Foreword (1)
A decade of sharpening the sword, one morning to test its edge
I had the good fortune to serve as mayor in my capacity as a writer. I never thought that this would last for six years. Six springs and autumns, over 2,000 days and nights of mayoral life, is an opportunity that few writers have. It transformed me from a bystander of life to a participant, from an interviewer standing outside the contradictions to a party involved in the vortex of contradictions.
As the mayor, in the midst of complex and chaotic events, I have tasted the bitter and sour flavors. Unexpected and bizarre incidents often make me jump with anger, unable to control myself. This is not only because being a mayor inherently comes with overwhelming difficulties, but also because the government I lead as mayor is not in an ordinary city.
According to authoritative economists, after Shenzhen, Haikou, Beihai, Pudong and the Three Gorges, this city will become another new economic hot spot in China. Domestic and foreign media call it "the leading dragon of the rise of the central and western regions, a new hot spot for investment in inland cities in the new century, a 'dark horse' galloping out of Wangwu Mountain..." Within this city, the first water control project to completely harness the Yellow River - the Xiaolangdi Water Control Project (the Xiaolangdi Water Control Project is called the No. 1 project by the Ministry of Water Resources) - is under construction. The largest thermal power plant in Asia - Qinbei Power Plant and a large chemical fiber factory have also settled here...
At this time, the city is operating at an extraordinary efficiency and unprecedented enthusiasm for urban upgrading (from a county-level city to a prefecture-level city), achieving remarkable success. More than 10,000 domestic water conservancy and electric power elites, as well as over 700 experts and technicians from 50 countries on five continents, have gathered at the Xiaolangdi construction site. For a time, this place was called "Little United Nations". Such intense openness has greatly enhanced the city's status, and because the Yellow River diversion project is too difficult, it is considered by various experts to be the best in the world, making this place a natural arena for modern-day heroes to show off their skills.
Here is another ancient city, it is the hometown of the famous "Yu Gong Moves Mountains". The Taihang and Wangwu mountains still block the way to Yu Gong's hometown, but the glory of that unyielding national spirit shines brightly in the vast divine state.
It is against this backdrop that the story born on this stage is even more rich and colorful, and also more condensed and complex. It is not only a conquest and counter-conquest between modern advanced technology and the Creator's deployment of difficulties; under the brilliant sunlight, there are also strong collisions between traditional culture and modern ideas; painful friction between planned economy and market rules; same bed, different dreams between rigid goals and contractual clauses; rebellion and integration between rule of man and rule of law...
This is a painting of an encyclopedia, showcasing the various aspects of life, including the three teachings and nine schools of thought, the five elements and eight trigrams, as well as the four occupations of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants. This is a journey that condenses the footsteps of the times, rich in philosophical wisdom and revealing the truth of fate. As I walk through this world, I do not just use my legs and arms, but also employ all my skills to conquer one fortress after another, crossing one precipice after another. I focus on excavating in the deep "mine shafts", silently hurrying along the winding "lanes". I have forgotten my identity as a writer, long disappearing from the bustling literary scene. With all my heart and soul, I am doing the work of a mayor, learning to understand society with reason and unconsciously empathizing with the people. From being a writer, I became a writer-mayor, and then through trials and tribulations, I became a true mayor.
Six years of being a mayor has given me unique tempering, experience, insights and feelings about the life of a mayor. When I use my sweat, heart's blood and life to excavate the "material" that is smelted and cast into the "Mayor Life Trilogy", it will be exactly ten years since I started my mayoral career. It can be said that it took ten years to forge a sword.
The sword has indeed been tempered for ten years, but does one know whether its blade is sharp or not?
