The recent horrific bombings in Boston will hopefully remind the United States, China and the entire civilized world that our common enemies are those who believe that terror is a solution.
Even before it was known that one of the victims was a young Chinese student, China’s social media was filled with expressions of concern and sympathy. This heartfelt outpouring should remind us that we have more in common as human beings and societies than the trade and ideological differences, which dominate the news.
It is hard to voice a rational response to such a senseless atrocity. The actions of evil people cannot be undone, but the actions of good people can sustain us and give us hope.
As part of a book project, I spent hundreds of hours of interviewing, touring and observing the government of Fengtai, a district of Beijing with 1.3 million inhabitants. One of the people who impressed me was the leader of the Fengtai Publicity Department, Minister Gu Xiaoyuan. She is part of a new generation of leaders who bring distinguished academic and working knowledge to their positions.
A graduate of Capital Normal University who studied politics, law and philosophy, she has post-graduate degrees in macroeconomic management from the Beijing University of Technology, in Public Administration from Tsinghua University and the Kennedy School of Harvard University.
Before entering government, she was an associate professor at Beijing University. Prior to her position in Fengtai, she served as the deputy party committee secretary of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Tourism, during the lead up to the Beijing Olympics. In 2010, she was awarded the title “The World’s Best Member” by Meeting Professionals International – an honor accorded to only one recipient worldwide each year.
Here are some excerpts from my interview with her.
Q: I note that most government officials are reluctant to talk about themselves, so little is known about their background or experiences. Why is that?
A: “We have a very collegial system, which does not lend itself to talking about yourself, as what we accomplish is a group effort. However I see your point, giving people a sense of your general background, work philosophy and interests might allow people to better understand how we work and what we do a little better.”
Q: Talking about this, where do you get your passion?
A: “I have a simple creed: live happily and work happily.”
Q: How did your upbringing influence you?
A: “My dad was a professor, and my mom was in government. They taught me to be upright, honest and kind and to try my best at everything I do. Most importantly, they taught me the value of family and sacrifice.”
Q: What led you to government work?
A: “My mom told me when people are in trouble, it’s our duty to help them. I carried this idea with me and it has always been how I thought about things. It has its rewards in terms of how I feel about myself, how people think about me and most importantly it creates results that help people.”
Q: There is a lot of negative media attention focused on government officials in China. Is that fair?
A: “Our main goal is to tell people about Fengtai’s natural and developed advantages as a place to live, work and play. In terms of the image of Chinese government workers, it is unfair to the good people who have worked hard and sacrificed much to bring modern China to its present position. Because of this, we have to consider the substance and style of what we say and do.
“Recently, I have been thinking a lot about this issue. The traditional goal of our department is to promote confidence in the central government’s administration. The first part is making people understand our work, so that they support us; the second part is letting people in Fengtai and outside Fengtai know what we are doing; the third part is protecting and promoting our culture. All of which I agree completely with, but how we do our work could be improved.
“Today, as people migrate from rural to urban areas they are looking for more than just a job, they want a career, their own home, good schools for their children, excellent medical care facilities, a healthy and pleasant environment, convenient amenities and areas with unique spirits and cultures, or, in other words, they want a ‘good life.’ As cities compete for investment and talent, these are going to be the standards people look at, and therefore the standards we should use. For example in Fengtai, we are trying to build confidence and pride in the residents of our communities, because they are people we serve, and our best ambassadors.
“When you told me you are always pleasantly surprised when strangers on Fengtai’s streets say hello to you, it made me happy and proved that our new type of publicity efforts are working. Pamphlets, meetings and/or lectures are only one avenue of teaching, websites, city logos, publicizing the work of our elderly volunteers, community safety groups, visits to the elderly, social programs, new parks, schools, hospitals, shopping areas along with our economic initiatives is another. By letting people know how we are creating a ‘better life’ in Fengtai, we are promoting ourselves by results. I hope when you write this book that you will mention these things because these are the things which make our city human and gentle, and for me, a joy to work in.” n
Einar Tangen, formerly from Milwaukee, now lives and works in Beijing, China. He is an adviser to Heilongjiang Province, Hebei Province QEDTZ, China.org.cn, China International Publishing Group, Beijing Baotong and DGI DESIGN. He is also a weekly public affairs commentator for CCTV News› Dialogue and the author of “The Kunshan Way,” an economic development history of China’s leading county level city. While in Milwaukee, he was a partner at Jackson, Morgan and Tangen, president of E-Tech and a senior vice president at Stifel Nicolaus. He chaired various boards in Milwaukee and was a member of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago. Readers who would like to submit questions or suggest areas of interest can send an e-mail to steve.jagler@biztimes.com.
