In the Name of the People: Love and Sunshine in Handong

For years, the old problems left behind under Zhao Lichun's rule in Handong Province have formed a vast web of connections and unspoken rules.

Xiao Han arrives in Handong. At the airport, he witnesses Hou Liangping using excessive force to enforce the law and asks, “If there's a procedural loophole and the person being questioned asks about it, is that their right, or is it obstruction of justice?” One question sets off a storm.

He calls in Li Dakang, Gao Yuliang, and Qi Tongwei, men who have struggled, compromised, and become mired in the mess. He tells them, “I'm not here to assign blame. I'm here to solve the problems.”

Li Dakang is lonely, so he gives him support. Gao Yuliang wants to turn back, so he gives him a way forward. Qi Tongwei wants to atone, so he gives him a chance.

At the military district gate, Lu Yuanchao has kept watch for twenty-one years. Xiao Han says, “Treat the people like family, with warmth. Treat local affairs like work, and follow the rules.” So, on the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, military trucks roll out of the gate to peel oranges for the elderly at a care home.

This is the story of a group of people learning to trust again after the old web has collapsed.