This is a survival handbook for a poor country boy navigating the world of officialdom. Li Qingshan, a son of humble origins, graduates at the top of his county and leaves the mountains behind, only to turn down a future in Beijing and insist on returning to the muddy roads of his hometown. Full of youthful passion, he joins the county poverty alleviation office, believing that knowledge can change lives and public service can nurture the countryside. But reality’s first lesson comes in the form of a poverty relief ledger riddled with problems, a meticulously staged “accident” car crash, and a transfer order banishing him to a remote township.
When a clear stream crashes against a hard reef, will it shatter, or learn to flow around the obstacle, gather strength, and surge ahead like water? With guidance from an old official who knows the rules inside out but has never lost sight of his principles, and the watchful support of an idealistic female reporter, Li Qingshan begins to transform. He grows from a scholar who sees everything in black and white into a player who knows how to navigate the currents. Amid the turbulent waters of grassroots politics, he maneuvers through the maze of power, profit, personal ties, and law; on the broad stage where fish can swim freely, he faces the ultimate test of policy and public sentiment.
This is an epic account of an ordinary man’s rise and fall in the great river of his times. See how Li Qingshan takes his ideals as his boat and reality as his oars, carving a mighty, guilt-free course along the Longgu River as he navigates between protecting what matters and growing, compromise and conviction. His story begins with an idealist battered and bloodied, but will ultimately reach the vast sea of possibilities awaiting countless doers. #RagsToRiches #PoliticalIntrigue #PowerGamesAndGrowth #RealisticFiction #RuralRevitalization
