Colorful years

However, things are impermanent.

Minister Wu, who had worked in the Publicity Department for many years and had an outstanding record, had to leave his original position due to age and was transferred to the position of deputy director of the Management Office.

This highly respected leader, whose calm and wise style earned him the admiration and love of many, has passed away with great regret.

Suddenly, Zhang Cong found himself without two highly respected mentors and leaders, a change that was difficult for him to adjust to. The once familiar work environment seemed strange now, and scenes of working and communicating with them together frequently flashed through his mind, filling him with mixed emotions.

The wheels of history keep turning forward, and life goes on. Zhang Cong knows he must adjust his mindset as soon as possible and embrace future challenges and opportunities with a fresh perspective.

After Minister Wu and Teacher Man left, the Publicity Department seemed to experience a storm of personnel changes over the next year or so. During this period, it welcomed three leaders with different styles and backgrounds.

First, Minister Fu replaced Minister Wu. This young and promising new minister entered the Publicity Department with great enthusiasm and innovative ideas.

However, fate seems to love playing tricks. Just before Minister Fu had a chance to fully demonstrate his abilities, the county party committee elections came in the autumn of 1984. This meant a reshuffling of leadership positions. Minister Fu left the propaganda department with some regret, taking on the important role of secretary of the discipline inspection commission.

With Minister Fu's departure, the position of propaganda minister became vacant once again. After careful consideration and organizational review, this important task ultimately fell to Principal Hou of the county party school.

Minister Hou, newly arrived, was full of ambition and ready to make a name for himself in his new position. Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. After only six months, Minister Hou realized that the work here was far more complex and difficult than he had imagined.

Moreover, in terms of position, it was merely a lateral transfer, without any substantial promotion. Therefore, after careful consideration, Minister Hou resolutely submitted an application to the organization, hoping to return to the familiar Party School to continue serving as its principal.

In just over a year, the leadership of the propaganda department changed frequently, like a revolving door. This made people sigh: the position of propaganda minister is not one that just anyone can take!

Compared to other general leadership positions, this position places more stringent demands on its incumbents. In addition to having a firm political stance and a keen sense of the big picture, they also need to possess excellent communication skills—both eloquence and writing ability must be outstanding.

At the same time, the emphasis placed on academic qualifications and diplomas in that era was extraordinary. This undoubtedly presented a significant challenge to the Organization Department, which was responsible for selecting cadres. They had to spend more energy and time searching for suitable candidates who both met the requirements and were competent for the job.

After a full month of vacancy, the Organization Department, after careful consideration and repeated discussions, made a bold decision with a "let's give it a try" attitude—to transfer Dean Tang of the People's Hospital, who has a bachelor's degree, to the Publicity Department to be in charge of its daily work.

Speaking of Minister Tang, he is a leading figure in the county's medical field! As a doctor with superb medical skills and rich experience, he has a high level of expertise and profound professional knowledge, especially in the field of neurology.

Unfortunately, despite his outstanding performance in medicine, he proved somewhat inadequate and unsatisfactory in his role as Minister of Publicity.

Time flies, and a year has passed. Because Minister Tang's performance in the publicity work failed to meet expectations, the organization, after careful consideration, had to make another personnel adjustment, transferring him back to his familiar post at the People's Hospital.

Such frequent changes in department leadership have undoubtedly had a significant impact on an organization like the Publicity Department, which requires stability and continuous development. The pace of various tasks has been disrupted, and the newly established rapport among team members is facing challenges.

However, everything has two sides. For the clever and quick-witted Congcong, although he did feel somewhat uncomfortable with the changes in work style brought about by the new leader at the beginning, in the long run, these changes did not have a significant negative impact on his business work and personal growth.

On the contrary, by interacting with leaders of different styles, Congcong learned how to better deal with various situations, continuously improved his adaptability and comprehensive qualities, and gradually became an indispensable backbone in the publicity department.

The position of news specialist is like a unique and dazzling jewel in the publicity department, radiating an extraordinary light. They act directly under the minister's orders, and their work schedules offer an enviable degree of freedom. Whether venturing into remote and tranquil rural areas or stepping into bustling factories and mines for on-site interviews, they only need to simply report to the minister before commencing their work.

When Minister Wu stepped down and handed over his work, he gave a detailed and solemn explanation of the special role of the news specialist, as well as the corresponding work mode and authority.

For this reason, the subsequent Ministers Fu, Hou, and Tang all fully understood and accepted this arrangement and consistently gave Zhang Cong enough trust and support, allowing him to fully utilize his abilities and enjoy the independence he deserved in his work.

Looking back at 1984, it was undoubtedly a major turning point in Zhang Cong's career. From a professional perspective, he achieved a significant leap forward that year.

On the one hand, through his unremitting efforts and meticulous organization and coordination, the number of articles published by numerous amateur correspondents in the county in mainstream media has shown a significant upward trend;

On the other hand, the exemplary material he personally wrote, "Zhuang Erhe's Treatise on Rural Ideological Work," emerged like a dark horse, successfully winning the honor of "Best Exemplary Material" awarded by the Propaganda Department of the State Party Committee...