Editor's Note:

The book of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China includes a number of Chinese President Xi Jinping's governance ideas that involve improving Party conduct, such as "the issue of working style is in no sense a small one." Xi stressed that "if the Party has a sound style of work, then the people are at peace and willing to stand with the Party in both success and adversity." In March, the Communist Party of China (CPC) launched a Party-wide education campaign to implement its central leadership's Eight-Rules decision on improving work conduct, immediately after the conclusion of the annual two sessions. The move underscores that the Eight Rules have not only become a "golden hallmark" of the CPC's efforts to improve Party conduct in the new era, but also a mobilization order for Party members to uphold credibility with concrete actions, stay clean and dedicated in their work, and create new achievements.

In the second installment of the "Decoding the Book of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China" series, the Global Times (GT) continues to invite Chinese and international scholars, translators of the work, practitioners of its concepts, and overseas readers to share their insights, understandings and reflections on CPC's efforts to improve Party conduct and promote full, rigorous Party self-governance.

This is the second story of the "Practitioners' Insights" column, featuring a visit to the government service center in Anji County, East China's Zhejiang Province, where the Global Times observed how the Communist Party of China (CPC) continuously improve Party conduct to deliver tangible results for the people through the stories of the "feedback window for unfinished work." 

Li Yunbiao (right) talks to a visiting citizen at the "feedback window for unfinished work" in Anji, East China's Zhejiang Province on March 24, 2025. Photo: Huang Lanlan/GT

Government service halls across many regions in China have established dedicated feedback windows for handling unfinished work. What is such window? Out of the curiosity, the Global Times recently visited the government service center in Anji county, East China's Zhejiang Province.

Li Yunbiao, a member of the Communist Party of China (CPC), cut a professional figure in his crisp white shirt and neatly groomed hair. With a warm smile and energetic demeanor, he was standing behind a sign prominently displaying "Feedback Window for Unfinished Work."

With a decade of experience in service positions, he is affectionately known by everyone as "Master Li," a skilled problem-solver.

"This window specializes in resolving complex public service issues that couldn't be addressed through regular channels. It serves as the last stop to catch and solve citizens' unfinished work," Li told the Global Times. "Our responsibility is to ensure that, within the bounds of compliance, people can run fewer errands and get things done sooner. That's where our real value lies."

"Our Party's mission is to serve the people." In the chapter of "Always Put the People First" of the fourth volume of the book Xi Jinping: The Governance of China, Xi, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, states that "the people's concerns are my concerns, and the people's expectations are my goals." 

If the Party has a sound style of work, then the people are at peace and willing to stand with the Party in both success and adversity. The Communist Party of China has launched a Party-wide education campaign to implement its central leadership's Eight Rules on improving work conduct, spanning from the conclusion of this year's national two sessions through July.

This Party-wide initiative serves as both a theoretical re-education and ideological re-equipment for the Party members and officials, as well as a disciplinary re-inspection and conduct refinement.

The capacity to effectively serve the people directly reflects the Party conduct and determines the level of public support it commands. "When ordinary people judge the construction of Party conduct, they don't primarily look at how many meetings were held, how many speeches were given, or how many documents were issued, but at what problems were solved. 'When spring has warmed the stream, ducks are the first to know' - whether there's been a change, the people feel it most deeply."

From being "unable to get things done" to "getting them done well," from "resolving one issue" to "addressing them systematically," such changes in the Party conduct and governance are increasingly taking place in Anji, in Zhejiang, and across China.

From 'failure' to 'excellence'

Let people feel that we can get things done, and that we do so earnestly. Only then can we win the trust of the people and the entire Party. The remarks from Xi, made in a meeting in September 2013 in North China's Hebei Province, have become a driving force for staff members at the "feedback window for unfinished work" at Anji's government service center, including Li. 

During a break, Li shared his work log with the Global Times reporter, on which the Excel spreadsheet documented information of thousands of enterprise and individual service cases with Li's meticulous annotations: "Zhejiang XX Biomedical Technology Company (XX for anonymity) - Lots of failed insurance enrollment attempts by the company. Reflected to my window. Resolved successfully." "Pending follow-up: Chen XX - Land acquisition quota eligible for retroactive payment before document issuance, but with interrupted insurance records. Can this be settled in one lump sum?"

"This window serves as the fallback position for our residents. No matter how tedious the process or complex the situation, my colleagues and I will work together to help people get things settled," Li said.

In the article "Self-reform: The second answer to breaking the cycle of rise and fall" in the fourth volume of the book, Xi points out, "...we must remain firm and clearheaded: For whom do we govern, for whom do we exercise power, and for whom do we seek benefit?"

Regarding the CPC Central Committee's Eight Rules, Xi has delivered resolute statements: The Eight Rules are not a five- or 10-year rules, but a permanent commitment that must be adhered to on a long-term basis; The formulation and implementation of the Eight Rules represent the Party's foundational act of building credibility in the new era. It demands persistent and sustained efforts - if a decade proves insufficient, we extend to two; if two fall short, we persist for three - until its principles become ingrained social norms, with exemplary Party conduct guiding public ethos and social conduct.

Li deeply relates to this. "Over the years, the Party has demanded us to firmly say 'no' to the 'Four Malfeasances of favoring form over substance, bureaucratism, hedonism, and extravagance' in service, turning the implementation of the spirit of Eight Rules into conscious action. This involves continuously simplifying procedures, enhancing capabilities, improving service attitudes, and finding every possible way to better serve the people. These aren't just words - they're real actions," Li said.

The establishment of the "feedback window for unfinished work" at Anji government service center was stemmed from addressing pain points in government services. 

According to Ding Zejun, head of the government management department at the center, in the past, the local "12345" service hotline frequently received complaints from businesses and residents. These complaints arose from issues like incomplete or inaccurate materials, or conditions that didn't meet legal requirements, resulting in matters that couldn't be processed at the service center, with a lengthy complaint process.

To address the public's struggles with "running back and forth" and "asking multiple parties," the "feedback window for unfinished work" moves the problem-solving process forward, allowing most people to resolve complex matters on-site, Ding added.

Apart from providing consultation for those unclear on policies, and offering provisional acceptance within legal frameworks for those missing materials, a key role of the window is to coordinate and facilitate collaboration across multiple departments, Ding told the Global Times.

Li still vividly recalls a recent scene where people once shouted in frustration at his feedback window: "What on earth we should do?"

In early 2024, Xu Jia, the pension coordinator of a former state-owned coal mining enterprise and the company's Party branch secretary in Anji, sat across from Li with furrowed brows. Since the company hadn't registered in Anji years before and lacked a business license and a tax ID, more than 20 previous employees at the company eligible for pensions were stuck in the "tax ID" field during their applications. After weeks of fruitless efforts, they went to the window as a last resort.

Faced with this decades-old historical issue, Li knew that this was related to the livelihood of more than 20 families. After thinking for a moment, Li sprang into action. First, he contacted an engineer for Anji's online government service platform, asking the later whether he could create a virtual tax ID for the unregistered enterprise. 

Next, Li and the engineer each submitted reports to their respective regulatory authorities. With approval secured, the service center documented the situation and relayed it to the online platform. By that afternoon, the platform had acted on Li's proposal, generating a virtual tax ID to resolve the pension application deadlock.

"In the past, many 'unresolved cases' might have been closed by rigidly following regulations," Li said. "But now, we can't just make a procedural yes-or-no judgment on whether something can be done - we also have to consider whether it should be done. Some of these 'unresolved' cases could actually be resolved if service staff take the initiative and act with flexibility."

From 'solving one issue" to "systemic solution' 

Since its establishment, the "feedback window for unfinished work" in Anji has resolved over 500 matters that were previously considered unresolvable. According to Ding, there is a steady decline in both inquiries and case submissions to the window. 

Ding added that now, the window has established a precise and efficient "three-level response" mechanism. When businesses or residents report issues to the window, the window staff first record and categorize the problem in detail: For simple matters, an "immediate handling upon receipt" model is applied, with the window staff directly coordinating with responsible departments for on-site resolution; for complex issues involving multiple departments, a cross-departmental joint meeting mechanism is activated within an hour, formulating solutions through "on-site diagnosis," ensuring a preliminary response within half a day and completing the matter's resolution within three business days.

In the hearts of many Anji residents, this window has become a "master key" for solving problems: "No matter how tricky the issue is, it's no big deal once it reaches the 'feedback window for unfinished work.'"

The Anji government service center has established a follow-up mechanism. Currently, the feedback rate for resolved cases is around 90 percent, though some residents have given "basically satisfied" or "unsatisfied" ratings. 

"Some people aren't dissatisfied with the handling process, but rather with certain clauses in current policies," Ding said frankly. "Diverse public needs sometimes inevitably outpace existing regulations."

Ding said that, in response to policy bottlenecks identified in follow-ups, Anji is gradually improving an "appeal-suggestion-reform" conversion mechanism, sorting out policy optimization suggestions, and submitting special reports to provincial authorities through relevant departments.

From 'relieving worries' to 'warming hearts'

When the Global Times reporter spoke with some residents at the Anji government service center hall, while many praised the current convenience, they also shared inconveniences from years past: Handling one matter required visiting lots of   departments, while information wasn't shared between departments, forcing them to repeat their situations over the phone again and again.

"A service widow may be small, it's a direct channel for the public to observe and evaluate the Party and government: Are they truly serving the people with heart ? Or are they just perfunctory and formalistic? The people have their own weight in mind," Ding said.

At service windows, apart from resolving issues for the public, a warm, professional, and patient attitude is also key to improving work conduct. At every meeting, Li emphasizes to the younger staffers the importance of maintaining a proper work attitude - not just to avoid assessments or complaints, but to genuinely keep the people sitting in front in mind. "When they speak, look up at them; when listening, be patient and polite; think about what more we can do for them."

As stated in the article "Make further progress in Party self-governance" of the fourth volume of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China, "The Eight Rules must be reinforced to correct the Four Malfeasances of favoring form over substance, bureaucratism, hedonism, and extravagance, and foster healthy and positive practices. Favoring form over substance and bureaucratism are the archenemies of the healthy growth of our Party and the state."

Changing work conduct doesn't happen overnight; it's built on countless moments of self-improvement. "Our service windows don't have a glass partition - I face the residents directly every day," said Wang Ninglin, a staff member who has worked at the center for nearly five years. "Looking at them, I sometimes can't help but think: If my own parents or family members were sitting here, would I bear to let them struggle to apply for a pension, be brushed off or ignored, or even leave empty-handed?" 

"When I put myself in their shoes, I naturally know how to improve in my work," added Wang, who is also a "apprentice" if Li.

Apart from Anji, similar service systems have been built across the country to better serve the people, such as in Beijing, Shanghai and East China's Jiangsu Province. As the Eight Rules drive all aspects of Party building, and as Party members and officials transform their work conduct, local practices in modernizing governance systems and capabilities are blooming fast. The posts they hold are fertile ground for the Eight Rules to take root and flourish, and they serve as a coordinate system for Party members and officials to practice their original mission in the new era.

While learning from her "master" Li at the "feedback window for unfinished work" Wang has turned down gift cigarettes, alcohol, and even milk tea offered as thanks by grateful residents after resolving their issues. Yet she is delighted to see their written messages in the Anji government service center's guestbook, which comment the window's services.

At the center, the Global Times reporter flipped through the guestbook, and saw one comment: "Patient, professional, enthusiastic! Responsible in handling matters, detailed in explanations - thumbs up to you!"