From a farmer’s son to the former "demolition mayor" of Datong, and then to the mayor of Taiyuan, who was concerned by public opinion, Geng Yanbo always had a distinct personality. CFP data
Thin and dark face, big earlobe, single eyelid, small eyes, age of 56 years old and long-term overwork pressure all appear in the shadow of the gullies on both sides of Geng Yanbo’s eye bags and nose.
He can’t keep a low profile.
Although they have been the mayor of Taiyuan for one year and nine months, some Datong citizens are still expressing their reluctance or anger towards the former mayor of Datong in various ways.
Previously, The Paper (www.thepaper.cn) once reported exclusively that on October 18th, three days after Feng Lixiang, then secretary of Datong Municipal Party Committee, was dismissed, nearly 1,000 citizens of Datong gathered in Heyangmen Square to petition-hoping that Geng would return to Datong as secretary of the Municipal Party Committee.
This petition made Geng Yanbo once again a hot topic of public concern. The last larger gathering took place in February 2013, after Geng’s transfer to Taiyuan was exposed. A massive petition for retention began on February 12, 2013 and lasted for nearly a week. Many Datong citizens knelt down, put up banners and shouted slogans.
On the other hand, some Datong people whose interests have been damaged by the demolition led by Geng continue to report and petition.
From a farmer’s son to the former "demolition mayor" of Datong, and then to the mayor of Taiyuan, who was concerned by public opinion, Geng Yanbo always had a distinct personality.
Whether he likes it or not, controversy has always been a word that Geng Yanbo can’t avoid. From now to the next few years, he will also become a sample for the academic media to explore the selection and appointment mechanism of party and government leading cadres in China.
Urban construction philosophy facing the test
It is common to meet Geng Yanbo in Taiyuan.
Tall and thin, standing on a pair of dusty old leather shoes, he spent most of his time inspecting the construction site and leading dozens of people to do on-site work-the image of Geng Yanbo has always been like this for many years.
"Mayor of Urban Construction" is a relatively neutral title given to him by the outside world.
Last year, Geng Yanbo’s "record" was brilliant: 105 urban primary and secondary trunk roads, such as Bingzhou Road and Fudong Fuxi Street, were newly built and rebuilt in Taiyuan, and the trial section of Rail Transit Line 2 started. The framework of urban construction in Taiyuan this year is to invest 17 billion yuan to transform many road and bridge projects such as Changzhi Road, Nanshahe Road and Yingbin Bridge.
But things are changing.
"At this time in previous years, urban construction planning has been introduced, and it has not yet come out this year." On November 12th, Director Yang of the Outreach Office of Taiyuan Municipal Foreign Affairs Office jokingly said, "Some people say that Mayor Geng is sad."
Because of the relocation and compensation, people’s complaints and reports to Geng Yanbo have never stopped. "Geng’s demolition" and "Geng’s finger" are critical comments he received.
"Geng Yizhi" means to tear down Geng Yanbo wherever it refers.
On September 1st, Wang Rulin, the new secretary of Shanxi Provincial Party Committee, left the second stop of his research to Taiyuan.
On October 12th, at the symposium on investigation and investigation in Taiyuan, Wang Rulin seriously criticized the urban construction work in Taiyuan, for example, the starting point of planning was not high, and some plans were also hung on the wall, such as "emphasizing face over lining" and "emphasizing ground over underground" in urban construction. Wang Rulin’s words are very heavy.
A whole month later, on November 12th, Wu Zhenglong, the new member of the Standing Committee of Shanxi Provincial Party Committee and secretary of Taiyuan Municipal Party Committee, stressed at the special meeting on urban construction work that, according to the requirements put forward by Secretary Wang Rulin, we should adhere to the principle of "people-oriented, giving priority to people’s livelihood, highlighting key points, solving urgent needs, paying more attention to" face "and" lining ",paying equal attention to the ground and underground, and giving equal attention to construction management.
In the picture broadcast by Taiyuan TV News Channel that night, Geng Yanbo didn’t speak, and there seemed to be no expression on her face.
"Leave more legacy and less regret." "I would rather be scolded for a while than for a thousand years." From Yuci in Jinzhong, to Taiyuan, and then to Datong, Geng Yanbo often encourages himself and others around him.
However, Geng Yanbo, who is good at urban construction, has to slow down or even stop at present, and his urban construction philosophy is facing a test.
Unfinished famous city plan
Previously, Geng Yanbo’s official career was fairly smooth.
In November 1958, Geng Yanbo was born in heshun county, Jinzhong City.
Although Geng Fu was a village party secretary, he was always a farmer with his back to the loess. Being strong, hardworking and hard-working, like a smooth accent, have been branded on Geng Yanbo since then.
At the age of 18, Geng Yanbo got his first job in life and worked as a director in the communication group of Heshun County Committee.
But he doesn’t intend to stay in the county forever. After finishing junior college, he was transferred to work in Jinzhong area, and served as the director of the Youth League Committee and the Taiwan Affairs Office in Jinzhong area.
In 1983, 25-year-old Geng Yanbo tried again to get a chance to improve himself through hard work. He took part in the selection examination of the Chinese Department of Shanxi University.
In the early 1980s, the Organization Department of Shanxi Provincial Party Committee set up a cadre training class in Shanxi University to train on-the-job cadres. One of Geng Yanbo’s classmates recalled to The Paper that in 1983, about 300 people in the province took the exam, and 50 students were selected according to the test scores, and Geng was the second.
Two years later, Geng Yanbo returned to Jinzhong with his two-year study. He has been working from the deputy section chief to the deputy director of the prefectural party Committee office. His main job is to write materials for the leaders.
Finally, high flyers, from the Chinese Department of Shanxi University, came into play.
In April, 1993, Geng Yanbo was appointed as the deputy secretary of Lingshi County Committee of Jinzhong City, and became the county magistrate of Lingshi two years later. In March 2000, Geng became the secretary of Yuci District Committee.
In February, 2004, Geng Yanbo left the local area briefly and became the Deputy Secretary-General of Shanxi Provincial Government and the Director of Provincial Government Organs Administration Bureau.
After the experience in Lingshi and Yuci, Geng Yanbo’s resume has added a bit of grass-roots experience, and he has more thoughts and experience in urban construction. In June 2006, when he was appointed as the Standing Committee of Taiyuan Municipal Committee, deputy mayor, and in charge of urban construction, he had high hopes for himself.
"2007 is the year of urban construction in Taiyuan." At that time, Geng Yanbo confidently proposed that Taiyuan should "build a new city, transform an old city and excavate an old city".
According to his vision, Taiyuan will "do a big job" in 2008, and the total investment in urban construction will reach 20 billion yuan.
However, he has been in Taiyuan for less than two years. In February 2008, Geng Yanbo received a transfer order and became the deputy secretary and acting mayor of Datong Municipal Committee. Before taking office, he begged the Shanxi Provincial Party Committee: "I hope I can work in Datong for at least one session."
During the five years in Datong, Geng Yanbo made great efforts to revive the famous historical and cultural city, and won the label of "mayor of demolition" given by the media in one fell swoop, becoming a well-known "controversial official" in China.
In February 2013, a pile of unfinished projects in Datong was left behind, and Geng was transferred back to Taiyuan, and later became the mayor of Taiyuan.
Known as "the creator of the trump card scenic spot"
"It’s a man who can do things."
Both people who are familiar with Geng Yanbo and ordinary citizens who have never met him have made such comments on Geng.
When he was in power, Geng Yanbo did do a lot of livelihood projects, which also captured a large number of people’s hearts for him.
In Yuci District, Jinzhong City, many citizens are still talking about the construction planning of Geng Yanbo’s "Eight Roads and Nine Districts", widening Yingbin Road and Yutai Road, and building new industrial parks, Yuci Cultural Center, Yuci No.2 Middle School and Yuci District Committee and Government Office Building, which have received many praises.
In Datong, what people talk about most is Geng Yanbo’s measures to dismantle small boilers, provide central heating and improve urban environment and traffic.
In Taiyuan, taxi drivers walking on the viaducts of East Central, South Central and Changfeng Street will inevitably boast of Geng Yanbo: "These roads were built after Mayor Geng came."
"It took him five years to do what others did in 50 years, and it took him five years to spend the money that others spent in 50 years." Cheng Qing (not his real name), who worked with Geng for many years in Jinzhong, said that Geng Yanbo always has one characteristic, and he can always leave something behind where he stayed.
In Cheng Qing’s view, Geng Yanbo has a strong view of political achievements. Even during his tenure in Shanxi provincial government, he was ordered to rebuild and expand Jinci Hotel. Afterwards, many media quoted folk comments that the expanded Jinci Hotel was "beautiful and exquisite".
Geng’s style of "officer-in-charge" is very similar to that of a former main leader of Jinzhong District Party Committee and Taiyuan Municipal Committee, and therefore he has gained a lot of appreciation from the leader.
"He is the deputy mayor of Taiyuan, which is what the leader is going to do." Cheng Qing said.
Even in the cultural concept, Geng Yanbo is quite similar to this leader. During his tenure as the main leader of the Propaganda Department of Shanxi Provincial Committee, the latter also vigorously promoted Shanxi’s traditional history and culture, hoping to shape a strong cultural brand.
Geng Yanbo is an expert in building historic sites.
Hou Tingliang, former curator of the Wangjia Courtyard Folk House Art Museum in Lingshi County, described Geng Yanbo as "the creator of the trump card scenic spot". During his administration of Lingshi, Geng Yanbo presided over the restoration project of Wang Family Courtyard, which was the first in tourism in Lingshi County.
In fact, the well-known domestic attractions such as Yuci Old Town, Changjia Manor, Datong Ancient City Wall, Yungang Grottoes, Huayan Temple and Shanhua Temple were all developed or renovated under the auspices of Geng Yanbo.
Geng Yanbo’s complex of traditional culture has enabled him to find opportunities for full display in every post.
Soon after taking up his new job in Datong, he wrote "Datong Fu"
Geng Yanbo himself once said that he has a unique complex for China’s traditional culture.
"I can never get tired of reading the Book of Changes, the Four Books and the Five Classics." He once admitted that he had a special liking for ancient classics such as Chinese studies.
A classmate in Geng Yanbo remembers that he studied hard at Shanxi University and went to the library with five or six books every day.
"He is a student of the Chinese Department, and his love for traditional culture is the proper meaning of the title. He loves to read some excellent classics, including the Book of Changes." Li Ershan, former president of Datong Daily, recalled to The Paper. He and Geng Yanbo were classmates of the Chinese Department of Shanxi University.
It is rumored that Geng Yanbo can recite the Analects of Confucius in its entirety, but it is impossible to prove whether it is true or not. However, Li Ershan remembers, "Because he was keen on the birth of Confucianism, (Geng Yanbo read the Analects of Confucius) more accurately, which was once used as morning reading."
After getting busier and busier at work, Geng Yanbo still finds time to read, even if he gets up early and comes home late.
Later, reading was not only an interest, but also a starting point for his work. In every big renovation of historic sites, he always stressed that the basis of restoration comes from history books.
Taking the ancient city wall of Datong as an example, Geng Yanbo asked to make ancient things with ancient techniques, "re-build kilns, re-burn bricks, and use lime instead of cement".
Yin Xian, president of Pingcheng North Korea Research Association, believes that this is very difficult.
Geng Yanbo also loves to write poems, but because he doesn’t know much about Pinge, Yin Xian sometimes puts forward some suggestions for revision.
When Lingshi was in power, Geng Yanbo once compiled his own works into an integrated book, named "The Refined Stone Collection". The book selected some couplets, inscriptions and prose works written by him during his administration of Lingshi.
When he worked in Yuci to restore Changjia Manor, Geng Yanbo left a pair of couplets: Yan lived in the countryside, listened to the frogs, and moved between the mountains and rivers. Being indifferent is the foundation of life; Wealth takes the world, expands the long road to Wan Li, and serves the country as a man’s responsibility, but wealth is nothing but a cloud outside.
In 2009, Geng Yanbo, who worked in Datong for a short time, wrote an essay "Datong Fu". This work first appeared in Datong Urban and Rural Planning Exhibition Hall, and later became one of the local cultural symbols.
This "Great Harmony Fu" has also become one of the bases for questioning Geng Yanbo’s "putting on a show".
In 2012, teachers and students majoring in calligraphy in Datong University wrote Datong Fu in various styles and held a theme exhibition. Geng Yanbo, then mayor of Datong University, attended the launching ceremony.
The construction unit would rather give up the advance payment.
Although Geng Yanbo is literary, he is not weak.
When he was a county magistrate in Lingshi, Geng Yanbo’s persistence enabled him to carry out the renovation plan of the Wangs’ compound.
At that time, Geng Yanbo proposed to repair and develop the Wang Family Courtyard, but other leaders in the county did not agree. "But Geng is the county magistrate, and he has the final say and finally developed it." Xiaokang magazine once wrote.
This is roughly consistent with the recollection article written by Hou Tingliang.
Hou Tingliang recalled: "Although the county was financially strapped at that time and many people opposed it, he did not hesitate to invite researchers, set up a restoration headquarters and made a restoration plan."
In order to promote the Wangs’ Courtyard as soon as possible, Geng Yanbo kept writing some articles about the Wangs’ Courtyard and publishing them in the media. Every time he goes out, he takes a big bag of publicity materials and gives them out in person.
In order to achieve the goal, Geng Yanbo’s "persistence" sometimes becomes "bullying".
In February 2008, Geng Yanbo was transferred to the mayor of Datong. At the first working meeting, he issued a "stop construction order"-all projects under construction within the protection scope of Datong ancient city must stop construction unconditionally. This left the impression that Geng Yanbo was very "overbearing" to the local officialdom.
A person familiar with Taiyuan told The Paper that a hotel in the third phase of Wanguocheng Community in Taiyuan was originally planned to be 8 floors, about 30 meters high, but Geng Yanbo asked the developer to build a 150-meter landmark building. Today, this capped hotel is "not covered or demolished, and it will go away."
In terms of engineering construction, Geng Yanbo’s "hegemony" is even worse.
Geng Yanbo often leads the bidding of projects, "keeping the price very low." Yin Xian said. At the same time, the engineering unit can’t do ghosts here in Geng Yanbo.
Hou Tingliang mentioned in the article that when the restoration project of Hongmenbao in the Wang Family Courtyard reached its peak, Geng Yanbo went out to study and didn’t arrive at the construction site for several days. When he came back, he found that there were two projects on the surface, which were not done according to the ancient system and the specifications required in advance.
"For this reason, without saying anything, he severely reprimanded the person in charge of the project and ordered all of them to be dismantled and reworked. Similar to the case of rework after his review, I don’t know how many times it happened in all aspects during the repair period. "
Cheng Qing told The Paper that during Geng Yanbo’s work in Jinzhong, many engineering units would rather give up the funds paid in advance and choose to run away in order to stop losses, and the rest of the projects often had to be handed over to other units.
In this way, the Geng Yanbo bid project achieved "low input and high output" to some extent.
I fainted several times at the construction site and the meeting.
"Supersmart, bold and desperate."
A retired cadre of Datong Army Division commented on The Paper and Geng Yanbo.
Geng Yanbo once fainted several times in Datong’s construction site and meeting place. In an interview with The Paper, many people familiar with the matter mentioned this point.
I get up at five o’clock in the morning and go to the construction site. I spend most of my time working on the spot. I don’t finish my work until after eleven o’clock at night, even until one or two in the morning, and I sleep for five hours on average. Have a fever, wash your face with cold water and continue to work. After the operation, the doctor warned him to rest for 20 days, and he disappeared on the fourth day. Buy two fried dough sticks or sesame cakes on the roadside for breakfast, and usually have a bowl of Daoxiao Noodles for lunch.
Some media once described Geng Yanbo in the above passage-he "will push the limits of his body for work".
Yin Xian told The Paper that Geng Yanbo was at the construction site during the day and would continue the meeting at night. All the speeches were written by himself, and the staff "couldn’t find him in the office, but they all grabbed their signatures between meetings". This makes his physical condition very bad.
According to people familiar with the situation, during the period of Datong, Geng Yanbo’s wife had no choice but to let her son who worked in Beijing come back one day a week, forcing him to rest.
Because of his love for his son, Geng Yanbo took a rest consciously.
His son is his pride. According to Cheng Qing’s memory, Geng Yanbo’s son walked to Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications from Yuci No.1 Middle School that year. Geng also told the media that his son studied at Cambridge University in England and is now the head of a branch of a commercial bank in Beijing.
"What I can’t stand most is the waste and waiting of time. I have been racing against time all my life." As a result, Geng Yanbo is always in a hurry, and often leaves other staff behind during site inspection.
This "Geng Yanbo speed" is also reflected in his urban construction work.
Located on Yingbin West Road, Yuci District, Yuci District Government Office Building covers an area of 110 mu, with a total construction area of 27,300 mu. It is luxurious and magnificent, but it was a "nine projects" in those years.
Yellow River magazine wrote in a documentary literature about Geng Yanbo that according to Yuci finance at that time, it was unthinkable to build a building. I have no money, and I can never give a penny from above. Therefore, we can only work hard in a state of mind similar to "sneaking around".
"Stop, retreat, wait for criticism? This is not Geng Yanbo’s character. So he wore the hat of’ Nine No Projects’ and slowly gave birth to glory. "
In September 2009, it was revealed that the Yungang Grottoes Scenic Area, which Geng Yanbo personally participated in the planning and design, was constructed without approval, which attracted the attention of National Cultural Heritage Administration, and the construction of Yungang Grottoes Scenic Area was once forced to stop and demolish.
On January 5th, 2011, Geng Yanbo, then mayor of Datong, was interviewed by Beijing Bureau of State Land Supervision of Ministry of Land and Resources. Of the 375 new construction land in Datong in 2009, 179 were illegal.
Many subordinates have suffered on their behalf.
Geng Yanbo’s positive action has become a mirror in front of other officials in Shanxi, which makes some officials seem to be doing nothing.
Feng Lixiang, former secretary of Datong Municipal Committee, enjoyed such "treatment" during his five years working with Geng Yanbo. On October 15, as soon as the news of Feng Luoma came out, firecrackers came out in Datong City.
When they worked together in Datong, Feng Lixiang was annoyed that Geng Yanbo often made headlines and his own news was less. To this end, the local media made special adjustments-increasing the content of the secretary as much as possible. If the secretary and the mayor have separate activities on the same day, it is necessary to ensure the layout of the secretary.
However, none of Geng Yanbo’s grand plans can be carried through to the end. Dramatic urban construction has left the city he presided over heavily in debt, and his successors are unable to do anything.
Take Yuci Old Town as an example, the second phase of the old town project has not been completed after Geng Yanbo left for ten years. The supporting facilities are not perfect, and there is also a lack of motivation to attract investment. Today’s Yuci Old Town looks a little run-down.
His way of doing things has also made many officials feel uncomfortable.
"Geng Yanbo is very efficient and often doesn’t follow the routine. For example, if there is a problem with the power supply of a construction project, he will not look for the deputy secretary first, and the deputy secretary will look for the director of the Urban Construction Bureau, and the director of the Urban Construction Bureau will look for the head of the power supply company. The person in charge of the power supply company will finally implement this matter. He often directly looks for the manager of the power supply company or even the relevant business person in charge of the specific power supply company. " Ji Yadong, who worked as a secretary for Geng Yanbo for half a year, once recalled to the media, "He often directly gathered these related business leaders to hold on-site work meetings."
In addition, Geng Yanbo’s bold and even slightly radical style of doing things often implicates his subordinates to suffer on his behalf.
In 2009, the Yungang Grottoes Scenic Area was ordered to stop construction by National Cultural Heritage Administration because it did not perform the relevant procedures without authorization.
Although the matter was finally solved, at that time, many officials, including Zhang Zhuo, president of Yungang Grottoes Research Institute, and Gao Dongsen, director of Datong Cultural Relics Bureau, were given administrative warnings.
In 2011, after Geng Yanbo was interviewed, Hao Yuesheng, the vice mayor in charge of land and resources, was punished by administrative demerit.
Cheng Qing told The Paper that when Geng Yanbo worked in Yuci District Committee of Jinzhong City, he had conflicts with almost every member of the Standing Committee and deputy mayor of Jinzhong, and the relationship was very tense.
Geng Yanbo once admitted to Yin Xian that he had a bad temper.
In 2004, before leaving Yuci, Geng Yanbo said very sincerely, "In recent years, I have been impatient in my work, criticized more comrades, and was not calm about comrades. I often criticized comrades wrongly and hurt many comrades."
However, Yin Xian emphasized that Geng is actually a sentient and righteous person. Geng Yanbo once personally apologized to a young man because he had touched him. Later, the young man was promoted to the technical director of an important department in Datong.
The contrast is obvious. What Geng Yanbo has left to the citizens is more people-friendly.
During their tenure in Datong and Taiyuan, many citizens can often see "totally embarassed" Geng Yanbo on the construction site, holding drawings and pointing fingers.
Yin Xian recalled that once when Geng Yanbo was looking at the components of an ancient building in an antique shop, a citizen suddenly came in and knelt down, shouting "Mayor Geng …" Geng Yanbo’s secretary was about to catch someone, and he scolded him: "Can you come in and no one else can come in? ！”
Unresponsible "public opinion"
Yin Xian used two "don’t have the heart" to express to The Paper the mind of the majority of people who are quite Geng.
"I can’t bear to see the ruins of Pingcheng in the Northern Wei Dynasty and the antiquities of the ancient city being destroyed intentionally or unintentionally. I can’t bear to see the living environment of Datong deteriorating and the status of Datong becoming increasingly marginalized." In Yin Xian’s view, most Datong citizens hope that the municipal party committee and government will protect and build this famous historical and cultural city.
"Most of what Geng Yanbo did after he became mayor is in line with my wish." Yin Xian said.
This feeling finally broke out before Geng Yanbo left.
On February 3, 2013, the front page of Datong Daily published a public notice that Geng Yanbo was identified as the "Party Secretary" by the Organization Department of Shanxi Provincial Committee.
However, on February 7th, Geng Yanbo was immediately appointed as the deputy secretary of Taiyuan Municipal Committee by Shanxi Provincial Committee, and the next day, the Standing Committee of Taiyuan Municipal People’s Congress appointed Geng as the deputy mayor and acting mayor of Taiyuan.
After the news of Geng Yanbo’s transfer spread, a massive retention petition was held in Datong. From February 12 to February 17 of that year, many Datong citizens poured into the streets, and some people put up slogans such as "Mayor Geng, come back".
A person familiar with the matter told The Paper that on the fifth day of the petition, Jin Daoming, then deputy secretary of the Shanxi Provincial Party Committee, rushed to Datong late at night to convey the instructions of the provincial party Committee and characterized the event as an "illegal gathering".
However, the voice of doubt goes hand in hand.
Some people think that the petition started on the third day of the New Year’s Eve. In a place like Datong, it is incredible to make a lot of banners, slogans and photos at once.
There are also rumors that many petitioners are hired by builders because they are worried that they will not get the money and the project will not go on.
After this petition, Geng Yanbo dared not return to Datong.
"Because I was looking for who was behind the’ illegal assembly’ at that time, I was afraid that he was inciting it." Yin Xian said.
Geng Yanbo’s luggage was packed by the secretary and sent to Taiyuan. The young secretary was also left in Taiyuan by him.
Coincidentally, one year and nine months after he left Datong, another petition came unexpectedly.
On the afternoon of October 15 this year, after Feng Lixiang, then secretary of the Datong Municipal Party Committee, was dismissed, more than 100 Datong citizens set off firecrackers, pulled banners, shouted slogans and sang the national anthem at the gate of the Municipal Party Committee. This behavior was once again defined as "illegal assembly" by the public security organs. According to Datong officials, three Datong citizens were sentenced to administrative detention on the same day.
On the morning of October 18th, nearly 1,000 citizens of Datong gathered in Heyangmen Square to criticize Feng Lixiang, hoping that Geng Yanbo would return to Datong. Before and after the petition on that day, many Datong citizens were also administratively detained.
Once again, Geng Yanbo has been placed at the center of the storm of public opinion, and is undergoing a more intense test.
More than a month has passed, but the new secretary of the Datong Municipal Party Committee has not arrived yet.
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