Power and Wealth
Chapter 1903 – Party Committee Meeting
Monday.
10 AM.
Temporary County Party Committee Courtyard.
Today was the day for the second routine Party Committee meeting of the month in Jiaolin County. Several county committee members had already gathered in the small meeting room. Right on time, Zhang Dongfang and Dong Xuebing entered, one after the other. Dong Xuebing, who was the last to walk in, held a teacup in his hand and sat at the head of the table.
“Xiao Su,” Dong Xuebing called out to his secretary.
“Yes!” Su Yan responded promptly, stepping forward to close the door.
Only then did Dong Xuebing look around at everyone and say casually, “Alright, let’s start the meeting.”
Upon hearing this, everyone straightened up a bit. Those who were drinking water put down their cups, and those smoking cigarettes stubbed them out. While smoking during the meeting wasn’t strictly prohibited—Dong Xuebing himself would often smoke a few—doing so at the start of the meeting was seen as a change in atmosphere, and extinguishing their cigarettes was a basic show of respect for the Party Committee and Dong Xuebing.
Dong Xuebing began with a brief opening statement, followed by a few remarks from Zhang Dongfang. Then, several documents were laid out on the table. These were administrative tasks involving the study and discussion of directives from higher-level departments. Naturally, Dong Xuebing presided over this part. He read through the documents, providing guidance and analysis. Although he hadn’t done any preliminary preparation, his speaking skills were well-known; he could easily grasp the content and articulate his thoughts. Zhang Dongfang and the others shared their views, and it was clear that follow-up meetings would be held with relevant departments to implement these directives—this was a routine part of every Party Committee meeting.
Next came the specific agenda items.
A stack of files was brought forward, and everyone began to discuss them.
The earlier issues were trivial, passing by without much debate.
However, the next item was more sensitive—it involved a personnel appointment. Han Wu, the head of the County Organization Department, proposed the appointment of a new deputy mayor for a township. Due to a recent health-related retirement, this position has become vacant. The Organization Department evaluated candidates and proposed two names. Dong Xuebing was aware of this situation. There is a subtle tension between Dong’s and Zhang’s factions. As the head of the committee, Han Wu couldn’t have made these recommendations without consulting Dong Xuebing. However, Dong Xuebing already knew that both nominees were aligned with Zhang’s faction, as he had gathered some information from Meng Hanmei. Yet, he hadn’t expressed any opinions before the meeting, leaving Han Wu uneasy.
Dong Xuebing said, “Let’s hear everyone’s thoughts.”
Surprisingly, Zhang’s faction members remained silent.
Only Zhang Dongfang said, “Xiao Chen’s record is quite clean, and his work performance has been commendable.”
Dong Xuebing nodded, “I’ve reviewed it as well. Xiao Chen is a good fit.”
With both the County Party Secretary and the County Mayor in agreement, others could not object. The decision was made.
Some members of Zhang’s faction looked at Dong Xuebing in surprise, while a few in Dong’s faction also appeared astonished. They hadn’t expected Dong Xuebing to concede this appointment so readily. Knowing that the nominee was a person from Zhang Dongfang’s camp, they were taken aback by Dong Xuebing’s straightforward approval. This was out of character for Dong Xuebing.
Relentless to the end.
An absolute authoritarian.
That was the style everyone expected from Dong Xuebing.
They still didn’t fully understand Dong Xuebing. After all, they had only been working with him for two weeks. Dong Xuebing was a somewhat unruly person with a bad temper and a rough approach to work. However, he had another side as well. He wouldn’t have reached his current position if he had had no political acumen. He knew when to press forward and when to hold back. People often underestimated him, seeing him as reckless.
From Dong Xuebing’s perspective, there were two main reasons for his decision. First, the appointment in question was trivial to him—it was just a deputy mayor of a township. There was no need to fight over this. Dong Xuebing wasn’t planning on staying in Jiaolin County for the rest of his career. He aimed to benefit the residents, earn some political capital, and then move on. Because of this, he didn’t see every issue as a critical battle.
Second, the current balance between his faction (Dong’s faction) and Zhang’s faction was relatively stable. Dong Xuebing already had a slight upper hand in controlling the overall situation in the county. Pushing people too hard might have negative repercussions and disrupt this balance, which would be detrimental to everyone. If he tried to control every personnel appointment, it would backfire. Moreover, Zhang Dongfang recently showed considerable respect for Dong Xuebing. Even when there were discussions about disciplining Dong Xuebing, Zhang Dongfang didn’t try to undermine him or report him to city officials. Dong Xuebing believed in reciprocating respect. If someone gave him an inch, he would return the favor. Agreeing to this personnel appointment did not violate his principles.
This was why he approved the appointment.
Dong Xuebing wasn’t foolish; his aggressive style was merely one of his governing tactics, not the core of his leadership. He often knew precisely what he needed to do and how to do it.
With the appointment decided, many committee members looked at Secretary Dong with a deepened sense of respect. Although it seemed like Dong Xuebing had taken a step back by not contesting the appointment, it made everyone hold him in higher regard. Given his current advantage and control, they knew that if Dong Xuebing had wanted to fight for it, he could have easily pushed his own candidate through without any issue. However, he magnanimously approved Zhang Dongfang’s suggestion instead of acting on his interests. It became clear to them why a seemingly hot-headed person like Dong Xuebing had risen to the position of County Party Secretary. Beyond his exceptional work capability and combativeness, his political experience was also quite rich. Reaching a position like Dong Xuebing’s meant no one could be simple. If people found him easy to read, it was likely because they had underestimated him.
After handling a few more proposals, they moved on to the final item of the day.
This document was prepared at Dong Xuebing’s request, and he intentionally saved it for the end, signaling its importance.
“Everyone, please take a look,” Dong Xuebing instructed, motioning for Su Yan to distribute the documents. He had prepared This draft outline over an entire day on Sunday, which he then had Meng Hanmei’s office and the secretarial department expand upon. It was rare for Dong Xuebing to put so much effort into preparing in advance. He usually played things by ear and made decisions on the spot. His thorough preparation this time indicated his high expectations and confidence in the upcoming investment promotion task. To elevate the county’s economic standing, he needed to make this project a resounding success.
There is no room for negotiation.
No room for errors.
Everyone looked at the document, though many had already read it before the meeting and had a rough idea of its contents.
Dong Xuebing tapped his fingers on the table and said, “From what I understand, last year’s investment promotion efforts in our county were quite successful. This shows that our county holds considerable appeal for investors. We all know what attracting investment means. Currently, real estate is heavily regulated, with many regions facing price caps on land sales. Although this hasn’t affected our county yet, it’s a signal that the economy is transforming. The structure of our revenue sources will inevitably change in the future. We need to prepare for this structural shift in advance. Our county’s fiscal revenue can’t solely rely on land sales—we can’t be walking on just one leg.”
Zhang Dongfang spoke up, “I agree with this. Our county can’t be compared to first- and second-tier cities—real estate doesn’t have the same allure here. Relying solely on land sales to fund debt repayment or economic growth has already hit a bottleneck. We can see this year that many developers are unwilling to bid on projects. We’re barely sustaining it right now, but if future policies cut off this revenue stream, our county will face significant challenges. We’ll have a financial shortfall. So, we only naturally focus on long-term economic sources like attracting investments. The more we can attract, the better.”
Most people in the room nodded in agreement.
Wei Zhixuan frowned and said, “That makes sense, but attracting investments isn’t easy. Last year, we secured some investments because we hitched a ride at the provincial investment fair. This year, though, the province doesn’t plan to hold a similar large-scale fair, and the city doesn’t have a scheduled event either. If our Jiaolin County tries to host something on our own, wouldn’t it be like clapping with one hand?”
“Secretary Wei is right,” Dong Xuebing nodded in agreement. “If we follow the traditional investment attraction model, we might not see much success, and the appeal could be limited. So, I’m thinking of doing something different. If we can’t rely on the provincial or city fairs, let’s create our unique style and format—a Cultural Investment Festival.”
Everyone carefully examined the document that Dong Xuebing had proposed.
Dong Xuebing continued, “When we say ‘Cultural Festival,’ the scope can be quite broad. We can include culinary culture, arts and crafts, and heritage tourism. All of these elements can be part of it.”
The room fell into a thoughtful silence.
Executive Deputy County Mayor Xu Zhuang said, “The key issue is that our county doesn’t have deep cultural roots. It might be challenging to make this Cultural Investment Festival stand out. I’m worried that we might make a big fuss and spend a lot of money, but end up with few investors showing interest and a poor turnout.”
Zhang Dongfang pondered, “I share that concern. Many counties and cities have tried this approach—using cultural events to drive economic activities—but not many have succeeded. Even when some counties managed to pull it off, their success is hard for us to replicate because our local environment is different.”
The discussion heated up as everyone started sharing their opinions.
Meng Hanmei, Chang Lin, and others also voiced their perspectives.
Dong Xuebing was satisfied with the lively discussion. He believed that pooling ideas was beneficial, and if this project succeeded, it would benefit everyone involved.
After listening to many suggestions, Dong Xuebing shared his thoughts, “You’ve all made excellent points. Let me add something. I agree that our county may not have strong cultural appeal, but that doesn’t mean we can’t leverage other aspects of artistic and cultural support.”
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