Is Mayor Geng’s Datong policy right or wrong?

Yes

On January 15, the Standing Committee of the Taiyuan Municipal Party Committee held an enlarged meeting and announced the provincial party committee’s decision on the adjustment of the main leadership positions of the Taiyuan Municipal Government. The Shanxi Provincial Party Committee decided that Comrade Li Xiaobo will be appointed as a member of the Taiyuan Municipal Party Committee, a member of the Standing Committee, and a deputy secretary, and will be nominated as a candidate for mayor of Taiyuan City; Comrade Geng Yanbo will be removed from his position as a deputy secretary, a member of the Standing Committee, and a member of the Taiyuan Municipal Committee. At the same time, members of the Taiyuan Municipal People's Congress Standing Committee held a joint meeting to discuss various issues, and then held a second plenary meeting. After voting, the meeting adopted a decision to accept Geng Yanbo's request to resign as mayor of Taiyuan City. At this point, Geng Yanbo, who has served as the mayor of Taiyuan City since February 2013, has officially ended his nearly 6-year career as mayor of Taiyuan.

Speaking of Geng Yanbo, he is a typical "star official". Whether in terms of media exposure, public visibility or social recognition, this long-term local government mayor is very outstanding compared with officials at the same level.

The reason why Geng Yanbo was able to transform from an unknown ordinary official to a household name is closely related to the series of policies he implemented when he was the mayor of Datong. In 2008, Geng Yanbo, the former deputy mayor of Taiyuan City, served as deputy secretary of the Datong Municipal Party Committee and acting mayor, thus starting the "Geng Yanbo Period" of Datong.

When Geng Yanbo was in power in Datong, he vigorously promoted a series of municipal projects, involving a large amount of demolition and construction, which greatly boosted the development speed of Datong and also increased the exposure of this historic city across the country. The most eye-catching one is the "Revitalization of Historical and Cultural Cities" plan. To this end, Datong has invested tens of billions of yuan to restore the ancient city's style and repair or rebuild ancient buildings.

In the process of rebuilding the ancient city, a large number of demolitions will inevitably be involved, and Geng Yanbo has always been known for his vigorous and resolute actions in this matter. In order to achieve the goal of "reviving the ancient city" as soon as possible, Geng Yanbo set off a "demolition and construction" storm in Datong. The move earned him a lot of praise, but almost as much controversy. Some people think he is "the most responsible mayor in the history of Datong", while others think he is "the mayor of the city".

A documentary featuring Geng Yanbo as the protagonist was specially filmed for this purpose. After the documentary was broadcast, it aroused widespread social repercussions and gave this official extensive exposure, making him a real "star." The documentary has received critical acclaim for its rare glimpse into officers' daily work. Many of Geng Yanbo's work scenes recorded by the camera were also "circled" by Geng Yanbo.

Guan Wei of Taiyuan Daily posted excerpts from the documentary on Weibo. In the clip, Geng Yanbo scolded an official who failed to complete his work goals and asked him to resign, saying "Datong needs people who can do the job, not officials like you." In another scene, Geng Yanbo pointed at the person in charge of a project and said: "Look at this guy... he looks honest on the surface. He is full of ghosts. You take back the money our government gave you." , you will not do this project."

On February 3, 2013, "Datong Daily" announced: "After research, Comrade Geng Yanbo has been confirmed as the candidate for party committee secretary, and it is now announced." Many people believe that Geng Yanbo should be promoted to Datong Municipal Party Committee Secretary and become the "top leader" of Datong. However, three days later, Geng Yanbo was transferred from Datong to Taiyuan, and was promoted to mayor of Taiyuan soon after.

When Geng Yanbo left Datong, many Datong citizens took to the streets. Some people held slogans such as "Mayor Geng, come back." But at the same time, after Geng Yanbo left office, there have been criticisms that his "demolition of old and new construction" is not the best solution for cultural relics protection.

After taking office as mayor of Taiyuan, Geng Yanbo did not change his governance style. In 2013, Geng Yanbo, who had just taken office, told Xinhua News Agency reporters: "Taiyuan must be positioned as a first-class provincial capital city. After arriving in Taiyuan, I organized a survey of more than 140 valuable cultural heritage sites in the city and identified 142 sites that need to be protected. Historical relics. In the ancient city of Taiyuan, we use roads as the basis, dots as threads, and lines as surfaces to build it into a 'city living room' to show Taiyuan's rich history and culture." Geng Yanbo said in the interview: It will be built within three years. Jinyuan New City upgraded version.

At that time, a reporter from Xinhua News Agency asked him a rather bold question: "Many people call you 'mayor' and think that you will be exposed wherever you go. What do you think of this?"

Geng Yanbo responded at the time: "To say that I 'built the city' is a demonizing concept. Some people say that I built the city as a political achievement project. From the renovation of the old city of Yuci to the present, I have been paying attention to the controversy until today. . However, I would like to ask, what is wrong with building a city? It is the result of the development of urban human civilization. The whole process of building a city is more of a process of improving people’s livelihood. ”

In Taiyuan, Geng Yanbo often goes deep into the front line and attracts more attention. In 2016, heavy rains in Taiyuan caused serious waterlogging in the city. Geng Yanbo braved the heavy rain and went to the street to check the rain situation. After the photo was taken and posted online, it successfully "splashed the screen" in Taiyuan people's circle of friends.

Now, Geng Yanbo’s reign in Taiyuan has come to an end. His gains and losses in governing Taiyuan will naturally be judged. At present, the new acting mayor of Taiyuan has taken office, but Geng Yanbo’s whereabouts have not yet been made clear. "Marine Warehouse Internal Reference" will continue to pay attention.