Nominal: Intercepting Zhong Xiaoai, Dominating Handong

"We must remain clear-headed, recognize the problems, and solve them."

December arrived quietly amidst busyness and anticipation.

December 1st, Liping County Party Committee Meeting Room.

The first snow of the winter began to fall outside the window, and the snowflakes fluttered down, covering the mountain town in a silver coat.

The meeting room was warm and cozy, where an enlarged meeting of the Standing Committee of the County Party Committee was being held to summarize the year's work and plan for next year's work.

Gu Mingyuan sat in the main seat, with a thick stack of materials in front of him.

His gaze swept across the meeting room, taking in the expectant faces of the officials.

"Comrades, today is December 1st, and 1996 is about to pass." Gu Mingyuan's voice was steady and powerful.

"This year is an extraordinary year in the history of Liping's development."

"We successfully hosted the provincial on-site meeting on county-level economy, which received high praise from the provincial Party committee and government."

"We have continued to advance reform and development, and new progress has been made in various undertakings."

"The purpose of today's meeting is to comprehensively summarize the work of the whole year and scientifically plan for next year's development."

"But before summarizing the achievements, I want to pour some cold water on things—we can't just look at the achievements, we also need to see the problems."

"If you don't talk about your grades, you'll get away with it; if you don't talk about your problems, they'll become serious."

"Everyone should tell the truth and speak the truth."

"At the same time, don't be afraid of being discouraged."

County Head Liu Zhijun spoke first: "Secretary Gu is right. I'll start by offering my thoughts."

"The achievements of the whole year are indeed great, with GDP expected to exceed 2.2 billion yuan, representing a year-on-year increase of 70%."

"Fiscal revenue is projected to reach 230 million yuan, representing a year-on-year increase of 75%."

"The average income per farmer is expected to be 3,800 yuan, a year-on-year increase of 65%."

"These figures are unprecedented in the history of Liping."

He changed the subject: "But the problems are also quite prominent:

First, the industrial structure remains singular, with agriculture and agricultural product processing accounting for more than 70%, resulting in weak resilience to risks.

Second, there is an imbalance in regional development. Townships with convenient transportation, such as Yunwu Township and Qingshi Township, are developing rapidly, while remote townships, such as Baiyan Township and Longquan Township, are developing slowly.

Third, there is a significant shortage of talent, especially in attracting high-level talent.

Fourth, some cadres lack the capacity to keep pace with development needs, leading to a sense of inadequacy regarding their abilities.

Executive Deputy County Head Li Ming added: "I would like to add a question: there is still a backlog in infrastructure construction."

"Although we have built many roads, we still need to strengthen infrastructure such as water conservancy, electricity, and communications."

"Especially in remote mountain villages, there are still people who have difficulty accessing drinking water, have unstable electricity supply, and have poor communication."

Organization Minister Wang Jianjun said, "The development of the cadre team also needs to be strengthened."

"Some cadres have become complacent in the face of achievements, and some cadres have few solutions when faced with new problems and challenges."

"We need to strengthen education and training to improve the overall quality of our cadre team."

Everyone chimed in, acknowledging the achievements while also pointing out the problems.

The atmosphere at the meeting was pragmatic yet enthusiastic.

Gu Mingyuan listened attentively, taking notes from time to time.

After everyone finished speaking, he put down his pen and slowly said, "Comrades, you all spoke very well. Your achievements were substantial, and your points about the problems were accurate."

"This is the attitude we should have—to be realistic, neither underestimating ourselves nor being overly ambitious."

He stood up and walked to the map of Liping County on the wall: "Now, let me talk about the overall situation for the whole year."

"In 1996, Liping County's GDP was projected to reach 2.25 billion yuan, representing a year-on-year increase of 71.5%."

"Fiscal revenue reached 230 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 76%."

"The average income per farmer is 3,850 yuan, an increase of 66% year-on-year."

"The growth rates of these three main indicators all rank first in the province."

A murmur rippled through the room, and the officials beamed with pride.

"But more importantly, we accomplished a number of practical things," Gu Mingyuan said, listing them off with pride.

"First, infrastructure has been significantly improved. Five hundred kilometers of roads have been newly built or renovated, enabling every township to be connected by paved roads and every village to be connected by hardened roads."

"Secondly, the industry has improved in quality and efficiency. The tea garden area has expanded to 80,000 mu, and tea processing has achieved a leap from raw materials to finished products. The number of enterprises in the industrial park has reached 20, with an annual output value exceeding 500 million yuan."

"Third, people's well-being has continued to improve. Twenty-five schools have been newly built or renovated, and the free lunch policy for compulsory education has benefited 30,000 students. All county and township hospitals have been upgraded and renovated, making it more convenient for people to see a doctor."

Fourth, the ecological environment is continuously improving. The forest coverage rate has increased to 75%, and it is about to be approved as a national demonstration county for ecological civilization construction.

He paused, his tone becoming even more profound: "These achievements are the result of the correct leadership of the Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government, and the Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government, and the result of the united efforts of all cadres and the masses in the county."

"On behalf of the county party committee, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone!"

The applause rang out and lasted for a long time.

After the applause subsided, Gu Mingyuan changed the subject: "However, as I just said, past achievements belong to the past."

"Our focus now is on the problems and our work for next year."

He returned to his seat, opened his notebook, and said: "Regarding the problems, as everyone has mentioned, I have summarized them into five aspects: a single industrial structure, unbalanced regional development, talent shortage, inadequate infrastructure, and the need to improve the capabilities of cadres."

"These are the issues we need to focus on addressing next year."

"Regarding next year's work, my idea is to make 1997 the year to strive for the top 100 counties."

"We must concentrate our efforts, overcome difficulties, and lay a solid foundation for achieving the goal of becoming one of the top 100 counties in 1998."

He elaborated on the overall strategy and key tasks for the year of striving to become one of the top 100 counties:

First, implement an industrial upgrading project. While consolidating agriculture, vigorously develop emerging industries such as ecotourism, health and elderly care, and cultural creativity to form a diversified industrial system.

Second, implement regional coordination projects. Establish a mechanism for strong townships to support weaker townships, increase transfer payments, and achieve common development.

Third, implement a talent-driven development strategy for the county. This includes introducing more attractive talent policies, building talent apartments, and optimizing the entrepreneurial environment.

Fourth, implement infrastructure upgrading projects. Focus on resolving bottlenecks in water conservancy, electricity, and communications.

Fifth, implement a cadre capacity building program. Conduct large-scale training for cadres to improve their professional skills and governance capabilities.

"Comrades, the objective has been identified, and the mission has been deployed." Gu Mingyuan surveyed the entire scene.

"The key now is how to implement it."

"I demand that, starting today, all units must develop detailed implementation plans, clearly defining the timetable, roadmap, and responsible persons."

"The county party committee will establish a strict supervision and assessment mechanism to ensure that all tasks are implemented effectively."

The meeting lasted a full day and produced two important documents: the "Work Summary of Liping County in 1996" and the "Action Plan for Liping County to Strive to Become a Top 100 County in 1997".

After the meeting, Gu Mingyuan kept Liu Zhijun behind: "Old Liu, this year's economic data must be verified accurately. There can be no exaggeration. We must be able to withstand scrutiny."

"Secretary Gu, rest assured, the Statistics Bureau has verified it three times, and all the data has supporting documentation," Liu Zhijun said solemnly.

"In addition, we are expected to be among the top ten in the province's county-level economic assessment this year, which is the best result in Liping's history."