I’m a Mayor. What’s Wrong with Running City Hall on TikTok?

[Douyin in Government] [A New Kind of Political Arena] [Breaking Through on Livelihood Issues] [Cleaning Up the Bureaucracy]

Gu Xingzhou is parachuted in as mayor of a resource-depleted prefecture-level city. On his first day, he launches a mayoral Douyin account and announces, “The comment section is the mayor’s hotline.” From then on, he uses short videos, livestreams, scrolling comments, local trending lists, and tips from netizens to turn a city full of unfinished construction projects, officials who lie flat, depleted public funds, and explosive public-opinion crises into a national model for digital governance.

When the people speak, he gets things done.

When departments drag their feet, he investigates on livestream.

When companies are stifled, he tears down the barriers in person.

When corrupt officials hide behind the scenes, he digs them out with data.

When the whole internet accuses him of putting on a show, he turns that show into real results.

Traffic is no monster. The real problem is when no one takes the people’s words seriously.

Douyin is not a tool of power, but a mirror that exposes demons.