rural tourism and ecological agriculture to give young Party members a platform and a future, so that they are truly willing to stay and work hard."

At the conclusion of the meeting, Zhou Jin emphasized: "There is no single template for Party building work; the core is to 'connect with the people, solve problems, and promote development.' The Provincial Party Committee's Organization Department should establish special supervisory teams to connect with each city in different areas. They should not only promote Yancheng's experience but also summarize the innovative practices of other cities, forming a Party building work pattern of 'one city, one characteristic; one province, one approach.' Three months later, we will organize cross-inspections among the cities to assess results, identify problems, and promote improvement, ensuring that Party building truly becomes a strong guarantee for Shaanxi Province's high-quality development."

After the meeting, leaders from various cities expressed that the conference provided both a valuable "Yancheng model" for reference and practical "operational guidelines." The Deputy Secretary of the Xi'an Municipal Party Committee remarked, "Previously, I always felt that Party building was 'abstract,' but now, seeing Yancheng's experience, I understand that Party building can truly solve development problems. Next, we must put the spirit of the meeting into practice and allow Party building to lead urban governance to a new level."

Back in his office, Zhou Jin looked at the key Party building tasks marked on the Shaanxi Province administrative map, and his mind became increasingly clear. From Yancheng's "single-point breakthrough" to the province-wide "comprehensive advancement," this was both a heavy responsibility entrusted by the organization and a test of his six years of hard work. He knew that Party building work could not be accomplished overnight, but as long as he adhered to seeking truth from facts and implementing policies according to different categories, he would surely be able to revitalize the red gene in Shaanxi Province and inject a continuous stream of red power into the province's development.