Novels like Back to 1997: Starting Out as a Small-Town Writer
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as Back to 1997: Starting Out as a Small-Town Writer, best match first.
- 151 In the Name of the People: I, Qi Tongwei, Get Another Life 人民的名义：我祁同伟，再活一世 [No System, no golden finger, meticulously researched, well-reasoned plot, plenty of satisfying moments] With a gunshot on Guying Ridge, Qi Tongwei took his own life, bringing his story to an end. But when he opened his eyes again, it was 1989! Qi Tongwei saw Zhong Xia Ai enrolling at the university and stepped forward. “Junior, let me help you with your luggage.” At this point, Liang Lu hadn’t started pursuing him relentlessly! At this point, he was still the young prodigy everyone admired! Giv 9.3kReads8.2Score35114d adds
- 152 The Provincial Party Compound: In the Name of the Queen of Spades 省委大院，黑桃皇的名义 Political schemes and power plays, civil war erupting on all sides, and clashes between powerful figures leaving countless dead and wounded. A spectacular anti-corruption campaign unfolds in Longxi Province. The protagonist, Weng Qingyun, starts out in a high-ranking position and enters a life-and-death struggle with Professor Meng Dehu, who just can't help snapping, “Look at you, getting worked up again.” This is more than a brilliant battle between two individuals. It's also a fierce clash bet —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 153 Tides of Officialdom: Straight Up to the Azure Clouds 宦海浮沉之直上青云 Wang Jianfei’s story of rising through the ranks! A genuine work about the world of officialdom, written in a documentary style by a seasoned author of political fiction with tens of millions of words to his name. A quality read guaranteed! 8.2kReads8.8Score88314d adds
- 154 The Storm of Power 权力风暴 After leaving the military, protagonist Jiang Yunhao embarks on his political career. In his struggles against his rivals, Jiang Yunhao sticks to his principles and never shies away from a challenge. He also frequently surprises people with his strategic skill. In the end, through his own hard work and the recognition of influential leaders, Jiang Yunhao carves out a path of his own to the top. 5.3kReads8.9Score44714d adds
- 155 The Open Plot 阳谋 The story of Tang Jun, a newly appointed civil servant, rising swiftly through the ranks! 6.5kReads9.0Score75214d adds
- 156 A Book by Jiangling Buyi 江陵布衣的一本书 My new work is out! You can read it on Tomato Novel. I hope you’ll enjoy it. Your support motivates me to write, and I’ll do my best to tell every story well! 448Reads8.4Score10114d adds
- 157 A Book by Xiao Yu 小鱼的一本书 A low-ranking civil servant content to coast through life catches the eye of a female superior, who forces him to marry her. His career in government stretches on, but he never expected what would be waiting for him... 11.9kReads9.0Score1.2k14d adds
- 158 I Saved Wang Xiyuan, and My Career Took Off Overnight 救下王熙媛，我的仕途一日千里 Reborn, Su Ting, a junior clerk in the County Party Committee Office, accompanies his female superior on a business trip. Using his foresight and the knowledge and experience he gained in his previous life, he foils conspiracies, earns great merit, and roots out corruption, winning his superior's favor. From there, he turns his fortunes around and rises rapidly through the ranks… 713Reads8.1Score26514d adds
- 159 Civil Servant: You Talk Connections? I Follow the Rules! 公务员：你讲关系？我讲条例！ My name is Xu Nuo. My colleagues all call me a bookworm. They don't know that behind my glasses lies the Regulations on the Appointment of Cadres, a book that determines everyone's fate. He talks connections. I talk rules. He works the personal angle. I follow procedure. 11Reads—Score—14d adds
- 160 I Drove the Whole Office Mad, Then a Big Shot Handpicked Me for Promotion 气疯全单位，我被大佬点名提拔 Let me start with the conclusion: I'm Lin Zheng. After being reborn, all I wanted was to be a decent person who follows the rules. Instead, I became the office's living King of Hell. I really didn't mean to. Scene One: An old colleague asks me to run out and buy popsicles. Me: “According to the regulations, personal errands aren't allowed during work hours.” (smiles) Result: The old colleague freezes on the spot, so furious his CPU practically starts smoking. The whole office: “Yikes... Is this —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 161 The Pinnacle of Power: Starting with My Discharge from the Military 权力巅峰，从退伍转业开始 Tags: Urban, Political Career Just after transferring from his decisive and efficient post as a battalion commander to a local government job, the protagonist suffers a double blow: His girlfriend dumps him to climb the social ladder, while his unfamiliarity with the rules of officialdom leads him to misjudge an important decision due to a lack of information, leaving him in a tight spot. With the help and guidance of a lively female colleague, he begins to see through the unspoken rules hidden 7.2kReads7.3Score63914d adds
- 162 Yao Ganxian Ganxian 姚赶先赶先 Yao Ganxian is the director of the Investment Promotion Bureau in Qinghe City’s Economic Development Zone. He is full of ideas and knows how to get things done, and he has earned a stellar reputation for attracting and supporting businesses. But when the zone’s administrative committee needs to appoint a deputy director in charge of investment promotion, the self-serving incumbent director, Sun Dongfeng, refuses to recommend Yao for all sorts of reasons, often setting traps to undermine his work 53Reads—Score—14d adds
- 163 Officialdom: There's a Beauty Named Xiaofang in the Office 官场：办公室有位美女叫小芳 He works hard, strives to improve, and longs for pure love. Career and romance, what’s hidden and what’s out in the open... His colleague Liu Xiaohua, his classmate Huanhuan. How should he choose...? And then there’s Tang Wan’er, whom he secretly loves... —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 164 Power Struggles in Politics: A Junior Official Defies Fate 宦海争锋，从科员开始胜天半子 The path to officialdom is never smooth sailing. Only those who can turn the tables against the odds can become its true masters. Chen Changshan had no connections and was a low-ranking civil servant pushed to the sidelines. He was destined for a life of obscurity, until he accidentally crossed his superior's line. With a clever move, he turned the tables, escaped the crisis, and changed his fortunes. From then on, he embarked on the road to promotion, pulling off one upset after another as he c 18.9kReads9.0Score73114d adds
- 165 In the Name of the People: Gao Yuliang's Son-in-Law Saves the Day, Handong's Political Power 名义：高育良女婿救场，汉东权利 [In the Name of the People] [The Knockout] [Qi Tongwei] [The Official's Ladder] [The Pinnacle of Power] Gao Yuliang? Sha Ruijin? Li Dakang? Qi Tongwei? The Handong Clique? Dropped into Handong as a vice governor? I, Lu Zechuan, had barely taken office in Jingzhou when I turned the tables against the odds and brought Handong to its knees! A hard-hitting start: I took down Hou Liangping in one move. Sha Ruijin sprang to his feet in shock, and Tian Guofu broke into a cold sweat! Gao Yuliang offers 798Reads6.1Score3914d adds
- 166 I'm Qi Tongwei, and I Married a Widow. What Business Is It of Yours, Hou Liangping? 我祁同伟娶寡妇，关你侯亮平屁事 [Sniper-shotting madman + ruthless and laconic + sometimes openhearted, sometimes sly + respects Gao Zhiliang and makes good use of Director Cheng + becomes the king of Handong at forty] In his first life, Qi Tongwei shot himself at Lone Eagle Ridge, his dream shattered by Hou Liangping’s endless rhetoric. In his second life, Qi Tongwei allied himself with the Zhao family. He became the king of Handong, but Zhao Lichun’s influence kept him from going any further. In the end, he died of illness b 257Reads—Score—14d adds
- 167 Turbulent Waves 迷涛 This is a chronicle of a grassroots official's rise and fall, a portrait of county-level officialdom in the 1990s, and, above all, a bittersweet song of an era defined by the struggle between human weakness and steadfastness. When the turbulent waters recede, the embankment still bears the upright figures of those who never bent. 14Reads—Score—14d adds
- 168 Reaching the Summit: From Entry-Level Clerk to the Pinnacle of Power 问鼎：从基层科员到权力巅峰 Liang Zhiyuan, a low-ranking government clerk, happens to rescue a mysterious person from drowning, unaware that she is Chen Hailing, the new leader parachuted in from above. Together, they uncover the tangled web of underground dealings in Shiyi County. When the illicit trade comes to light, armed with the favor of the county Party secretary, he navigates the factions around him and fights his way from a sleepy government office into the vortex of power. 854Reads7.8Score21814d adds
- 169 Crossing the Class Divide: My Position Packs a Lot of Clout 跨越阶层，我的职务含权量有点高 Starting out as a civil servant in a small town, Xu Zhen defied the odds, rose rapidly, and climbed steadily up the ranks. There are political struggles, the freedom that comes with personal wealth, and a beautiful, capable wife with powerful connections backing him. 15.8kReads8.4Score1.4k14d adds
- 170 The Young People at the Judicial Office 司法所里的年轻人 Fresh graduate Xu Daqi starts working at a judicial office. He goes from inexperienced and clueless to mature and steady, navigating the minutiae of grassroots work and the bizarre realities of life on the ground. After learning that good deeds are not always rewarded, he comes to understand that kindness must be accompanied by diligence. From suspicious-death investigations and land-flooding disputes to group petitions over contract breaches, he holds fast to the belief that public service is a 10Reads—Score—14d adds
- 171 Qi Tongwei: Monkey, Why Are You So Keen to Learn Foreign Languages? 祁同伟：猴子你怎么爱好学外语 The plot jumps all over the place, but it makes sense to me. If that bothers you, please don't complain; just treat it as a joke. Qi Tongwei has just graduated from college and passed the civil service selection exam to work at the grassroots level. After saving a little girl while visiting the countryside, he unexpectedly becomes the Qi Tongwei from the drama. Fresh out of college, he is assigned as an assistant to a remote judicial office. With no connections, Qi Tongwei enlists in the army an 4.1kReads6.9Score14314d adds
- 172 The Road to Light: An Agricultural Graduate Selected for County Government 光明之路：县委大院的农学选调生 Lin Gengye, a master’s graduate in agricultural science, joins the troubled Guangming County as a government trainee, facing accusations that he is a “second-generation official” and only there to pad his resume. He uses technology to transform barren land and applies stock-market strategies to run sustainable agriculture, silencing his critics and increasing the income of poor households. He builds his path to promotion through hard work and answers every doubt with a bountiful harvest. See how 165Reads6.5Score914d adds
- 173 In the Name of the People: I Became Gao Yuliang's Backer 名义：我成了高育良靠山 Wang Li was born into a family from a government compound. He spent seven years sent down to the countryside as an educated youth, where he became close friends with fellow educated youth Gao Yuliang. The two went to the countryside together and returned to the city at the same time, but then embarked on two completely different paths. Along the way, Gao Yuliang faced temptation and corruption again and again, and each time Wang Li pulled him back from the brink. Years later, Gao Yuliang became 21.7kReads8.7Score79614d adds
- 174 Reborn in the Government: Rising Straight to the Top 重生官场之青云直上 My new work is out! You can read it on Tomato Novel. I hope you’ll enjoy it. Your support inspires me to write, and I’ll do my best to tell every story well! 456Reads8.6Score9914d adds
- 175 Mysterious Spy 玄谍 Shanghai, 1943. In the shadows where gunfire and betrayal intertwine, a fortune-teller clutching the Book of Changes is using the oldest methods to write the most dangerous espionage legend. Chen Xuan is the director of the archives at the Wang puppet regime’s No. 76 intelligence headquarters. On the surface, he is “Chen the Half-Immortal,” obsessed with divination. In truth, he is a top agent for the Chinese Communist Party’s underground network, codenamed “Xuanwu.” Every day, he tells his col 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 176 In the Name of the People: Transmigrating as Ding Yizhen 名义：穿越丁义珍 After transmigrating as Ding Yizhen, he was about to become “Tom Ding” and flee the country. But was it really so easy to make it abroad? Ding Yizhen decided to stay. Life was tough everywhere, so he might as well remain at home. Watch as Ding Yizhen stirs up trouble across Handong! 38.5kReads8.2Score1.7k14d adds
- 177 Starting in Handong: Want a Promotion? Ask Me First! 从汉东开始：想上位？问我没有！ Sun Yonghao, grandson of Sun Zheng! His grandfather, Sun Zheng, rose from the war years all the way to the top! Sun Yonghao is assigned to Guangming District! Chen Yanshi: Jinzi is my adopted son. You dare refuse to approve the land for me? Gao Yuliang: Secretary Sun, do you think I still have a chance? Qi Tongwei: Secretary Sun, I really want to get ahead! Li Dakang: My path to advancement is my official career! Hou Liangping: I'm a son-in-law of the Zhong family, heaven's favored son, and a fu 7.3kReads7.0Score17214d adds
- 178 The Road to Officialdom: Starting at the Grassroots 官道：从基层做起 [Officialdom + Power + Romance + Workplace] Once you figure out how the system works, it’s like activating a cheat code. It’s an exciting ride from the start. This realistic novel about officialdom follows Lin Yaodong’s step-by-step rise from the grassroots to the heights of power. 30Reads—Score—14d adds
- 179 Back on the Road to Office: Making Waves in Legal and Political Circles 重走官途之在政法圈风生水起 First, there are no melodramatic plots built around a reborn protagonist’s foreknowledge. The story closely reflects the realities of officialdom, with strong logic and a clear central plot. Second, it fills a gap in rebirth novels by exploring legal and political subject matter, offering an in-depth look at political maneuvering and rhetorical tactics from within the legal and political system. Third, it avoids the multiple-heroines trope. Most rebirth stories feature several heroines, which fe 397Reads5.5Score—14d adds
- 180 Power at Its Peak: Starting as the Director of the Urban Development Office 权力巅峰：从城建办主任开始 They say that once you're caught up in the underworld, you have no say in your own fate. In his previous life, one wrong step left him behind bars, where he died a miserable death. In this life, armed with foresight, he will rise straight to the heavens and reach the very peak! 306Reads8.8Score10014d adds
- 181 Officialdom and Gambling 官赌 Du He and Li Mingbo were university classmates, and they had been close friends since their student days. Du He was the head of the finance office at the Transportation Bureau. In his spare time, he liked to play a few rounds to get closer to his superiors. Before long, he was hooked, gradually becoming a regular at the gambling table. He was good at mahjong and skilled at reading his superiors’ preferences. Over time, he became The Outcast, the powerful figure second only to the bureau chief. H 3.2kReads9.2Score33814d adds
- 182 The Official Power Broker: The Art of Controlling Officials 官枭：驭官有术 [Rebirth + Officialdom + Political Schemes + Calculating Protagonist] Power is the best kind of stimulant. Unless you’ve never had it, once you possess it, giving it up of your own accord is all but impossible! In his previous life, Chen Hanqing was suppressed and suffered from depression. After his wife betrayed him, he eventually died in despair under the humiliation she and her lover heaped on him. Reborn ten years in the past, Chen Hanqing must face a new set of choices. Watch as he takes do 115Reads8.8Score10314d adds
- 183 Living Again, I’ll Choose My Own Life 重活一次我要选择自己的人生 Reborn in 2005, Li Yifei awakens an extraordinary ability: perfect recall! From an ordinary student from a poor family, he rises to become the top scorer in both the high school and college entrance exams. He earns three top-tier doctoral degrees in four years and makes a fortune of tens of billions on the stock market! At 23, he's a phantom in the world of finance, yet he turns around and knocks on the door to a career in government, becoming the youngest government trainee in history! In the d 35.9kReads7.8Score3k14d adds
- 184 Officer, Are You a Good-Luck Charm? The Spies Are Coming Right to Your Door! 警官你锦鲤啊，间谍自己送上门？ After a chance encounter awakens a pair of mutated eyes, Zhang Xing can use their abilities to spot spies hiding among ordinary people. Having always despised spies, Zhang Xing resolutely sets out on the path of counterespionage. Protect Huaxia: this mission will never die! 7kReads8.4Score70714d adds
- 185 The Winds of Change on the Official Path 官路之风起云涌 This book is the sequel to Reborn: The Candid Confession. Father and son Zhang Anping and Zhang Hao have both left Jiang Province to enter a much broader political arena. After losing most of his support, Zhang Hao once again finds himself in a difficult situation. How will he plan his moves and secure victory from afar? Watch the tides of change, and listen for the dragon’s roar. (All characters, locations, and events in this book are fictional. Please do not connect them to real life. Any rese 2kReads8.9Score15414d adds
- 186 Reborn: The Rose on the Road to Power 重生之官路蔷薇 She is a reborn rose, beautiful and thorny. In her previous life, Yu Yaduo was a discarded pawn on the political chessboard, falsely accused and driven to her death from a building. In this life, she has returned with her memories, determined to be the one moving the pieces. When her superiors make things difficult, she calmly turns the tables; when her colleagues ostracize her, she hears the thunder in the silence. On a battlefield dominated by men, she wields wisdom as her blade and conscien —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 187 The Official's Ladder: Starting by Raking in Billions from Imperialism 官梯：从薅帝国主义羊毛百亿开始 A great political novel, with a super-fast pace, a logical power fantasy, humor, and plenty of passion. Qin Jiageng is reborn into the world of politics. A master of managing upward, his greatest talent is bringing good fortune to his bosses, all the way to the pinnacle of power. 9.8kReads9.2Score80914d adds
- 188 Don't Mess with Me! I'm My Own Backing! 别惹我！我自己就是背景！ My new story is out! You can read my work on Tomato Novel. I hope you enjoy it. Your support inspires me to write, and I'll do my best to tell every story well! 26.7kReads8.3Score2.3k14d adds
- 189 Investigated from the Start! Reborn, I'm Turning the Tables in Politics! 开局被查！重生我要逆袭官场！ The little girl who used to follow her around, calling her “Sis” again and again, is now a powerful figure in her own right! How quickly time flies. Officialdom is like a chess game: one careless move can cost you everything. Officialdom is like a battlefield: there may be no clash of blades, but danger lurks around every corner. Cheng Mo is caught between power and emotion! He moves carefully, step by step, straight toward the top. That is officialdom: a war without smoke, and a journey of self 296Reads—Score11214d adds
- 190 Just Got a Government Job and Got Dumped? I Turned Around and Became the County Magistrate's Secretary 刚上岸就分手？反手我成县长秘书 Tags: Politics, Comeback, Veteran, Power Struggles, Face-Slapping In the summer of 2008, just before his transfer out of the military, Lu Hao is abandoned by his girlfriend, Lin Xueer. A twist of fate leads him to rescue Su Ya in a crisis. His abilities earn him a position as her secretary, drawing him into the vortex of power. Lu Hao ventures into the grassroots ranks, gathers evidence, and joins forces with Su Ya to take on local kingpin Zhang Minghai and his interest group. This novel follows 17.7kReads7.7Score1k14d adds
- 191 Officialdom: My Connections Reach the Heavens 官场：我背景通天 69.9kReads9.1Score7.4k14d adds
- 192 I Just Want to Be a Minor Official 我只想当个小官 I don't have any grand ambitions. I just want a quiet, stable life. I don't have big goals, either; I just want to look after my own little patch of land. But the times have changed. In this world, truth and lies are mixed together, and black and white have become indistinguishable. They even call working 996 a blessing. That's beyond ridiculous. I really don't want to keep slogging away at 996 anymore. I might as well take a chance and get out of this rat race! 183.7kReads8.3Score14.4k14d adds
- 193 Reborn in the Millennium: My Career in Government Starts as a Beat Cop 重生千禧年：官场之路从片警开始 Liu Qingming's rebirth begins with a major case, one that cost him his job in his previous life. In this life, he'll take a different path. 6.1kReads8.9Score73914d adds
- 194 A Life in Politics 仕途人生 After graduating from university, Chen Minghao gave up the chance to stay in the provincial capital and returned with his girlfriend to her hometown, a remote county. To his dismay, his influential parents assigned him to work in a far-flung village. They eventually broke the couple apart by every means at their disposal. Little did they know that Chen Minghao came from a powerful family. With his family's support and his own hard work, he overcame every obstacle and rose swiftly through the ran 17.6kReads9.1Score1.3k14d adds
- 195 The Road to Medicine Leads to Heaven: From Doctor to Political Power Player 医路通天：从医生到官场纵横 This book is over a million words long, so you can read with confidence. It is guaranteed to keep you hooked and racing through the chapters without stopping! People say that being an official is all about connections. With enough connections, you can rocket your way up the ranks without even lifting a finger. But Ning Yuan, who has the best connections of all, dives headfirst into the country's poorest, most backward rural township. In everyone else's eyes, he's a fool who has connections but d 13.1kReads9.1Score1.4k14d adds
- 196 Reborn: A Meteoric Rise in Officialdom 重生：官途狂飙 They say everyone gets three chances in life to change their fate: the college entrance exam, choosing a career, and marriage. Because of their inexperience when they were young, so many people miss chance after chance to change their lives, eventually becoming corporate drones earning 3,000 yuan a month. If you had the chance to go back to the night before filling out your college entrance exam applications, what would you choose? Burdened with a blood feud, Qin Lang chooses a career in governm 18.1kReads9.1Score1.4k14d adds
- 197 My Beautiful Boss Won’t Leave Me Alone 美女领导缠上我 A female leader's driver saved her during an unexpected crisis, earning her trust from then on. He helped her cut through obstacles in the political arena, advance her career, and thrive at every turn. 6.1kReads7.6Score43314d adds
- 198 Forged in the Fires of War: The Qi Family's Rising Star Changes Handong 战火淬炼：祁家将星改写汉东天 [Military life + stirring action + defying fate + In the Name of the People + Qi Tongwei + Zhao Mengsheng] In 1978, Qi Tongwei's uncle, Fang Zhenhua, ate the last scraps of food his sister and brother-in-law had managed to save, then enlisted. They wagered everything just to give him a chance at a better future. In 1979, war engulfed the southern frontier! New recruit Fang Zhenhua carried all his sister and brother-in-law's hopes onto a battlefield drenched in blood, where he became a legendary 424Reads8.3Score10414d adds
- 199 The Road to Officialdom: From Low-Ranking Clerk to Provincial Power Broker 青云官路：从小职员到封疆大吏 Rebirth + Traditional Political Intrigue + Power Games + High Intelligence + No Harem Reborn on the way to the detention center, Zhou Yan must find a way to turn the tables against all odds. He goes from the business world to politics, from developing real estate to governing a region, following one ordinary man’s rise to success. He’s an ordinary man who’s a little calculating, a small-time player with a sharp mind and sound values. He has the full range of emotions and desires that any ordinar 3kReads9.3Score19714d adds
- 200 The Official’s Journey 官场之征途 Three months ago, Ye Qingze graduated from the Chinese department at Kyoto University and was assigned to Xicheng County. The county magistrate immediately took a liking to him and made him his personal secretary at the county government. A rising star in politics seemed poised to shine. But three months later, the county magistrate was arrested, and Ye Qingze, the new favorite at the Xicheng County government, fell into the dust! When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. When the wall falls, ev 30kReads9.0Score2.8k14d adds
