In the past, I would never have watched a rural revitalization-themed drama with such a cast. To be honest, I watch TV primarily for the actors, and coincidentally, I recently watched "Meritorious Service: Li Yannian, Capable in Both Literature and Martial Arts," and I quite liked the actor Wang Lei, which is why I started following this drama. The overall production quality of the drama is quite good, but there are several instances in the later part where the lines about policies have been altered, causing a mismatch with the lip movements, which affected the viewing experience.
First, let’s outline the general plot. In a certain village where the party organization is fragmented, a young and vigorous village head undermines the old party secretary. With the benefit transfer from a well-known enterprise in the county, he sells out the collective interests of the village, while his relatives, serving as the village security director, engage in various unscrupulous behaviors. The former team leader of the village work team dies of illness during his tenure, and he had recorded some of the village head's violations, but the notebook was only handed over by the old party secretary later. The first secretary sent from the central organization, with a military background, first "rebuilds" the village party organization upon arrival. Then, by clarifying the interests and concerns of the villagers, he unifies the thought of the "Two Mountains Theory" and legally retrieves the sold-out collective interests of the village. After that, it’s about the arduous development of various industries. As for the illegal mining, I personally think it serves merely as a subplot, so I won't elaborate on it here.
To summarize, I believe the valuable aspects of this drama are:
The first secretary refers to outstanding young cadres and reserve cadres from various levels of government, excellent personnel from state-owned enterprises and public institutions, and those who have been adjusted from leadership positions due to age but have not yet retired, who are sent to villages (generally weak and scattered villages and impoverished villages) to serve as party organization leaders.
-
It demonstrates the necessity of the "first secretary."
-
It highlights the importance of grassroots party organizations.
Since it is just a TV drama, in order to enhance the dramatic effect, the male lead played by Wang Lei is somewhat glorified. For instance, at various stages, he can rely on personal connections and extraordinary abilities to turn dangers into safety, prominently illustrated by his role as a lawyer seeking justice for the deceased workers from the village due to a landslide, and through some gray operations by his comrades to attract investment into the venue, etc.
On one hand, the challenging work at the grassroots level requires such highly capable cadres to carry it out, but on the other hand, if all these difficult tasks can only be accomplished by a "super capable" character like the male lead, it inevitably raises concerns about grassroots party building and poverty alleviation efforts.
I deeply appreciate the "first secretaries" like the male lead who work silently and selflessly; they carry the weight forward for all party members and cadres on the path of national rejuvenation and rural revitalization.
I look forward to more dramas that do not stereotype cadres and the masses.