Best-selling books on officialdom

Director of Beijing Representative Office

By Wang Xiaofang

This is a novel that swept the Chinese book market since it was first published in 2007. By depicting Ding Nengtong, director of the Beijing representative office of Dongzhou city, and his relationship with the mayor and other senior city officials, the book gives readers an in-depth look into bureaucratic life and how some upright officials become corrupt while others refuse to give up on their duties and obligations.

The Secretary-general

By Hong Fang

A realistic portrayal of the life of a secretary-general. The job in a city government is multi-faced: sometimes the holder has to tell everything, sometimes he has to play dumb, sometimes he needs to fight fires and other times he needs to behave more like a goalkeeper. Above all, secretary-generals have to be smart, cautious and unbiased and balance it all while walking on a high-wire.

The Secretary of Vice-Minister

By Yu Zhuo

This work of fiction unfolds from the perspective of Wen Pu and the pressure he faces as the secretary of a vice -minister. The book lets us witness the love-and-hate, ups-and-downs, lust for money and the shift of power, and shows us how Wen learns to become an official himself.

The Mayor's Secretary

By Wang Xiaofang

This book tells the story of Zhang Guochang, a vice mayor, who fails to resist the temptation of wealth and finally is put into prison and sentenced to death due for corruption. Li Mo, his secretary who witnessed Zhang's transformation from mayor to prisoner, also had his own struggles.

(China Daily 01/11/2010 page28)