The changing face of local politics in the countryside

On Dec 25, I saw thousands of people flocking to the polling station in Xiaogang village, Anhui province, for the election of deputies to the local people's congress. The sight reminded me of an experience I had about 12 years ago.

I was born and raised in rural Changfeng county in Hefei, the capital of Anhui province, which is about two hours by road from Xiaogang. Before I left the countryside to attend college, elections were held in the village every few years.

The elections for village cadres were considered the most important event by my fellow villagers, and competition between candidates, for the post of village head, often contested by just two people, was often extremely fierce.