摘要

1976年6月,宋秀岩进入分局机关,任分局宣传部干事,没几天就升为副部长。据宋秀岩曾经的邻居,西宁铁路一中老师高长生回忆,她是毛泽东思想学习积极分子,据说在一次大型演讲中,良好的口才和理论水平给省领导留下了很好的印象。
  这个初步的良好印象成为宋秀岩政治生涯的契机。后来有一次到省里开会,她的发言再次收到了良好的反应。石宏博说,当时青海省委常务副书记马万里对宋秀岩的表现很满意,马上就问“这个小孩是那个单位的”?
  1983年1月,年仅28岁的宋秀岩被调到共青团青海省委任副书记,从副科级一次提到副厅级。

1985年9月,只有初中学历的宋秀岩考上了中国青年政治学院(原中央团校)首届成人大专班,专业是青少年思想教育。当时共青团中央第一书记是胡锦涛。在入中国青年政治学院学习之前宋秀岩就已经和胡锦涛接触过:1985年4月14日,胡锦涛曾到青海考察,并和西宁地区团干部合影留念,照片上宋秀岩坐在胡锦涛的右边。

1989年初,适逢共青团青海省第8次代表大会,团省委书记宋秀岩兼大会主席团主席。在差额选常委的时候,宋秀岩意外落选了。最后大会只选出三个副书记,团省委书记暂缺。
  “结果出来了田成平(
编者注:当时是青海省委副书记)就问宋秀岩,说‘小宋啊,你现在还能不能主持会议啊?’宋秀岩当时的情绪可想而知,主持不下去了。”裴瑾霖说。宋秀岩随后被送回家。(编者注:后来提拔宋秀岩的应该还是田成平

女省长宋秀岩的成长轨迹

时间:2005年03月30日10:29  来源:时代人物周报

  2005,西宁,早春,青海省十届人大三次会议第四次全体会议。会议应到代表388名,实到代表359名,符合法定人数。
  当投票结束,大会主持人宣布代省长宋秀岩当选青海省人民政府省长时,掌声随即响起,宋秀岩起身致意。  
  时光倒流到1983年,江苏也出过一位女省长,名字叫顾秀莲。
  宋秀岩是继顾秀莲之后中国第二位女省长,也是中国目前惟一一位女省长。引起人们注意的不仅仅是性别,还有年龄。宋秀岩1955年出生,只有49岁。
  3月16日上午,青海省政府大门口,一群步履匆匆的官员在赶去上班。星期三,正是政府节奏紧张的时候。
  青海省省长宋秀岩也在这群行色匆忙的官员中间。14日全国“两会”结束,15日坐飞机回西宁,16日就上班了。在接下来的几天里,她要下乡,召开省政府全体会议,日程排得满满的。

“两会”新星

  在今年的“两会”期间,宋秀岩成了媒体关注的焦点。在“两会”召开的第二天,新华社用较长的篇幅报道了这位女省长,并强调说“作为我国目前惟一的女省长,此次是宋秀岩当选全国人大代表以后首次在‘两会’上正式亮相”。
  紧跟着中国新闻社发表题为《与中国惟一女省长“谈情说爱”》的署名文章,全面介绍身兼省长、女儿、妻子、母亲四重身份的宋秀岩。文章中对宋秀岩的描述是“秀丽的短发,挺拔的身材,优雅的举止,一袭得体的黑色职业装配上红色衬衣”。
  她先后在中央电视台的“东方之子”和“新闻会客厅”栏目中亮相,介绍青海现状和前景。在互联网上搜索一下宋秀岩的名字,查询结果就有3万多项。在所有报道中,媒体无一例外地对这位新当选的女省长充满好感。
  新加坡《联合早报》发表文章说,宋秀岩在政治精英云集的“两会”上成为媒体的宠儿,在给全中国观众留下了良好印象的同时,也使自己成为中国政坛上的又一颗新星。文章分析说,在中国现任省部级干部中,宋秀岩拥有年龄和性别优势。按惯例,中国“党和国家领导人”的序列中女性应该占有一定的比例,而宋秀岩在今年“两会”中知名度大幅提升,使她在中国为数不多的女性政治家中处于优势地位。

跨越:从副科到副厅

  1955年10月出生的宋秀岩祖籍天津。父亲曾当过沈阳铁路局辽阳分局的助理站长,随后调到兰州铁路局西宁分局做一个小站的站长。
  初中时的宋秀岩就表现出相当的政治天分。据西宁铁路一中的数学老师卫莲回忆,宋秀岩是68级2班的班长,而且是同年级6个班中惟一的女班长,“口才很好,写的一笔好字”。时值文革,学校经常组织学生学工、学农、学军,每次出发前学生们都要准备好粮票和伙食费,由班长统一集中管理。

晚上到了驻地,宋秀岩还要陪老师挨家挨户检查同学的住宿情况,“一个班50多个人,管理起来很不容易”。
  宋秀岩是全校公认的好学生,学习优秀,“人很听话,老师布置的任务总能很快完成”。毛主席号召“深挖洞,广积粮”,学校也在挖防空洞,宋秀岩“晚上吃完了饭就早早的点着蜡烛去挖”。
  1971年,“毛主席语录背的很好”的宋秀岩初中毕业,和大多数铁路职工子女一样,参加了西宁铁路分局的招工,被选中做电务段的报务员。宋秀岩当时的主管领导,电务段电报电话主任石宏博说,能分到学报务员的都是“脑袋聪明的人”,还要经过审查再审查,政治合格。
  在领导的眼中,宋秀岩“听话,稳当,有涵养,挑不出什么毛病”。因为“总能千方百计完成”任务,而且在同所的6个报务员中业务最好,年轻的宋秀岩很快被提名为报务领班,不久又被任命为电务段兼职团支部书记。
  1976年6月,宋秀岩进入分局机关,任分局宣传部干事,没几天就升为副部长。据宋秀岩曾经的邻居,西宁铁路一中老师高长生回忆,她是毛泽东思想学习积极分子,据说在一次大型演讲中,良好的口才和理论水平给省领导留下了很好的印象。
  这个初步的良好印象成为宋秀岩政治生涯的契机。后来有一次到省里开会,她的发言再次收到了良好的反应。石宏博说,当时青海省委常务副书记马万里对宋秀岩的表现很满意,马上就问“这个小孩是那个单位的”?
  1983年1月,年仅28岁的宋秀岩被调到共青团青海省委任副书记,从副科级一次提到副厅级。

突然落选,仕途遇挫

  在青海省委党校副教授李广斌看来,宋秀岩的破格提拔和当时的时代背景关系很大:文革动乱刚结束,干部正处于青黄不接的阶段;改革开放风气已开,领导在用人上更大胆一些。
  无论如何,从副科直接提升到副厅,在一些人看来还是有些匪夷所思。据宋秀岩在团省委工作时的司机杜玉光说,一些老同志就对宋秀岩持怀疑态度,而且从企业团委直接到团省委,她没有任何宏观管理经验。
  宋秀岩就在这种情况下来到了青海团省委。

据当时的团省委干部李洪蔼说,团省委当时没有书记,副书记宋秀岩就是负责人。她到任之后并没有着急抓工作,而是先在各个处室转了一圈,了解一下情况。
  良好的口才再次帮她树立了威望。原青海团校校长裴瑾霖回忆说,宋秀岩上任不久就召开了一次团省委大会,会上她讲话头脑清晰敏捷,谈工作很有条理,“给我的印象是人比较精干,口才非常好”。此后,宋秀岩迅速熟悉了工作,很快“就能领导我们这些比她大的同志”。
  宋秀岩连续组织了一系列活动。“能下乡,能说,作风泼辣”,李洪蔼说宋秀岩和上下级的关系都不错,也善于和其他部门沟通,她曾举办过一个“学科学爱青海”展览,联合了青海十几个单位,还请了省委书记来参观。
编者注:当时的省委书记赵海峰(1982年12月-1985年7月)
  1985年9月,只有初中学历的宋秀岩考上了中国青年政治学院(原中央团校)首届成人大专班,专业是青少年思想教育。当时共青团中央第一书记是胡锦涛。在入中国青年政治学院学习之前宋秀岩就已经和胡锦涛接触过:1985年4月14日,胡锦涛曾到青海考察,并和西宁地区团干部合影留念,照片上宋秀岩坐在胡锦涛的右边。
  两年全脱产的大学教育除了让宋秀岩有了大学学历之外,也增强了她的理论分析能力。然而学成归来的宋秀岩仕途却遇到波折,1989年初,适逢共青团青海省第8次代表大会,团省委书记宋秀岩兼大会主席团主席。在差额选常委的时候,宋秀岩意外落选了。最后大会只选出三个副书记,团省委书记暂缺。
  “结果出来了田成平(
编者注:当时是青海省委副书记)就问宋秀岩,说‘小宋啊,你现在还能不能主持会议啊?’宋秀岩当时的情绪可想而知,主持不下去了。”裴瑾霖说。宋秀岩随后被送回家。(编者注:后来提拔宋秀岩的应该还是田成平
  这是宋秀岩职业生涯中最灰暗的时刻:突然落选,而且原因不明。几个月后,宋被任命为海东地委副书记,级别由正厅降为副厅,工资也降了一级。同当年从科级一跃到厅级一样,据说在青海,这种情况同样是没有过的。

到基层成女中豪杰

  宋秀岩到海东时的心情我们无法确知,据她当时的秘书、现海东地委秘书长吴庆生编者注:曾任青海省政府副秘书长,青海省人民政府行政服务和公共资源交易中心(省公共资源交易监督管理局)主任(局长)。2017年3月16日退休)说,她并没有表现出悲观情绪。“她当时说自己这么年轻就能做副书记,已经相当不错了,这要在基层就了不得了,所以她没有什么抱怨的。”
  不过宋秀岩面临的局面并不乐观:没有地方工作经验,对海东的农牧情况几乎一无所知;年轻,是所有副书记中年龄最小的,排名在最后,而且是惟一的女干部。吴庆生说,当时地委的几个秘书都不愿意跟她,“我说没人跟,那就我跟吧”。

  履新不久,机遇来了。海东下辖的化隆县支扎乡遭受了严重的雹灾,打掉了将近2000多亩庄稼。“很多群众痛哭流涕,就在这个关键时刻,宋书记给我打电话调查灾情,随后到基层调查受灾群众,当场自己掏钱给他们。然后跟县上座谈制订了三条救灾措施,给我们现场办公解决了30多万元的救灾资金。”时任化隆县县委书记芦玉林说。
  这次救灾工作展示了宋秀岩处理紧急情况的能力,也为她赢得了当地的人心。时隔十多年,芦玉林谈起时仍激动得说不出话来。
  当时宋秀岩主管宣传、医疗卫生和教育。吴庆生说,宋秀岩树起了和平乡小高陵村做典型,搞山水农田的综合治理。计划生育和教育更是海东的软肋,全区推行二胎政策都推不下去,宋秀岩根据在团省委的经验,先解决“钉子户”,然后推广。至于教育工作,海东的小学入学率两年间从70%上升到了88%。宋秀岩随后升任常务副书记,主管农业。
  在吴庆生看来,海东的工作经历对宋秀岩影响巨大,“她曾说真需要到海东锻炼”。青海省委党校副教授李广斌也认为,基层经历是干部提拔过程中必不可少的阶段,“现在提拔厅级干部都要求有基层工作经验”。
  在当统计局长时,有关农民收入的数字报上去,她马上知道其中几个是假的,“她说我熟悉地方工作,老百姓根本不可能有那么高的收入”。而在海东地区和少数民族打交道的经验,也使她后来在当统战部长时更加得心应手。
  1992年4月,宋秀岩被调回西宁,任劳动人事厅副厅长。吴庆生说宋秀岩走的时候地委办公室很多女同志都痛哭流涕,当时的老书记对她说:“你是女中豪杰。”

厅局经验

  回到省城,宋秀岩37岁,在厅级官员中相当年轻,工作也从党务转到了政府部门。
  劳动人事对宋来说是一个陌生的工作,正值中国人事改革的关口,谁也不知具体方向,用现人事厅副厅长马继双的话说“是一个有些冒险的工作”。
  这位37岁的副厅长开始大胆革新。她打破了计划体制下劳动人事部门权力过大的传统,放弃指令性管理,宣布取消调配,“不要干部每天拿着介绍信跑人事厅”。
  宋秀岩受到了官员和普通职工两方面的压力:劳动人事厅的官员们认为这个女厅长剥夺了他们的权力,“除了上级外,劳人厅大部分的干部都不理解”,马继双说。

普通职工也不理解,说“她把劳动力推向市场就把铁饭碗打破了”。
  马继双说当时宋的性格“很有棱角”,在遭遇了暂时的阻力后,改革计划很快让人们看到了长处。“接着国家《劳动法》一出台,市场经济逐渐成熟,劳动力管理就走向市场化了。”
  现任劳动和社会保障厅副厅长纪仁凤说,这项改革对青海此后的发展很关键,“继续抓住权力不放的话,青海整个的改革就要推迟,因为人事制度很重要。”
  推行完改革的宋秀岩不久又被调到了一个更专业的部门——青海省统计局。宋秀岩这次扮演的依然是一个救火队员的角色:据当时统计局办公室主任邢子琴说,之前的一位局长和三个副局长不和,“副局长还不如局长相信的主任,主任还不如局长相信的干事。想提谁就提拔谁,人和人之间防不胜防,派系严重。”
  宋秀岩理顺了干部关系,让统计局的人心重新振作起来。随即切实解决这个“清水衙门”的实际困难:新盖了办公楼和宿舍楼,让大部分职工有房子住;改革干部制度,用考试的方法选拔年轻人才。稳定人心之后,宋秀岩开始抓业务工作,“为了弄清楚一个数字经常要下乡好几天”,而且组织专家对相关数字进行论证,“这在从前是没有过的”。
  “原来省里对我们统计局不怎么重视,宋局长来了以后省里就经常叫她过去了解统计情况。”邢子琴说,宋秀岩是她共事过的最好的局长。
  当统计局工作稳定后,宋秀岩再一次被调走,并先后担任省委统战部部长和组织部部长,回归党务工作。

省长宋秀岩

  1998年4月,宋秀岩当选为中共青海省第九届省委常委,副书记,4年后再次当选第十届中共青海省委常委、副书记。也是这一年,宋秀岩参加了中央党校第33期省部级干部进修班,任学员党支部书记,并在十六大上当选为中央候补委员。
  随着在省委地位的提高,宋秀岩的主管方向从文教转为农牧工作,任农村牧区工作领导小组组长,在海东积累的农业经验得到了充分的发挥。
  此后宋秀岩的工作逐步向经济工作靠拢,外出考察也频繁起来。

她参与了青海和山东的经贸合作项目,引进了8个合作项目,总投资达14.95亿元。
  2004年12月23日,在中国省级官员大调整的浪潮中,宋秀岩当选为青海省代省长,和辽宁省委书记李克强一起成为最年轻的正省级干部。
  2005年元旦的时候,宋代表青海省政府发表了新年献辞。在献辞中她说青海要“以科学发展观统领经济社会发展全局……坚持走新型工业化、农牧业产业化、城镇化的道路。”
  21天后,在青海省十届人大三次会议第四次全体会议上,宋秀岩正式成为青海省人民政府省长,并当选为青海省第十届全国人民代表大会代表。
  回顾宋秀岩的履历会发现,这是一个相对完整的政治成长过程:铁路工人出身,曾任基层宣传干部,随后调进团省委。有过地方工作经验,也曾历任厅局、统战部、组织部领导。从政府职能部门到党务工作都很熟悉,然后顺利进入省委成为副书记,直到当选青海省省长。
  青海省委党校副教授李广斌说,“象她这样很年轻就达到很高级别的干部在省里是比较稀少的,所以我相信省委会有意去培养她。她从团省委到地方基层,然后经历了如此跳跃的工作单位,实际上就体现了省委的培养意图。”

英文翻译

Summary
In June 1976, Song Xiuyan entered the branch office and served as director of the branch propaganda department. Within a few days, he was promoted to deputy director. According to Gao Changsheng, a former neighbor of Song Xiuyan and a teacher at Xining Railway No. 1 Middle School, she was an activist in studying Mao Zedong Thought. It is said that in a large speech, her good eloquence and theoretical level left a good impression on provincial leaders.
This initial good impression became an opportunity for Song Xiuyan’s political career. Later, she went to the province for a meeting, and her speech again received a good response. Shi Hongbo said that at that time, Ma Wanli, executive deputy secretary of the Qinghai Provincial Party Committee, was very satisfied with Song Xiuyan’s performance and immediately asked, “Which unit does this child belong to?”
In January 1983, Song Xiuyan, who was only 28 years old, was transferred to the Qinghai Provincial Deputy Secretary of the Communist Youth League, and was promoted from the deputy section level to the deputy department level.

In September 1985, Song Xiuyan, who only had a junior high school education, was admitted to the first adult college class of the China Youth Political College (formerly the Central Youth League School), majoring in youth ideological education. At that time, the first secretary of the Communist Youth League Central Committee was Hu Jintao. Song Xiuyan had already been in contact with Hu Jintao before studying at the China Youth University for Political Science: On April 14, 1985, Hu Jintao visited Qinghai and took a group photo with the Youth League cadres in Xining. In the photo, Song Xiuyan was sitting on the right side of Hu Jintao.

At the beginning of 1989, the 8th Qinghai Provincial Congress of the Communist Youth League coincided with Song Xiuyan, Secretary of the Provincial Committee of the Communist Youth League and Chairman of the Presidium of the Congress. When the standing committee was elected with a shortfall, Song Xiuyan unexpectedly lost the election. In the end, only three deputy secretaries were elected at the conference, and the secretary of the Youth League and Provincial Committee was temporarily vacant.
“When the results came out, Tian Chengping (Editor’s note: Deputy Secretary of the Qinghai Provincial Party Committee at the time) asked Song Xiuyan, ‘Xiao Song, can you still preside over the meeting now?’ You can imagine Song Xiuyan’s emotions at the time, and he could not continue to preside. Yes.” Pei Jinlin said. Song Xiuyan was then sent home. (Editor’s note: It was Tian Chengping who later promoted Song Xiuyan)

The growth trajectory of female provincial governor Song Xiuyan
Time: March 30, 2005 10:29 Source: Times Weekly

2005, Xining, early spring, the fourth plenary session of the third session of the 10th Qinghai Provincial People’s Congress. There were 388 representatives expected to attend the meeting, but 359 actually showed up, which met the quorum.
When the voting ended and the host of the conference announced that Acting Governor Song Xiuyan was elected governor of the Qinghai Provincial People’s Government, applause immediately broke out, and Song Xiuyan stood up to pay tribute. ​
Back in 1983, Jiangsu also had a female governor named Gu Xiulian.
Song Xiuyan is the second female governor in China after Gu Xiulian, and the only female governor in China. It’s not just gender that attracts attention, but also age. Song Xiuyan was born in 1955, only 49 years old.
On the morning of March 16, at the gate of the Qinghai Provincial Government, a group of officials were rushing to work. Wednesday was a tense time for the government.
Qinghai Province Governor Song Xiuyan was also among this group of officials in a hurry. The national “Two Sessions” ended on the 14th. I flew back to Xining on the 15th and went to work on the 16th. In the next few days, she will go to the countryside and hold a plenary meeting of the provincial government, so her schedule is full.

“Two Sessions” Rising Stars
During this year’s “Two Sessions”, Song Xiuyan became the focus of media attention. On the second day of the “Two Sessions”, Xinhua News Agency reported at length on the female governor, emphasizing that “as the only female governor in our country, this is the first time that Song Xiuyan has been elected as a deputy to the National People’s Congress.” Officially unveiled at the two sessions.”
Immediately after the China News Agency published a signed article titled “Love and Love with China’s Only Female Governor”, it comprehensively introduced Song Xiuyan, who was a governor, daughter, wife, and mother. The description of Song Xiuyan in the article is “beautiful short hair, tall and straight figure, elegant manners, and dressed in a decent black professional outfit with a red shirt.”
She has appeared in the “Son of the East” and “News Hall” columns of CCTV to introduce the current situation and prospects of Qinghai. If you search for Song Xiuyan’s name on the Internet, there are more than 30,000 results. In all reports, the media, without exception, is full of favorable impressions of the newly elected female governor.
Singapore’s “Lianhe Zaobao” published an article saying that Song Xiuyan became the darling of the media at the “Two Sessions” where political elites gathered. While leaving a good impression on the Chinese audience, he also made himself another rising star in China’s political arena. The article analyzes that among China’s current provincial and ministerial-level cadres, Song Xiuyan has age and gender advantages. By convention, women should account for a certain proportion of China’s “party and state leaders”. However, Song Xiuyan’s popularity increased significantly during this year’s “Two Sessions”, putting her in an advantageous position among the few female politicians in China.

Leapfrogging: from deputy department to deputy department
Song Xiuyan was born in October 1955 and his ancestral home is Tianjin. My father once served as the assistant stationmaster of the Liaoyang Branch of the Shenyang Railway Bureau, and was later transferred to the Xining Branch of the Lanzhou Railway Bureau as the stationmaster of a small station.
Song Xiuyan showed considerable political talent when he was in junior high school. According to Wei Lian, a mathematics teacher at Xining Railway No. 1 Middle School, Song Xiuyan was the monitor of Class 2 of Grade 68 and the only female monitor among the six classes in the same grade. She was “very eloquent and could write well.” During the Cultural Revolution, the school often organized students to study workers, farmers, and the military. Before each departure, students had to prepare food stamps and meal expenses, which were managed centrally by the squad leader.

When they arrived at the station in the evening, Song Xiuyan had to accompany the teacher to check the accommodation situation of the students door to door. “There are more than 50 people in a class, and it is not easy to manage.”
Song Xiuyan is recognized by the whole school as a good student who excels in studies. “He is very obedient and can always complete the tasks assigned by the teacher quickly.” Chairman Mao called for “digging holes deep and hoarding grain widely.” Schools were also digging air-raid shelters. Song Xiuyan “lighted candles and dug early after dinner in the evening.”
In 1971, Song Xiuyan, who “recited Chairman Mao’s quotations very well” graduated from junior high school. Like most children of railway workers, he participated in the recruitment of the Xining Railway Branch and was selected to be a telegraph operator in the telecom section. Song Xiuyan’s supervisor at the time, Shi Hongbo, director of the Telegraph and Telephone Department of the Telecommunications Section, said that those who could be assigned to be school radio operators were “smart people” who had to be reviewed and re-examined to be politically qualified.
In the eyes of the leader, Song Xiuyan is “obedient, steady, well-educated, and can find no faults.” Because he was “always able to do everything possible to complete” the task and was the best among the six telegraph operators in the same office, the young Song Xiuyan was quickly nominated as the telegraph foreman, and was soon appointed as the part-time branch secretary of the telecom section.
In June 1976, Song Xiuyan entered the branch office and served as director of the branch propaganda department. Within a few days, he was promoted to deputy director. According to Gao Changsheng, a former neighbor of Song Xiuyan and a teacher at Xining Railway No. 1 Middle School, she was an activist in studying Mao Zedong Thought. It is said that in a large speech, her good eloquence and theoretical level left a good impression on provincial leaders.
This initial good impression became an opportunity for Song Xiuyan’s political career. Later, she went to the province for a meeting, and her speech again received a good response. Shi Hongbo said that at that time, Ma Wanli, executive deputy secretary of the Qinghai Provincial Party Committee, was very satisfied with Song Xiuyan’s performance and immediately asked, “Which unit does this child belong to?”
In January 1983, Song Xiuyan, who was only 28 years old, was transferred to the Qinghai Provincial Deputy Secretary of the Communist Youth League, and was promoted from the deputy section level to the deputy department level.

Suddenly lost the election, career setback
According to Li Guangbin, an associate professor at the Party School of the Qinghai Provincial Party Committee, Song Xiuyan’s exceptional promotion had a lot to do with the background of the times: the Cultural Revolution had just ended, and cadres were in a period of inactivity; the trend of reform and opening up had begun, and leaders were more bold in hiring people.
In any case, it is still a bit unbelievable to some people to be directly promoted from deputy department to deputy department. According to Du Yuguang, Song Xiuyan’s driver when she was working in the Youth League Provincial Committee, some old comrades were skeptical of Song Xiuyan, and she went directly from the Youth League Committee of the company to the Provincial Youth League Committee without any macro management experience.
It was under such circumstances that Song Xiuyan came to the Qinghai Youth League Provincial Committee.

According to Li Hongai, a cadre of the Youth League Provincial Committee at the time, the Youth League Provincial Committee had no secretary at the time, and deputy secretary Song Xiuyan was the person in charge. After she took office, she did not rush to catch up on work. Instead, she first walked around various departments to understand the situation.
Good eloquence once again helped her establish her prestige. Pei Jinlin, the former principal of the Qinghai Youth League School, recalled that Song Xiuyan held a Youth League and Provincial Committee meeting shortly after she took office. At the meeting, she spoke clearly and quickly, and talked about her work in a very organized manner. “It gave me the impression that she was relatively capable and very eloquent.” After that, Song Xiuyan quickly became familiar with the work and soon “was able to lead us comrades who are older than her.”
Song Xiuyan organized a series of activities continuously. “Able to go to the countryside, good at speaking, and with a vigorous style.” Li Hongai said that Song Xiuyan has a good relationship with her superiors and subordinates, and is also good at communicating with other departments. She once held an exhibition “Learn to Love Qinghai” and united more than a dozen units in Qinghai. , and also invited the provincial party committee secretary to visit.
Editor’s note: Zhao Haifeng, then Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee (December 1982-July 1985)
In September 1985, Song Xiuyan, who only had a junior high school education, was admitted to the first adult college class of the China Youth Political College (formerly the Central Youth League School), majoring in youth ideological education. At that time, the first secretary of the Communist Youth League Central Committee was Hu Jintao. Song Xiuyan had already been in contact with Hu Jintao before studying at the China Youth University for Political Science: On April 14, 1985, Hu Jintao visited Qinghai and took a group photo with the Youth League cadres in Xining. In the photo, Song Xiuyan was sitting on the right side of Hu Jintao.
Two years of full-time college education not only gave Song Xiuyan a college degree, but also enhanced her theoretical analysis ability. However, Song Xiuyan’s career after returning from school encountered setbacks. In early 1989, the 8th Qinghai Provincial Congress of the Communist Youth League coincided with Song Xiuyan, Secretary of the Provincial Committee of the Communist Youth League and Chairman of the Presidium of the Congress. When the standing committee was elected with a shortfall, Song Xiuyan unexpectedly lost the election. In the end, only three deputy secretaries were elected at the conference, and the secretary of the Youth League and Provincial Committee was temporarily vacant.
“When the results came out, Tian Chengping (Editor’s note: Deputy Secretary of the Qinghai Provincial Party Committee at the time) asked Song Xiuyan, ‘Xiao Song, can you still preside over the meeting now?’ You can imagine Song Xiuyan’s mood at the time, and he couldn’t continue to preside. Yes.” Pei Jinlin said. Song Xiuyan was then sent home. (Editor’s note: It was Tian Chengping who later promoted Song Xiuyan)
This is the gloomiest moment in Song Xiuyan’s career: he suddenly lost the selection and the reason is unknown. A few months later, Song was appointed deputy secretary of the Haidong Prefectural Committee. His rank was reduced from the main department to the deputy department, and his salary was also reduced by one level. Just like the jump from the department level to the department level, it is said that this situation has never happened before in Qinghai.

Go to the grassroots and become a hero among women
We can’t know for sure what Song Xiuyan’s mood was when she arrived in Haidong. According to her secretary at the time and now Secretary-General of the Haidong Prefectural Committee Wu Qingsheng (Editor’s Note: Former Deputy Secretary-General of the Qinghai Provincial Government, Administrative Services and Public Resource Transactions of the Qinghai Provincial People’s Government Director (Director) of the Center (Provincial Public Resources Transaction Supervision and Administration Bureau). Retired on March 16, 2017) said she was not showing pessimism. “She said at the time that she was pretty good at being a deputy secretary at such a young age. This would be great at the grassroots level, so she had nothing to complain about.”
However, the situation Song Xiuyan faced was not optimistic: he had no local work experience and knew almost nothing about the farming and animal husbandry situation in Haidong; he was young, the youngest among all deputy secretaries, ranked last, and was the only female cadre. Wu Qingsheng said that at that time, several secretaries of the prefectural committee were unwilling to follow her. “I said no one would follow, so I would follow.”

Not long after I took up my new job, an opportunity came. Zhizha Township, Hualong County, under the jurisdiction of Haidong, suffered severe hailstorms, destroying nearly 2,000 acres of crops. “Many people cried bitterly. At this critical moment, Secretary Song called me to investigate the disaster. Then he went to the grassroots to investigate the affected people and paid them on the spot. Then he discussed with the county and formulated three disaster relief measures for us on the spot. The office raised more than 300,000 yuan in disaster relief funds,” said Lu Yulin, then secretary of the Hualong County Party Committee.
This disaster relief work demonstrated Song Xiuyan’s ability to handle emergencies, and also won her the hearts of local people. More than ten years later, Lu Yulin was still too excited to speak when talking about it.
At that time, Song Xiuyan was in charge of publicity, medical health and education. Wu Qingsheng said that Song Xiuyan set up Xiaogaoling Village in Heping Township as a model for comprehensive management of landscape and farmland. Family planning and education are Haidong’s weaknesses. The district’s implementation of the two-child policy cannot be pushed forward. Based on her experience in the Youth League Provincial Committee, Song Xiuyan first solved the “nail households” and then promoted it. As for education, Haidong’s primary school enrollment rate increased from 70% to 88% in two years. Song Xiuyan was subsequently promoted to deputy secretary, in charge of agriculture.
In Wu Qingsheng’s view, Haidong’s work experience had a huge impact on Song Xiuyan, “She once said that she really needed to go to Haidong for training.” Li Guangbin, associate professor at the Party School of the Qinghai Provincial Party Committee, also believes that grassroots experience is an essential stage in the process of cadre promotion. “Currently, the promotion of department-level cadres requires grassroots work experience.”
When she was the director of statistics, when the figures on farmers’ income were reported, she immediately knew that some of them were false. “She said that I was familiar with local work, and it was impossible for ordinary people to have such a high income.” Her experience in dealing with ethnic minorities in the Haidong region also made her more comfortable when she later served as Minister of United Front Work.
In April 1992, Song Xiuyan was transferred back to Xining and served as deputy director of the Department of Labor and Human Resources. Wu Qingsheng said that when Song Xiuyan left, many lesbians in the prefectural committee office cried bitterly. The old secretary at the time said to her: “You are a hero among women.”

Bureau experience
Back in the provincial capital, Song Xiuyan was 37 years old, quite young among department-level officials, and her job had been transferred from party affairs to government departments.
Labor and personnel was an unfamiliar job to Song. It was at the juncture of China’s personnel reform, and no one knew the specific direction. In the words of Ma Jishuang, the current deputy director of the Department of Personnel, “it is a somewhat risky job.”
The 37-year-old deputy director began to make bold innovations. She broke the tradition of excessive power of the labor and personnel department under the planned system, abandoned directive management, announced the cancellation of deployment, and “no cadres should go to the personnel office every day with letters of introduction.”
Song Xiuyan was under pressure from both officials and ordinary employees: Officials from the Department of Labor and Human Resources believed that the female director had deprived them of their power. “Except for the superiors, most cadres in the Department of Labor and Human Resources did not understand,” Ma Jishuang said.

Ordinary workers don’t understand either, saying “she broke the iron rice bowl by bringing labor to the market.”
Ma Jishuang said that Song’s character at that time was “very angular.” After encountering temporary resistance, the reform plan quickly allowed people to see its advantages. “As soon as the national Labor Law was promulgated, the market economy gradually matured, and labor management became market-oriented.”
Ji Renfeng, the current deputy director of the Department of Labor and Social Security, said that this reform is critical to Qinghai’s future development. “If we continue to seize power, the entire reform of Qinghai will be delayed, because the personnel system is very important.”
After implementing the reforms, Song Xiuyan was soon transferred to a more professional department, the Qinghai Provincial Bureau of Statistics. Song Xiuyan still played the role of a firefighter this time: According to Xing Ziqin, director of the Office of the Bureau of Statistics at the time, the previous director and the three deputy directors were at odds. “The deputy directors are not as trustworthy as the directors, and the directors are not as trustworthy as the directors.” We can promote whoever we want, and people are hard to guard against, and there are serious factions.”
Song Xiuyan straightened out the relationship between cadres and revitalized the people of the Bureau of Statistics. Immediately, the practical difficulties of this “Qingshui Yamen” were effectively solved: new office buildings and dormitories were built to provide housing for most employees; the cadre system was reformed and young talents were selected through examinations.

. After stabilizing people’s hearts, Song Xiuyan began to focus on business work. “In order to figure out a number, he often went to the countryside for several days,” and organized experts to demonstrate the relevant figures. “This has never happened before.”
“It turns out that the province doesn’t pay much attention to our Bureau of Statistics. After Director Song came, the province often called her to learn about the statistical situation.” Xing Ziqin said that Song Xiuyan was the best director she had ever worked with.
When the work of the Statistics Bureau stabilized, Song Xiuyan was transferred again and served as the director of the United Front Work Department and the Organization Department of the Provincial Party Committee, returning to party work.

Governor Song Xiuyan
In April 1998, Song Xiuyan was elected as a member of the Standing Committee of the 9th Qinghai Provincial Committee and Deputy Secretary. Four years later, he was re-elected as a member of the Standing Committee and Deputy Secretary of the 10th Qinghai Provincial Committee. Also in the same year, Song Xiuyan participated in the 33rd training class for provincial and ministerial cadres of the Central Party School, served as secretary of the student party branch, and was elected as an alternate member of the Central Committee at the 16th National Congress.
With the improvement of his status in the provincial party committee, Song Xiuyan’s supervisory direction changed from culture and education to agriculture and animal husbandry. He served as the leader of the rural and pastoral area work leading group, and the agricultural experience accumulated in Haidong was fully utilized.
After that, Song Xiuyan’s work gradually moved closer to economic work, and his outings for inspections became more frequent.

She participated in economic and trade cooperation projects in Qinghai and Shandong, introducing 8 cooperation projects with a total investment of 1.495 billion yuan.
On December 23, 2004, in the wave of major adjustments of provincial officials in China, Song Xiuyan was elected as the acting governor of Qinghai Province, becoming the youngest provincial-level cadre together with Li Keqiang, secretary of the Liaoning Provincial Party Committee.
On New Year’s Day in 2005, Song delivered a New Year’s message on behalf of the Qinghai Provincial Government. In her speech, she said that Qinghai should “guide the overall economic and social development with the scientific concept of development… adhere to the path of new industrialization, industrialization of agriculture and animal husbandry, and urbanization.”
Twenty-one days later, at the fourth plenary session of the third session of the 10th Qinghai Provincial People’s Congress, Song Xiuyan officially became the governor of the Qinghai Provincial People’s Government and was elected as a representative of the 10th National People’s Congress of Qinghai Province.
Looking back at Song Xiuyan’s resume, we will find that this is a relatively complete political growth process: he was a railway worker, served as a grassroots propaganda cadre, and was later transferred to the Provincial Youth League Committee. He has local work experience and has served as leaders of departments, bureaus, United Front Work Department, and Organization Department. He was familiar with everything from government departments to party affairs, and then successfully entered the provincial party committee and became deputy secretary until he was elected governor of Qinghai Province.
Li Guangbin, associate professor at the Party School of the Qinghai Provincial Party Committee, said, “cadres like her who have reached a high level at a very young age are relatively rare in the province, so I believe the provincial party committee intends to train her. She went from the Youth League and Provincial Committee to the local grassroots, and then The work unit that has experienced such a jump actually reflects the cultivation intention of the provincial party committee.”

简体中文