The Leadership Team

This is a realist novel focusing on the state of basic education in the counties of northern Shandong. Set in the 2020s at Qinghe County No. 1 Experimental Primary School in northern Shandong Province, it centers on the school’s leadership team: Principal Li Jianguo, Party branch secretary Wang Xiulan, vice principal for academics Zhang Wei, vice principal for administration Liu Fang, and vice principal for moral education Zhao Lei. It closely portrays the dedication and hardships of grassroots educators as they face real-world issues such as professional title evaluations, teacher recruitment and development, campus safety, implementing the “Double Reduction” policy, conflicts between schools and families, and the pressures of urbanization on county towns. The novel reveals the true texture of county-level education today and the faint glimmers of spirit in ordinary people.