Final Decision Archives - understand-culture

Cutting the Desk

Before the Battle of Red Cliffs, Cao Cao had taken Jingzhou and its fleet. Sun Quan called his officials together and asked for their advice. According to the Records of the Three Kingdoms, all who spoke said that the best plan was to “welcome” Cao Cao, that is, to submit. Zhou Yu argued for war, and Sun Quan agreed with him.

A note to the same chapter, from the Jiangbiao Zhuan, describes what Sun Quan did next. He drew his sword and cut the desk in front of him. “Any officer or official who dares to speak again of welcoming Cao Cao will be like this desk.” (诸将吏敢复有言当迎操者，与此案同)

Drafts and Red Ink

After the Ming abolished the chancellor, memorials to the throne went to the Grand Secretaries. They drafted a proposed reply on a slip of paper and attached it to the cover of the memorial. This was called piaoni (票拟), “drafting on a slip.” The emperor then wrote his decision on the memorial in red ink. This was called pihong (批红), “approving in red.”

If the emperor agreed, the memorial went out to be carried out. If he did not, it went back to the cabinet for a new draft. From the Xuande reign on, the red brush passed to the eunuchs of the Directorate of Ceremonial.

The Grand Council

In 1729, the Yongzheng Emperor set up an office inside the palace to handle a war in the northwest. It became the Grand Council (军机处), and it remained until 1911. Its ministers turned the emperor’s spoken instructions into edicts. They also discussed major affairs, but their opinions went to the emperor for his decision.

Chinese Wikipedia sums up their position with a classic description. They “only transmitted and wrote, and could not add the slightest counsel in between” (只供传述缮撰，而不能稍有赞画于其间). The power of decision rested entirely with the emperor.

The Decision to Enter Korea

In early October 1950, China’s leaders debated whether to send troops to Korea. On October 2, Mao Zedong told the Soviet side that “many comrades in the Central Committee believe that we must act with caution.” At an enlarged Politburo meeting on October 4 and 5, Peng Dehuai supported Mao’s decision to send troops. On October 8, Peng was appointed commander of the Chinese People’s Volunteers.

According to the memoirs of Nie Rongzhen, Mao had first chosen Lin Biao to command, and Lin, afraid, used illness as a pretext and refused to go. One historian notes that there is no documentary evidence for this account, only the recollections of people who were there.

The Top Leader Speaks Last

In 2013 and 2014, several provinces, among them Yunnan, Henan and Anhui, wrote a “speak last” rule (末位表态) into their decision procedures. Yunnan did so in June 2013, and Henan in May 2014. When a leading group discusses a decision, the other members state their views first. The top leader states a view last.

A 2014 report on the rules gave the reason: “The other members of the group speak first, and the top leader speaks last. This will help to avoid a ‘hall of one voice.'”

Family

Ba Jin’s novel Family (家) is set in the large Gao household in Chengdu. Grandfather Gao is the authority of the whole family. His eldest grandson, Juexin, has absorbed new ideas but still obeys tradition.

As a young man, Juexin loves his cousin Mei. He marries Ruijue instead, because his parents have arranged it. He comes to love his wife, but he never forgets Mei.

One by One, Then the Meeting

Article 10 of the Party Constitution sets the rule for decisions in Party committees. “All important questions are to be discussed and decided collectively by the Party committee, according to the principle of collective leadership, democratic centralism, individual deliberation and decision by meeting.”

In the original, the four steps are 集体领导、民主集中、个别酝酿、会议决定. The third, 个别酝酿, is deliberation with members one by one, before the meeting. The meeting comes last.

Object, Then Carry Out

Under Article 60 of the Civil Servant Law, as revised in 2018, a civil servant who believes a superior’s decision or order is wrong may propose to the superior that it be corrected or withdrawn. If the superior does not change it, or demands immediate action, the civil servant must carry it out. The superior then bears the consequences.

A civil servant who carries out a clearly illegal decision or order is held responsible for it.

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.

Ask First, Report After

In February 2019, the Central Committee of the Communist Party issued Regulations on Requesting Instructions and Reporting on Major Matters. Their rule is short: what must be requested must be requested, and what must be reported must be reported (该请示的必须请示，该报告的必须报告).

A request to a higher Party organization on a major matter must be made in advance, so that the higher level has enough time to study it and decide. Only when an emergency leaves no time to ask may an official act first. Even then, the official must report to the higher level promptly afterwards.