Metaphors of Jiangnan Politics

After arriving in Jiangnan Province, Provincial Party Secretary He Changlong discovers over the course of four months that he is not facing the corruption of any one person, but an entire system of tacit understandings that has been in operation for more than a decade. His predecessor died in office after a supposed "heart attack." He Changlong came to Jiangnan Province with authorization from the central government, thinking he had the authority to cut through anything. Instead, he finds that the provincial officials treat him with courtesy and impeccable manners. They sign the documents and hold the meetings as usual, but every initiative he tries to advance somehow "naturally" slows down at some stage.

Discipline Inspection Commission Secretary Yuan Lidong is the only one who doesn't dodge his questions, but Yuan Lidong has troubles of his own.

The real flashpoint is neither a murder nor a conspiracy, but a signature that should never have appeared on a document changing the designated use of a plot of land. That signature links Xie Jiasheng, Party Secretary of Lingcheng; Ma Xiaosong, Ninghai's executive vice mayor; Chen Xiangyang, chairman of the Provincial Construction Group; and He Ruilin, chairman of the Ruiwen Group. At the other end of that line lies the unspoken "division of responsibilities" between Governor Tang Zhimin and Executive Vice Governor Ling Tianhe, an understanding that was never put in writing.