In the Name of the People: Liancheng's Rebellion

After Ding Yizhen flees, Sun Liancheng becomes Li Dakang's scapegoat. He's forced to cover the shortfall in resettlement funds for Dafeng Factory, pays out of his own pocket to plug the hole at the public petition office, and is made to shoulder the risks of regulatory violations in the Guangming Peak project.

When the stars in the “Cosmic District Chief's” sky can no longer withstand the pressure to deliver results, Sun Liancheng puts away his telescope and uses a report packed with data to expose the abuse of power beneath the aura of an “able administrator.” This act of resistance has nothing to do with winning or losing in his career. It asks just one question: Why should officials who neither steal nor take bribes, and who hold fast to their principles, have to make sacrifices for an aggressive pursuit of achievements? In the end, he walks away with the reputation of being “a friend to the people,” leaving behind a weighty question about the state of officialdom.