The highly anticipated "anniversary special" recently aired its finale.

Unlike *In the Name of the People*, which was full of suspense, *The County Party Committee Compound* portrays the everyday realities of grassroots governance.

Investment promotion, environmental remediation, and the business environment—the key priorities overseen by the “top leader” are all reflected in the series.

Moreover, many plotlines convey subtle undertones, offering insights into the direction and approach to addressing certain issues.

Only by understanding these can one truly grasp the essence of this series.

01.

Investment promotion remains the top priority for local governments. To secure a prominent position within the city and the province and attract more resources, investment results must be impressive.

In the series, during a special meeting on large-scale industrial investment promotion in Xinzhou City, Mayor Ma made the following demand of the “top leaders”:

“Comrades, you need to get out there more.”

“If I start seeing you in the counties, we’re in trouble. I’d rather see more of your leave requests.”

“Provinces and cities are all competing in rankings now. I suggest the counties start doing the same—merely doubling the targets isn’t enough.”

Doubling the investment targets put immense pressure on the county magistrates.

This was especially true for Guangming County, which was not only facing financial strain but was also overwhelmed by issues such as environmental pollution and arbitrary fines.

Jiuyuan County, which prioritizes investment promotion, has been commended:

It has become the norm for top leaders to personally spearhead investment promotion efforts.

Meanwhile, counties with weaker foundations are hoping for preferential treatment in terms of policies, benefits, and project resources:

The issues raised at this meeting are indeed very real.

Counties that excel at attracting investment will see stronger economic growth, more job opportunities, and faster population growth. Naturally, they will receive more policy support and project resources, becoming increasingly robust.

Conversely, they will grow weaker and weaker, left only to “scrape the bottom of the barrel.”

Consequently, virtually every locality has designated investment promotion as its “top priority” and is committed to devoting significant resources to it.

However, in practice, whether the top leader spends every day drowning in paperwork and meetings or focuses on economic development by personally coordinating and resolving key issues determines the sincerity and efficiency of investment promotion efforts.

As the drama puts it, “We were placed in this position not to sit idly by and let our resources run dry, but to go out and harvest the grain.”

02.

The new performance evaluation system must break away from “GDP worship”; industrial planning has become a key driver of county-level economic development and is receiving greater attention from top leaders.
The series does not provide a clear resolution regarding the fates of Mei Xiaoge, Party Secretary of Guangming County, and Cao Lixin, County Magistrate of Jiuyuan County.
However, based on the plot development, Secretary Mei, who drove environmental governance, business environment optimization, and large-scale agricultural reform in Guangming County, is highly likely to have been promoted or transferred.
Meanwhile, County Magistrate Cao, who condoned corporate pollution, must bear full responsibility for the dire consequences of environmental pollution.
The two were college classmates and both served as top county officials, yet their attitudes toward environmental issues were diametrically opposed.
Ultimately, this difference stems from differing views on political achievements.
Cao Lixin was fully aware of the pollution problem, but he chose to hold out until Changshen Mining went public and until he left Jiuyuan County, so that he could be promoted with an impressive track record.
His view of political achievements made him forget the oath he once took: “To serve the people and benefit the region.”
In recent years, the nation’s move to dismantle the “GDP-only cult” signifies that the focus of performance evaluations has shifted from emphasizing quantitative growth to prioritizing qualitative breakthroughs.
Against this backdrop, industrial planning has been elevated to a position of utmost importance.
By formulating industrial plans based on local conditions and standardizing entry criteria and management practices for heavily polluting industries, the problems depicted in the drama regarding Jiuyuan County can be effectively avoided.
With rigorous analysis and precise assessment, the chaotic situations in reality—where local governments force through projects, leading to abandoned projects and investment defaults—can also be prevented from occurring so easily.
Secretary Mei led the county in developing large-scale agriculture as a strategic move to address industrial and employment issues following the shutdown of the flange factory due to environmental remediation efforts.
However, if a professional investment promotion agency had been commissioned to conduct on-site research, more opportunities might have been identified in niche sectors, and leveraging project resource advantages could have directly facilitated the establishment of projects.
For example, building on the local dairy cattle industry, the county could attract a dairy processing enterprise to serve as the anchor, thereby creating a fully integrated dairy industry chain encompassing cattle breeding, forage cultivation, feed processing, packaging and printing, biopharmaceuticals, and logistics and IoT.
However, given Guangming County’s financial situation—which currently lacks the funds to hire professional agencies—it is understandable that they instead sought advice from Jiang Xinmin, the former county magistrate and agricultural expert.

03.

Urbanization remains the key to resolving county-level fiscal difficulties and serves as the opening move for advancing all other initiatives.
In the drama, after Mei Xiaoge was elected county magistrate of Guangming County, the first major issue he faced was the demolition of shantytowns.
This is the crucial key to the county’s finances. When deploying work arrangements, Lü Qingshan, then-county Party secretary, made a few “private remarks”:

"If we get the demolition right, the whole game comes alive, and both major and minor tasks can proceed smoothly."
He likened the shantytown renovation to a key:
Although the story of *The County Party Committee Compound* takes place in 2015, it still holds guidance for the present.
In June of this year, the General Office of the State Council issued the "Guiding Opinions on Further Promoting Fiscal System Reform at the Provincial and Lower Levels," focusing on fiscal pressures at the county level.
Regarding the establishment of a long-term mechanism to safeguard county-level fiscal capacity, the "Opinions" outline the following division of responsibilities:
County-level governments take the lead, municipal-level governments provide support, provincial-level governments provide a safety net, and the central government offers incentives.
The central government does not provide a safety net; it is still necessary to leverage the initiative and self-reliance of the county level to resolve issues.
However, for most county-level cities, land remains their most valuable asset. Therefore, urbanization and land-based fiscal revenue remain the key to resolving most county-level fiscal issues in the short term.
The shantytown renovation mentioned in the drama can be described as a major weapon in driving the real estate market since 2015.
In March of this year, Zhengzhou introduced measures to rescue the market, restarting the monetary compensation policy for shantytown renovation. This brought “housing vouchers” back into circulation, providing a powerful remedy for the property market facing “minor difficulties.”
Subsequently, cities and provinces such as Kunming, Lanzhou, and Guizhou successively introduced policies to restart monetary compensation for shantytown renovation.
Note: Previously, demolition compensation involved exchanging property for property; later, it shifted to exchanging property for cash, which was then used to purchase housing (often requiring a loan). Now, Zhengzhou only provides “housing vouchers,” which can only be used to purchase property within Zhengzhou—effectively amounting to an “IOU.”
The recently concluded Central Economic Work Conference also highlighted the real estate sector, emphasizing the need to “implement policies tailored to specific cities to support both basic and upgraded housing needs.”
Given this timing, the “slum renovation” plot at the beginning of *The County Party Committee Compound* certainly carries some symbolic significance.
However, from a long-term development perspective, industry remains the cornerstone of the county economy and the only path to achieving high-quality development.
Only when industries thrive and enterprises cluster can employment opportunities arise, population growth occur, and the urbanization of rural migrants be advanced—only then will there be buyers for the homes that are built.
To achieve such a virtuous cycle, attracting investment is the first step.

04.

Grassroots officials serve as the “living calling cards” of the business environment, determining the long-term future of county-level economic development.
The drama also offers vivid portrayals of these grassroots officials.
For instance, the town party secretary who “endures constant pressure from both sides”; the village chief who “wears himself out worrying”; and the county party committee office staff member known as the “know-it-all of the compound”…
They are diligent in their posts; though their strengths and weaknesses are equally pronounced, they genuinely have the people’s best interests at heart.
However, the series also features some grassroots officials who are truly infuriating.
For instance, Liu Yajun, the director of the Industry and Commerce Bureau, who deliberately refuses to issue a business license simply because a meal was not served to his satisfaction; or Cao Jianlin, the director of the township power supply station, who holds a grudge against the newly assigned village secretary for not toasting him and subsequently cuts off power to Changling Village…
We must admit that such grassroots officials do exist.
They avoid major mistakes but commit minor ones constantly; they correct them when called out, only to repeat the same errors afterward. Once the leadership rotation comes around, they start all over again.
As the saying goes, “Mei Xiaoge comes and goes, but Cao Jianlin remains.”
According to the “bucket theory,” how much water Guangming County’s bucket can hold does not depend on how long Secretary Mei’s plank is, but on how short Director Cao’s plank is.
These grassroots officials are the “living calling cards” of the business environment; their actions and conduct shape the reputation of the entire county.
The Politburo meeting on December 6 emphasized the “Four Dares” orientation:
We must ensure that officials dare to act, localities dare to pioneer, enterprises dare to take initiative, and the public dare to innovate.
“Officials daring to act” is ranked first.
This is not only a requirement for “top leaders” like Mei Xiaoge, but also for grassroots officials like Cao Jianlin.
Taking the lead is important, but effective leadership is even more crucial.
How to establish mechanisms to inspire grassroots officials’ enthusiasm for work and innovation is a very important issue.
Linhai City, Zhejiang Province’s “Three Major Indices” mechanism for assessing and identifying officials, along with its performance evaluation system, is well worth emulating.

On November 20, the front page of the Zhejiang Daily featured Linhai City’s “Three Major Indices” mechanism for assessing and identifying officials, along with its performance evaluation system.

Linhai City uses the “Competition Index” based on comprehensive performance evaluations, the “Responsibility Index” focused on performance in tackling tough challenges, and the “Hard Work Index” based on job intensity to identify “Lion-type” and “Old Workhorse-type” officials. It also comprehensively evaluates “slacker-type” officials who rank low in evaluations and have low public approval, issuing warning notices to them.
By judging heroes by their practical actions and tangible achievements, trailblazers and capable leaders are bound to stand out.
We look forward to further innovations in mechanisms for assessing and identifying talent, and hope that the down-to-earth efforts of grassroots officials will drive new breakthroughs in the county’s economy.
Conclusion: China is currently at a critical stage of overcoming challenges.
The more we face these challenges, the greater the difficulties and obstacles we encounter, and the more we need to unite our will and align our thinking.
Much of the plot in *The County Party Committee Compound* conveys the guiding principle of “not leaving problems for the next leader.”
For example, before his transfer, former County Party Secretary Lü Qingshan resolved the persistent issue of holdouts that had been hindering the renovation of shantytowns.
Mei Xiaoge insisted on green development and addressed environmental issues, refusing to pass this problem on to his successor.
As mentioned in the first episode, the first button is crucial.
To serve as an official is to benefit the people of one’s region. Leading officials, in particular, must be adept at identifying and resolving problems.
Looking back on the Communist Party of China’s century-long journey of struggle, it is precisely through the revolutionary forging of continuously identifying and resolving problems that the Party has consistently remained the strong leadership core of China’s revolution, construction, and reform.

Perhaps this is the true subtext of this series.