New thoughts lead the new era, new journey manifests new achievements.

Looking back on the past decade of the new era, it has been a decade of Lishui faithfully fulfilling its mission, bravely shouldering its responsibilities, and forging ahead. It has also been a decade where the city’s organizational work has demonstrated unwavering loyalty, supported the overall development of the center, and facilitated leaps and bounds in progress.

Over these years, the organizational system of Lishui has diligently adhered to the general requirements for party building in the new era and the organizational guidelines of the new era. It has vigorously promoted the revolutionary spirit of southwestern Zhejiang, hoisted the banner of the Lishui spirit of proactive dedication, focused on the primary goal of “narrowing the human resource gap”, deepened the “human resource three-level enhancement project”, and made every effort to build a prominent new-era mountainous area party building stronghold with a distinctive Lishui identity.

Raising the Banner, Forging the Spirit

Strengthening Political Loyalty

The banner guides the way, and thoughts unite the strength.

Looking back over the past decade, Lishui has consistently prioritized the political construction of the Party, ensuring that the reinforcement of political leadership runs through the entire process of organizational work. This has led to a continuous commitment among party members and cadres to firmly defend the “Two Confirmations” (the confirmation of Comrade Xi Jinping’s position as the core of the Party Central Committee and the core of the entire Party, and the confirmation of the guiding role of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era), and resolutely ensuring the “Two Safeguards”(resolutely upholding the authority and centralized, unified leadership of the Party Central Committee; resolutely safeguarding the core status of the General Secretary within the Party Central Committee and the core status of the entire Party), and ensure that “General Secretary’s directives, Party Central’s deployments, provincial committee’s requirements, and Lishui’s actions” are aligned.

Political steadfastness stems from ideological clarity. In recent years, Lishui has carried out high-quality internal education, such as the “remain true to our original aspiration and keep our mission firmly in mind” thematic education and Party history studies. The city has also launched educational programs for studying and implementing Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, implemented training plans for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and conducted in-depth studies on the spirit of the 19th and 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. These efforts have propelled the entire city to grasp the truth, fostering unwavering loyalty and beliefs.

As the birthplace and pioneer of the concept “green mountains and clear waters as invaluable assets” and located in the revolutionary old area of southwestern Zhejiang, Lishui’s distinctive blend of “red plus green” forms a vibrant and authentic local resource for ideological refinement.

Over the past decade, through the continuous deepening of specialized cadres’ education and training programs with the characteristics of “red(revolutionary), green(environmental), and gold (economic)initiatives”, Lishui has established 12 on-site teaching points for red genealogy and 28 on-site teaching bases for the “Two Mountains” concept across the city. More than 1,000 sessions of specialized cadre education and training have been conducted, benefiting over 90,000 cadres. This ongoing effort has been instrumental in shaping the red genealogy and empowering green thinking.

Politics is the top priority, and political standards are the primary criteria. Lishui strictly implements the detailed rules for the assessment of the political qualities of leading cadres and explores the establishment of archives for their political qualities. Regular political quality assessments and investigations for political construction are carried out, subjecting the leadership teams of nine counties (cities, districts), 124 directly-managed municipal units, and over 800 leading cadres to comprehensive political check-ups.

Lishui has always been highly conscious of serving the political line through the organizational route, closely aligning with the central agenda. Leveraging organizational strengths, it has formulated and implemented hard-core measures such as “the Eight Initiatives and Eight Measures Strategy” for organizational system service guarantee epidemic prevention and control and economic stability improvement quality, the “Ten Major Projects for the People’s Wellbeing” for service guarantee innovation deepening reform breakthrough opening up promotion, etc., deployed and promoted heavyweight actions such as “narrowing human resources gap to help run common prosperity”, along with activities like “Three Dares, Three Comparisons” and “Cluster Horse Racing”, all aimed at driving grassroots party organizations and party members to take the lead in frontline work related to the “Number One Development Project”, “Dual Attraction and Dual Retention”, disaster prevention security assurance, enterprise assistance during the anti-epidemic campaign. These efforts underline the fundamental value of organizational work in serving the central agenda.

Select the Virtuous and Capable

Forging an Exceptional Team

Cadres shoulder the responsibilities, and organizations support the cadres.

Over the past decade, Lishui has adhered to the principles of Party leadership over cadres and the standards of “high-quality cadres” in the new era. It has earnestly implemented a high-quality personnel selection and appointment criteria system, vigorously promoted systematic restructuring of the cadre workforce organization, and, through strong organizational support, encouraged cadres to take on responsibilities, effectively leading the high-quality development with the commitment of “one cadre leading while thousands advance”.

As for the optimization of the cadre structure, a clear orientation of “four adherences and eight non-adherences” for selecting the competent has been firmly established. Actions such as the “One Leader Strategy Reserve”, precise assignment of specialized cadres, rigorous training of young cadres, and coordinated cadre exchanges across regions have been carried out under the 'Four Plans in One Year' initiative. Over 150 “One Leader” candidates have been regularly reserved, and a “9+3” professional talent pool and more than 900 outstanding young cadres have been established. During the recent concentrated leadership transition, more than 120 cadres from county-level party and government bodies, accounting for over 80%, and over 140 cadres from the four sets of leadership teams, accounting for over 50%, have engaged in inter-regional exchanges. This has effectively shifted governance from being based on personal relationships to being governed by institutions.

As for the firm construction of cadre quality, innovative measures such as the “Quality Enhancement Action for Public Officials at the Entry Level” have been implemented, along with comprehensive scheduling and joint review mechanisms, under the new model of city-county group collaboration. Lishui has taken the lead in implementing a standardized “full-cycle” civil servant recruitment process, which was recognized as a distinctive initiative across the province. In the first half of 2023, among the newly recruited public officials, over 90% hold undergraduate degrees, over 30% hold master’s degrees, and more than 11% are graduates from “Double First-Class” universities and universities ranked in the top 100 by QS, with respective increases of 6.8, 16.5, and 5.1 percentage points.

As for the optimization of cadre assessments, innovative approaches like the “Three-Dimensional Cadre Assessment” have been explored, earning provincial-level awards for reform breakthroughs and being promoted throughout the province. Particularly this year, following directives from the provincial and municipal committees, a “1+4+1” institutional design(a comprehensive assessment method and four related systems for different types of cadres and organizations, as well as an implementation plan, that were issued by Lishui City to establish a scientific and effective assessment system for the whole city), including the Comprehensive Assessment Method of Lishui City, has been substantially established. This has driven a scientific and effective comprehensive assessment system across the city, promoting competition, talent recognition, and cadre motivation, fostering a proactive and enterprising atmosphere for officials to excel and learn from one another.

As for the cultivation of the diligent and upright workforce, a comprehensive cadre supervision mechanism has been systematically constructed, ensuring the standardization and institutionalization of cadre supervision work. A rigorous approach has been implemented to encourage cadres to perform both upwards and downwards, along with a mechanism for error tolerance and correction. This approach firmly supports those who take responsibility, holds those who are in charge accountable, and backs those who take action. It has contributed to creating a favorable situation where the capable are promoted, the outstanding are rewarded, the mediocre are demoted, and the underperforming are removed.

Over these years, more than 350 individuals and over 100 exemplary collectives have been identified as embodying “the Lishui spirit of proactive dedication” among good cadres and pioneers. Twenty cadres have been recognized as outstanding cadres who demonstrate dedication in Zhejiang Province. In response to key tasks such as pandemic prevention and control and the creation of a National Civilized City, more than 570 individuals have received commendations and more than 50 individuals have received third-class merit awards. Additionally, over 120 collectives have been commended, and more than 20 collectives have received third-class merit awards. These recognitions have effectively motivated the enthusiasm and creativity of the majority of cadres to embody 'the Lishui spirit of proactive dedication.

Nurture Roots and Safeguard the Lifeline

Strengthening the Foundation of Party Building

Focus on the grassroots, strengthen the foundation, and secure the fundamentals.

Over the past decade, Lishui has firmly undertaken the mission to safeguard the “red roots” and emphasized a clear focus on grassroots work and its importance. It has vigorously implemented ten major actions under the “Red Shining Green Valley, Strong Foundation and Common Prosperity” project, promoting comprehensive progress and excellence in grassroots party building in various areas. This has laid the preliminary foundation for an integrated smart governance system at the grassroots level under the leadership of the Party and a system that promotes common prosperity.

Continuous efforts have been made in the “Whole Township Advancement, Whole County Improvement” initiative, and the “Hundred Counties Compete, Thousand Townships Advance, and Ten Thousand Villages Excel” project. The city has introduced a five-tier evaluation system for towns (sub-districts) to strive for the “Five Strong” title and for villages (communities) to achieve “Five-Star” ratings. This has led to the recognition of one county, nine towns (sub-districts), and 73 villages (communities) as provincial-level demonstration areas for strong grassroots party building. Modern community construction has been consistently promoted, bringing to light the “Happy Coexistence, Beautiful Lishui” modern community brand. In various sectors such as state-owned enterprises, education, and healthcare, party building efforts have been categorized to create distinctive party building brands.

The construction of a skilled cadre workforce has been accelerated, and a skill training system has been established comprising city-level academies, county-level centers, and rural training centers. Over 1,300 skill training sessions have been conducted, benefiting more than 40,000 individuals. For five consecutive years, the “Leading Geese Educational Advancement Plan” has been implemented. It employs a three-pronged training model comprising academic education, centralized training, and on-the-job practical training. This initiative has helped more than 2,300 rural cadres to enhance their education level by 40 percentage points, as they transitioned from fields to university classrooms.

The “Solidarity of the Party and the People, Grid Community Engagement” campaign has been vigorously implemented, along with the promotion of signature brands like “Living in the Village and Standing with the Village”, “Community Information Maps”and “Party Member Acts of Kindness”. Through the establishment of the “Cross-Mountain Cooperation” party building mechanism, over 3,400 party organizations have initiated collaborations, resulting in more than 700 practical cases, including the development of border areas, shared prosperity through mobility, and community governance by streets and towns.

Party building leadership has been instrumental in strengthening the collective economy. A total of 182 strong village companies have been established with full coverage and a multi-dimensional approach, which has been advanced through practices such as “One Hundred Enterprises Supporting One Hundred Villages” and “Eliminating Weak Villages through Consolidation”. As a result, over 1,100 designated weak villages have been removed from the list, making Lishui the leading province in terms of growth in collective economic income in 2022. The development of a hundred beautiful red villages has been promoted in depth, creating the “Golden Card” for innovative implementation of the “Thousand and Ten Thousand Project”. Twelve central pilot villages have been established, eight high-quality cross-county routes have been launched, and 103 red-themed educational routes have been introduced.

Relying on the “Shared Prosperity Workshops” pilot project across the province, a “One County, One Product” mountainous shared prosperity workshop cluster has been deeply integrated and expanded. This has created a “shared prosperity chain” in mountainous areas that includes workshops, learning centers, shuttle buses, and mountain delivery. Lishui has taken the lead in formulating the city-level local standard, the “Management Specification for Lishui Mountain Workshops (Shared Prosperity Workshops)”. More than 800 workshops have been built, benefiting over 50,000 people and over 5,000 low-income farmers. The “One Heart, Ten Districts, One Hundred Stations” framework for party building collaboration in the express logistics industry has been established, ensuring full coverage of party committees in nine counties (cities, districts) and the transportation industry in Lishui. Party building has guided the inclusion of “Lishui Mountain Delivery (Parcel Service Brand)” in the province’s second batch of best practices for common prosperity.

Build Nests and Attract Phoenixes

Establishing a Talent Hub

Innovation is the primary driver, and talent is the most valuable resource.

Over the past decade, Lishui has implemented a strategy for talent and technology to become a strong city. It has consistently amplified the synergy between talent and technology, creating a place where young people and the city mutually thrive. The city has worked hard to build a national hub for talent, innovation, and entrepreneurship in line with the “Two Mountains” development concept.

In 2019, the leadership teams for talent and technology at the municipal level merged to form a single entity. They implemented two rounds of new policies that led the nation in exploring legislation for the integration of talent and technology, focus on industry orientation, platform development, talent aggregation, and service support, which have all promoted deep integration and development of talent and technology.

Lishui has adhered to the basic logic of “industry-oriented technology, technology-driven talent, and talent supporting industry”. It has vigorously promoted the strategic leading project of “Dual Attraction and Dual Retention” and has been a pioneer in integrating industry, technology, and talent through comprehensive planning. The city has introduced ten hardcore measures to serve and support “Dual Attraction and Dual Retention” resulting in a significant increase in the city’s talent index and continued growth in the influx of various types of talent, including university graduates.

For eleven consecutive years since 2012, Lishui has hosted the Talent and Technology Summit, attracting talent from both domestic and international sources to innovate and start businesses in the city. The city has actively promoted key talent programs such as “Green Valley Elite” and “Green Valley Talent” to facilitate collaboration among more talents, projects, and capital in Lishui’s new round of development. Accelerated implementation of the ten major breakthrough actions for key talent and technology work has achieved a historic breakthrough in the number of talents selected for provincial-level and above key talent programs and the establishment of high-level talent platforms.

Since last year, an action plan has been implemented to enhance the wealth-sharing capacity of skilled talents, and this initiative has been included in the city’s livelihood projects for two consecutive years. As of the end of July this year, a total of 315,800 people have participated in skills upgrading, with an increase of 65,500 skilled talents, including 25,500 highly skilled talents. Lishui leads the province in the growth rate of highly skilled talents.

The competition for talent is not only a competition for the environment but also for services. Focusing on the goal of “people-oriented, making talents feel valued”, Lishui has established a mechanism for ten practical measures for talent and technology services. It has successively set up Lishui Talent and Technology Companies and Innovation Companies, established the province’s first Talent and Technology Guarantee Court, built a “one-stop, comprehensive, full-process” judicial service guarantee mechanism, issued the province’s first batch of talent and technology insurance standards, launched the “Talent Finance Port”, and iteratively upgraded the Lishui Talent Code, thus Lishui became the first in the province to connect with provincial financial payments, offering the best service to achieve the highest quality outcomes.

As of the end of last year, Lishui’s talent resources have grown to 507,700 people, a year-on-year increase of 1.97%, ranking among the top three in the province for growth rate. The city has climbed from 69th to 55th place in the ranking of the most attractive cities for talent in China and made it to the top 50 among the top 95 cities with the most attraction for post-1995 talent, Lishui’s talent magnetism has become even stronger.

To succeed, one must be self-reliant. Over the years, the entire city’s organization system has closely followed the requirements of “being politically sound, fair, highly skilled, and maintaining good work ethics”. It has emphasized the “Four Soldiers” target of “being a new recruit, a sentinel, a pursuer, and striving to be a standard-bearer”. The focus has been on the “Four Do’s and Four Upgrades” requirements of “guarding against complacency, raising one’s position; guarding against mediocrity, improving quality; guarding against complacency, boosting morale; and guarding against small details, preventing crossing the line”. With the utmost effort, organizational departments have driven the transformation and reshaping of their own construction and the reform of the organizational system, pushing forward the construction of excellent teams.

Embarking on a thousand-mile journey with strong winds, shouldering a heavy responsibility with determination.

Facing the future, the organizational departments of the entire city will uphold the highest principles with unwavering loyalty, practice their fundamental mission by serving the overall situation, and advance major tasks with proactive responsibility. Always rooted in reality and moving forward, they will work tirelessly to build a new era of mountainous party leadership, establishing a high ground for party building that aligns with the needs of the times. They will continue to promote high-quality development in organizational work in the new era, unwaveringly implement the “88 Strategies”, vigorously advance innovation, deepen reforms, tackle challenges, and enhance openness, striving to break new ground for leapfrogging, high-quality development.