Colorful years

There are countless successful examples of this, too many to list here.

That said, thanks to his outstanding work performance, Zhang Cong was exceptionally fortunate to be selected in that special month of 2000 for a team of cadres from the central and western regions to be trained in developed coastal areas, jointly organized by the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee, the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee, and the State Ethnic Affairs Commission.

Then, he happily embarked on his journey to Fujian's Zhangzhou, a place in southern Fujian, to serve as an assistant county magistrate, where he spent a full six months training.

In the past six months, he has made the most of his writing skills, effortlessly bringing Zhangjiajie's successful experience in developing tourism to the Minnan region. Moreover, he has also brought back to his hometown the vibrant, open, and innovative reform and opening-up model of Minnan, as well as its unique secrets and rich experience in developing an export-oriented economy.

With this back-and-forth, the exchange and cooperation between the two places was incredibly vibrant, with resource sharing and complementary advantages – it couldn't be better! After his secondment ended, Zhang Cong returned to Zhangjiajie.

Wang Li received a rumor that the organization planned to send Zhang Cong to a district or county as the deputy secretary in charge of Party affairs. Although the rank was the same, it was clear that this meant they were going to give him an important position!

It's important to know that Zhangjiajie only has four districts and counties, and the top three leaders in each district and county are highly valued by the municipal party committee. The deputy secretary of the Party and Mass Work Department ranks third in a district or county; after the secretary and the county head, he has the most power.

If you do well, you could be promoted to county head or county party secretary. Even if you don't do well, after working in a district or county for three years, you can return to the city and become the director of an important municipal department.

For Zhang Cong, who was only thirty-nine years old, this was a great opportunity for his career!

Originally, this was just an idea from the organization, but Wang Li took it seriously. She went to the organization department and said, "Leader, Zhang Cong and I have some problems in our marriage. If we send him to work in a district or county, our family might not survive. Please consider this and let him stay in the city."

The leader in charge of the cadres had long disliked Zhang Cong, and was particularly unhappy with his promotion of Zhang as a poverty alleviation champion. Now that his family also had reservations about Zhang Cong's appointment to a district or county position, the leader simply went along with it and sidelined Zhang Cong.

So, Zhang Cong was transferred to the Cultural Bureau as deputy director. At first, Zhang Cong was completely baffled, wondering to himself, "Why is the organization doing this to me?"

Many years later, Zhang Cong finally learned the whole story from an official in the Organization Department.

When Zhang Cong learned the truth, it was many years later, one evening. He was sitting alone in his study at home, with the city gradually falling silent outside the window, while his heart was filled with turbulent waves.

He recalled his years as deputy director of the Cultural Bureau, from initial disappointment and incomprehension to later acceptance and now to indifference. Along the way, his state of mind has undergone earth-shattering changes.

When Zhang Cong first arrived at the Cultural Bureau, he was indeed resentful. He had come full of enthusiasm, ready to make his mark at the grassroots level and contribute to the development of his hometown. However, a transfer order abruptly pulled him from the starting point of his promising career back to a seemingly insignificant corner.

The Cultural Affairs Bureau, which he viewed primarily as a department responsible for cultural and artistic activities and the protection of cultural heritage, was far removed from his own aspirations for economic development.

His wife's mischievousness, the organization's indifference, and the differing political views of someone in the bureau all made Zhang Cong lose his way and feel lost about life.

Sure enough, the easygoing and playful nature he developed during those two years at the office is now showing its true colors.

During those two years at the bridge office, Zhang Cong's abilities made the work he was in charge of a piece of cake, leaving him with plenty of free time. He was either being dragged to karaoke by friends or happily playing mahjong with colleagues.

My hobbies of singing and playing mahjong were cultivated while working at the office.

When the cultural bureau was bored out of their minds, singing and playing mahjong became the best forms of entertainment.

His wife was furious at his indifference and went around complaining to everyone that Zhang Cong "didn't do any proper work and only knew how to play mahjong."

As a result, Zhang Cong's image in the eyes of his superiors steadily declined. He remained in the position of deputy director of the Cultural Bureau for sixteen years.

However, Zhang Cong made a full recovery after 2008 and found his direction again.

The successful hosting of the Beijing Olympics deeply moved Zhang Cong with the Olympic spirit, and he was instantly filled with renewed energy.

He actively organized and carried out the survey, excavation, collation and application of intangible cultural heritage in the city, allowing more than 730 intangible cultural heritage projects hidden among the people to shine again. After careful collation and application, 9 items were successfully included in the provincial intangible cultural heritage protection list and 4 items were selected as national intangible cultural heritage protection projects.

He used the folk culture and landscape culture of Zhangjiajie as the core, integrated the province's cultural resources, and arranged a cultural program called "The Great Beauty of Zhangjiajie in Hunan". He represented Hunan Province in the performance of the Shanghai World Expo Cultural Week and received high praise from the World Expo Organizing Committee, thus being awarded a third-class merit.

When he was short of money, Zhang Cong had a brilliant idea and successfully secured the support of the municipal government. He then cleverly raised funds and smoothly took charge of the preparation and construction of the city museum.

However, life always gives us unexpected little surprises.

During this process, Zhang Cong's mindset unconsciously changed. He learned to look at problems from a different perspective, no longer focusing solely on his own small gains and losses, but instead taking a longer-term view. He began to enjoy the sense of accomplishment he felt when planning each event, the joy of working hard with his colleagues, and even more so, the satisfaction he felt when he saw his efforts bring positive impacts to the city.