Chapter 385: Study (Part 2)

Waking up in the morning, Hou Weidong was surprised to see snow falling. He thought to himself, "A little snow for fun is fine, but it shouldn't last too long or fall too heavily. If it turns into a snow disaster, that would be a real headache."

After the Spring Festival, following the customary practice in Shazhou City, the first Standing Committee meeting of the lunar new year was convened. The agenda focused primarily on the city's key projects for the year, along with personnel appointments and dismissals.

The meeting began at 2:30 PM. Mayor Liu Bing delivered an analysis of the economic situation for 1999.

"This is a special year," Liu Bing stated. "First, the century that has stirred mixed emotions in the hearts of all Chinese people has finally come to an end. In the new century, our country, Lingxi Province, and Shazhou City will all usher in a new atmosphere. Second, this year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. The annual Fortune Global Forum will be held in Shanghai, which will also stimulate the development of our national economy. Third, looking at the global economic landscape, Southeast Asian countries have not yet recovered from the financial crisis, Russia is experiencing an economic crisis, and Brazil in South America has also faced severe financial turmoil. In contrast, China stands out as the only bright spot. Our consumer market is becoming active again, the real estate market is recovering, and the driving effect on various industries is becoming evident."

"Judging from these phenomena, a new cycle of high-speed economic growth has arrived," Liu Bing said, emphasizing each word. "How Shazhou should respond to these challenges has been studied multiple times by the government's executive meeting. Combining the national situation with the actual conditions of Lingxi and Shazhou, the government has outlined three main strategies."

"First, we must increase efforts in attracting investment. I won't dwell on the importance of this here."

"Second, we must restructure existing state-owned enterprises. We must resolutely restructure both city-affiliated and county-affiliated enterprises. From now on, enterprises must enter the market; they can no longer live comfortably in the embrace of the city or county governments. In this regard, Yiyang County has taken the lead. They no longer have any state-owned county-affiliated enterprises, and the county government has completely stepped out of specific economic activities. I believe this experience is worth promoting."

"Third, we must vigorously promote the development of the real estate industry. Large-scale development promotes large-scale growth. We must increase the development intensity of the Southern New District. Vice Mayor Bu will soon propose promotional, supporting, and safeguard measures. The Southern New District has unique advantages. If it cannot become the locomotive driving Shazhou's development, what value does its existence hold?"

Although Liu Bing spoke eloquently, Hou Weidong sat in the corner, his mind wandering. He carelessly scribbled lines from a poem by Zhai Yongming that he had occasionally read onto his notebook:

"The bad debts of state-owned enterprises,

And the bleakness of neighboring economies,

Along with the trendy makeup of the girls,

These unstable receipts

Surround my shallow pond."

This poem inherited the techniques of Misty Poetry, combining several images to express the conditions of the country at the beginning of 1999 in a way that was hazy yet accurate. When Hou Weidong read this poem, he had immediately remembered these lines. Today, the content of Mayor Liu Bing's speech coincided perfectly with the mood of the poem, so he casually wrote the verses on paper.

He knew well that besides discussing Shazhou's development direction, there were three personnel appointments to be made today. One was Yang Senlin, who had been a headache for Zhou Changquan. Another was the County Magistrate of Yiyang. The third was himself.

Yesterday, Zhou Changquan had spoken with him. The content was simple: he was to be promoted to Deputy Director of the Shazhou Municipal Party Committee Office, while concurrently serving as the Chief of the Comprehensive Section. His rank would rise from full section level to deputy division level.

Although this was only a half-step promotion, it was significant. Since graduating in 1993, in nearly six years, he had finally transformed from a section-level cadre into a deputy division-level cadre whose appointment required discussion by the Municipal Party Committee Standing Committee. Although it was just a small step, it constructed an extremely favorable platform for Hou Weidong. With this rank, if he were transferred laterally, he would become a Deputy County Magistrate. If he were promoted one level upon transfer, he would become a full County Magistrate.

"The pavilion near the water gets the moon first; being in the center of power makes it easier to be an official."

In Shazhou, the careers of most cadres stalled at the section level. Hou Weidong understood that if he were not Zhou Changquan's secretary, moving from section level to deputy division level would never have been so smooth.

While Hou Weidong was lost in thought, the other members of the Standing Committee were speaking actively.

Most of the Standing Committee members present had served as top leaders at the grassroots level and were very familiar with policies. The current issues involved both direction and the execution problem of turning beautiful blueprints into reality. After Liu Bing finished his speech, the committee members began a heated discussion on Shazhou's development plans.

At 4:30 PM, Zhou Changquan made the final summary regarding Shazhou's development direction and path. "Everyone's speeches were excellent. After the meeting, the Municipal Party Committee Research Office should quickly form written materials based on the leaders' opinions. These will serve as the guiding documents for our city's development this year. It is already March; this document must be completed by mid-March. If we do not hurry, dragging our feet will push it into April."

He continued, "In economics, there is a theory called the Matthew Effect. In plain terms, it means customers flock to prosperous shops, and money flows to hot spots. Shazhou must seize the opportunity. Otherwise, falling behind in one step means falling behind in every step. Comrades, the Provincial Party Committee has high hopes and high demands for Shazhou. We are under great pressure. We must seize the time, grasp the favorable opportunities, face difficulties head-on, and ride the momentum."

The blueprint was beautiful, but it required specific people to implement it. Therefore, after discussing the main development direction, Zhou Changquan immediately shifted the topic to personnel issues. "For the next agenda item, please have Minister Zhao Dong report on the inspection results for the position of Deputy Secretary-General of the Municipal Government."

Zhao Dong cleared his throat and spoke slowly and deliberately. "According to the requirements of the previous Standing Committee meeting, the Organization Department has inspected six cadres."

When Zhao Dong mentioned Yang Senlin's name, Mayor Liu Bing did not even lift his eyelids, remaining absorbed in his own thoughts.

Zhou Changquan said calmly, "All six cadres are excellent, and their conditions are quite similar. I recall that Mayor Liu originally recommended Yang Senlin, the County Magistrate of Yiyang. Since the organizational inspection has passed, I agree that Yang Senlin should serve as the Deputy Secretary-General of the Municipal Government."

"Yiyang is the leader among Shazhou's four counties. The candidate for County Magistrate must be strong. Since all six young cadres are excellent and have passed the Organization Department's inspection, the candidate for Yiyang County Magistrate should be chosen from among these six. Let us discuss this."

Liu Bing had not expected the Standing Committee to discuss the candidate for Yiyang County Magistrate at this meeting and was somewhat surprised.

Deputy Secretary Huang Zidi spoke first. "Ji Haiyang, Deputy Secretary of the Yiyang County Party Committee, is forty-two years old this year. He has served as a member of the Yiyang County Standing Committee for seven years and as Deputy Secretary for two years. He has a university education and practical experience, making him the best candidate for Yiyang County Magistrate." He added, "Although Ji Haiyang serves as Deputy Secretary in Yiyang, he is not from Yiyang but from Hubing City, which complies with the relevant regulations regarding the appointment of county magistrates."

Zhou Changquan said, "Please, comrades, express your opinions."

Generally, when discussing personnel issues, Standing Committee members speak roughly in order of their ranking, with those ranked last speaking first, and finally, the Party Secretary makes the final decision.

Since Deputy Secretary Huang Zidi spoke first and the other committee members had no major objections to Ji Haiyang, they did not speak further. A brief silence fell over the Standing Committee. Zhou Changquan took the opportunity to make the final decision. "Since the comrades have no objections, the Organization Department should proceed strictly according to procedure."

After discussing the candidates for the Deputy Secretary-General of the Municipal Government and the Yiyang County Magistrate, Organization Department Minister Zhao Dong cleared his throat again. "This year is the year of study proposed by the Central Committee. The work of the Municipal Party Committee Office is becoming increasingly busy. The staffing of the Municipal Party Committee Office consists of one director and two deputy directors. There is currently one vacancy for a deputy director. According to work needs, the Municipal Party Committee Office should be equipped with a deputy director. After inspection, the Organization Department has determined three candidates."

Zhao Dong looked at Hou Weidong and said seriously, "The candidates for this inspection involve Section Chief Hou. Please, Section Chief Hou, temporarily withdraw."

Hou Weidong was originally attending the meeting as a non-voting delegate. He closed his notebook and walked out of the conference room. As he exited the Standing Committee meeting room, he happened to run into Yang Teng, the Deputy Chief of the Comprehensive Section. Yang Teng gave Hou Weidong a thumbs-up and whispered, "Director Hou, congratulations!"

Yang Teng followed Hou Weidong into the office and said enthusiastically, "Director Hou, when are you free? All the comrades in the Comprehensive Section would like to get together." Hou Weidong replied, "We haven't had a gathering in our section since the Spring Festival. Let's get together in the next few days."

Back in the Standing Committee meeting room, Mayor Liu Bing's eyelid twitched several times. He thought to himself, "I still underestimated this old fox, Zhou Changquan. He managed to turn a bad situation into a good one with a single move."

This time, both Liu Bing and Zhou Changquan achieved their goals. In the struggle of strength, it was considered a draw.

After work, Hou Weidong had just walked into his home when he received a phone call from Zhang Zhongyuan, the Director of the Landscaping Bureau. "Director Hou, congratulations. Do you have any arrangements for tonight? If you have no other plans, let's have a meal together."

Hou Weidong thought, "Director Zhang's information network is truly efficient. The Standing Committee meeting ended less than an hour ago, and he already knows about this." During the Spring Festival, he had accompanied Zhou Changquan to many places and had hardly eaten at home. Today, Zhou Changquan was going home for dinner, so Hou Weidong was free. He had originally planned to have dinner at home, but then received Zhang Zhongyuan's call.

Since Zhang Zhongyuan was also Xiaojia's leader, Hou Weidong said helplessly, "Director Zhang, I will have to toast you with several extra glasses of wine."

Just as he hung up, Xiaojia's phone call came in. "Thank you, husband, for giving Director Zhang face. I was sitting right opposite his office just now." Hou Weidong sighed. "I remember it has been half a month since I last ate at home. Director Zhang's information is so efficient; he must have ambitions to go even higher."