Rank and Standing Archives - understand-culture

New Officials and Old Accounts

Article 31 of the State Council’s Regulations on Optimizing the Business Environment, in force since January 1, 2020, says that local governments must keep their policy commitments and contracts with businesses. They may not break them “on the grounds of changes in administrative divisions, a change of government, adjustments of institutions or functions, or a change of the persons responsible.”

In 2023, the National Development and Reform Commission called for action against 新官不理旧账, “new officials ignoring old accounts,” and against 朝令夕改, orders changed between morning and evening.

Ordered at Dawn, Changed by Dusk

In his memorial On Valuing Grain (论贵粟疏), the Han statesman Chao Cuo described a farming family of five. They plow, weed, harvest and serve in labor duty all year. They still suffer flood and drought, “harsh government and heavy taxes, levies at no fixed time, orders given in the morning and changed in the evening.”

From this line comes the idiom 朝令夕改. Dictionaries define it as government orders or methods that keep changing.

A Cup of Wine Ends a Command

In 961, according to Song sources, the founding emperor Zhao Kuangyin kept his senior generals back after court for a banquet. Half drunk, he told them he could not sleep. Who would not want the throne? One day, someone might put the yellow robe on them, as had been done for him. The generals knelt and asked him to show them a way to live. He advised them to buy land and houses and enjoy their years.

The next day, the generals asked to resign on the grounds of illness. The emperor granted every request and gave them generous rewards.

The episode is known as 杯酒释兵权, releasing military power over a cup of wine. It is not in the official records of the emperor’s reign, and modern historians have questioned it.

The Salary Cap

On December 14, 2020, the Chinese Football Association announced salary caps for the Chinese Super League. Domestic players could earn no more than 5 million yuan a year before tax. From 2021, clubs had to sign new contracts with players under the new standards.

Where an old contract paid more, “the club and the player may negotiate and sign a supplementary agreement.”

Double Reduction

On July 24, 2021, the General Offices of the Party Central Committee and the State Council issued the “double reduction” opinions on homework and off-campus tutoring. Existing tutoring companies for school subjects had to register as non-profit organizations. They could no longer raise capital on stock markets. No new ones would be approved.

Chinese Wikipedia sums up the effect: the policy “dealt a severe blow to the private education industry in mainland China.”

Didi’s Listing

On June 30, 2021, the ride-hailing company Didi listed on the New York Stock Exchange at 14 dollars a share. Two days later, China’s cybersecurity review office announced a review of Didi, and Didi stopped registering new users. On July 4, the Cyberspace Administration of China said that it had ordered app stores to remove the Didi app.

On December 3, 2021, Didi announced that it would start to delist from New York. It left the exchange on June 10, 2022. Its share price that day was 2.29 dollars.

The Vocabulary of Rank

一把手 The first hand. The head of a unit or organization.

拍板 To strike the board. In old trading houses, a sale was sealed by striking a wooden board. Today it means that the person in charge makes the final decision.

一言堂 The hall of one word. Once a shop’s sign for fixed prices. Today a leader who decides alone.

官大一级压死人 An official one rank higher crushes a person to death. In 2018, the Party’s discipline newspaper used the phrase to criticize an official who pulled rank.