It has been officially announced that on the first working day of the new year, Xin Changxing was appointed Secretary of the Jiangsu Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China.

Xin Changxing is from Huimin, Shandong. In March of last year, he was appointed Secretary of the Qinghai Provincial Party Committee.

It must be said that the tradition of “Shandong cadres guarding the frontiers” has been carried forward.

Of course, it is also worth noting that many officials of Shandong origin have risen to become the top leaders in various regions.

There are more and more officials from Shandong...

With the new Party Secretary in office, why not “light the fire”?

At the provincial-level leading cadres’ meeting in Jiangsu where his appointment was announced, Xin Changxing stated:

"We will not raise new slogans, start new projects, or make a splash with 'three bold moves'; we will not engage in grandstanding. Instead, we will work down-to-earth, focus on practical matters, work diligently to ensure implementation, and see the blueprint through to the end."

Indeed, rather than rushing to stoke the fire, we must first extinguish the flames within our hearts. We must not only focus on the big picture and strategic planning but also pay close attention to concrete implementation.

Perhaps the results won’t be as immediate as those of Western medicine, but they will have the lasting power of traditional Chinese medicine.

As we become more familiar with the situation, we must hold fast to the businesses we’ve attracted, the strategies we’ve identified, and the initiatives we’ve pinpointed—consistently and steadfastly ensuring their implementation.

In the past, there was a common phenomenon: whenever a new leader took office, they would inevitably make some “moves.”

They would immediately launch sweeping, decisive reforms—some succeeded, but many failed; some earned praise, while others faced no small amount of criticism.

Admittedly, for leading officials arriving in a new post to build on the past and open up the future, they must persist in thinking about, planning, and executing tasks; only by delivering tangible results and making a real difference can they win the respect of the people and establish their authority.

When it comes to investment promotion, some localities see new officials disregarding past commitments. Do investment projects approved under previous leadership suddenly become invalid once a new leader takes office? Why was a proposal acceptable to investors before, yet now rejected?

It’s a case of “you play your own tune while I play mine”—starting from scratch and tearing down what was built before. Over time, this results in nothing more than small-scale “ornamental gardens” in the industrial sector, rather than a thriving “forest.”

Why Are Officials from Shandong So “Capable”?

As of now, among the top Party and government leaders in China’s 31 provinces, 11 hail from Shandong.

Among them, there are 6 provincial Party secretaries and 5 provincial governors from Shandong.

The specific list is as follows:

This demonstrates that the strength of Shandong officials is becoming increasingly evident, with six comrades already serving as top Party officials at the local level. Notably, among the five autonomous regions, four are led by Shandong natives.

The other two provincial Party committee “top leaders” of Shandong origin are:

Xin Changxing, Secretary of the Jiangsu Provincial Party Committee, is from Huimin, Shandong.

He previously worked at the former Ministry of Labor and Social Security, the State Bureau of Civil Service, and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security.

After completing his graduate studies, he moved to Beijing and worked for many years at the Ministry of Labor and Personnel. Later, he gained experience in various positions.

He served successively as Deputy Secretary of the Anhui Provincial Party Committee and Deputy Secretary of the Qinghai Provincial Party Committee. In Qinghai, he was promoted to Governor of Qinghai and then Secretary of the Qinghai Provincial Party Committee.

Undoubtedly, he possesses extensive work experience at both the central government and local levels.

Yin Li, Secretary of the Beijing Municipal Party Committee, is from Linyi, Shandong.

He spent eight years earning his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Shandong Medical University, followed by five years pursuing a doctorate in Russia. After graduation, he joined the Research Office of the State Council. Ten years later, he transferred to the Ministry of Health, where he worked for another 12 years, rising to the vice-ministerial level.

In 2015, he began serving as Deputy Secretary of the Sichuan Provincial Party Committee, and in early 2016, he assumed the role of Governor, a position he held for five years. At the end of 2020, he was promoted to Secretary of the Fujian Provincial Party Committee.

During his tenure in Fujian, he repeatedly emphasized the “Three Improvements and Three Efficiencies”—that is, improving efficiency, enhancing effectiveness, and increasing benefits.

In addition, Li Hongzhong, former Party Secretary of Tianjin, is a native of Changle, Shandong.

Over the years, he worked his way up from the grassroots in Guangdong to become Party Secretary of Shenzhen. After 2007, he served as Governor and Party Secretary of Hubei for nine years before being transferred to Tianjin in 2016.

Wang Zhonglin, Governor of Hubei, is a cadre who rose through the ranks in Shandong and served as the “firefighter-in-chief” during the Wuhan pandemic.

Li Bingjun, Governor of Guizhou, previously served as a secretary to former Premier Zhu Xiang before taking up a post in Jiangxi.

Wang Zhengpu, Governor of Hebei Province, is an agricultural expert who joined the Ministry of Agriculture after graduating from Beijing Agricultural University.

Wang Hao, Governor of Zhejiang, is a cadre who rose through the ranks in Shandong and previously served as the head of Zibo and Yantai.

Han Jun, Governor of Jilin Province, is an agricultural expert who previously worked at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the Development Research Center of the State Council.

In particular, the fundamental working methodologies of these “Shandong-born” officials were largely formed during their time in Shandong.

For example, while serving as Party Secretary of Yantai, Wang Hao was unafraid to address shortcomings. He admonished Yantai that to break through the long-standing bottlenecks constraining the city’s development, it must be resolute, act without hesitation, and devote its full efforts to overcoming them.

In summary, it is evident that Shandong natives form the absolute backbone of China’s Party and government ranks. While some regions may be economically developed, this does not necessarily translate into a large number of senior officials.

Guangdong culture is well-suited for business and economic development; military service and politics are not the first choices. However, people there learn various business strategies from a young age and place great importance on clan culture. Shandong is exactly the opposite: the teachings of Confucius and Mencius are deeply ingrained in people’s hearts, and the concept of defending one’s home and country is ingrained in their very bones.

Furthermore, Shandong holds a strong belief that those who excel in their studies should enter public service.

Every year, delegations are dispatched from the provincial level down to local cities to Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Through repeated study of advanced ideas and reform methods, they formulate practical development plans, grand blueprints, and concrete measures, leaving behind sound strategies, valuable experience, and exemplary work ethics.