Normally, I wouldn't watch a rural revitalization-themed drama with such a cast. To be honest, when I watch TV, I'm only interested in the actors. Coincidentally, a few days ago, I watched "Meritorious · Li Yannian, Capable in Both Literature and Martial Arts" and I really liked the actor Wang Lei, so I started watching this drama. The production level of the whole drama is decent, but in the later part, there were several changes to the lines about policies that didn't match the lip movements, which affected the viewing experience.
First, let's summarize the general storyline. In a village where the party organization is lax, the young and strong village director overrides the old party branch secretary. With the help of benefits from a well-known company in the county, he sells out the collective interests of the village, while his relatives, as the security director, act recklessly in the village. The former head of the village work team, who passed away due to illness, had made records of some of the director's violations, and the notebook was only handed over by the old party branch secretary later on. The first secretary selected from the central government, a military officer by background, first "rebuilds" the village party organization after arriving at the village. Then, by making the villagers understand the interests involved, he unifies their thinking on the "Two Mountains Theory" and legally recovers the sold-out collective interests of the village. After that, the focus is on developing various industries. As for the illegal mining, I personally think it is completely a subplot and will not be discussed here.
To summarize, here are the valuable aspects of this drama in my opinion:
The first secretary refers to party members who are selected from outstanding young cadres and reserve cadres from various levels of government agencies, state-owned enterprises, public institutions, and cadres who have been adjusted down from leadership positions due to age but have not yet retired. They are selected to serve as party organization leaders in villages (generally weak and poor villages).
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It demonstrates the necessity of the "first secretary" position.
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It highlights the importance of grassroots party organizations.
Since this is just a TV drama, in order to increase the dramatic effect, the male lead played by Wang Lei is somewhat idealized. For example, he is able to overcome difficulties at each stage through personal relationships and extraordinary abilities. This is evident in his role as a lawyer seeking justice for the migrant workers who died in the collapse and his entry into the venue through his comrade's gray operations for investment attraction.
On one hand, it can be said that the difficult work at the grassroots level requires cadres with such extraordinary abilities to carry out. However, on the other hand, if these difficult tasks can only be carried out by "superhuman" abilities like the male lead, it is inevitable to worry about grassroots party building and poverty alleviation work.
I deeply appreciate the "first secretaries" like the male lead who silently contribute. They are shouldering heavy responsibilities for the national rejuvenation and rural revitalization on behalf of all party members and cadres.
I look forward to more TV dramas that do not stereotype cadres and the masses.