Chapter 170

The District Party Working Committee consists of eight major departments: the Party and Government Office, the Organization and Personnel Department, the Propaganda Department, the Discipline Inspection and Supervision Department, the Economic Development Department, the Social Affairs Department, the Political and Legal Affairs Department, and the Urban Construction Management Department. Among these, the department head, Bi Elesheng, was a full-department-level cadre with real power. Qi Tongwei, however, lacked the necessary seniority. His rank was merely deputy-department level—a battlefield promotion that granted him a half-step advancement from his original section-level position. He was simply not qualified to serve as the primary leader. Zhou Zhengming decided to appoint him as the acting director of the Economic Development Department. As the old saying goes: if your superior says you can do it, you can, even if you can’t. Since he could not be directly appointed as the director and primary person in charge, he would simply serve as the acting director to preside over the department’s affairs.