The Superior
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Summary
A university president is placed under "double designation" shortly after taking office. A series of events then unfolds in turn—campus land requisition, asset restructuring, foreign investment, university enrollment expansion, and more—drawing in a vice governor, a director of the education department, a deputy head of the organization department, a deputy director of the public security department, and many other officials...
Editor's review
Starting from the university president's "double designation," this book draws out events including campus land requisition, asset restructuring, foreign investment, and university enrollment expansion, pulling in officials at the levels of vice governor, education department director, deputy head of the organization department, and deputy director of the public security department, and presenting a complex chain extending from campus to officialdom. The author, Xu Kaizhen, excels at advancing narrative through events, interweaving management systems, interest struggles, and characters' circumstances, giving the reading a strong sense of immediacy. Its value lies not in offering standard answers but in showing readers how multiple links in the exercise of power affect one another, and the choices and costs individuals face within it. Suitable for readers interested in realistic fiction and officialdom narrative as a long-form read, and also as accessible material for observing organizational operation and interest relations. When reading, one should attend to the causal chain of events rather than making real-life identifications, and maintain a sense of distance.
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Readers who enjoy realistic fiction and officialdom narrative and seek a strong sense of plot momentum
- Readers interested in public issues such as university management, land requisition, and asset operations
- Professionals who want to observe hierarchical interaction and interest struggles within organizations through story
- Adult readers who need a long-form story as concentrated reading material
Not a good fit for
- Readers who prefer light, healing reads and avoid realistic conflict themes
- Professional readers expecting rigorous institutional research or policy analysis
- Readers who easily make real-life identifications with officialdom narrative and need clear value conclusions
Reading tips
- First clarify the sequence of events that occur one after another after the president's "double designation," and use paper and pen to list the relationships among characters and levels.
- After finishing each event node, look back at earlier foreshadowing and judge which clues drove the next conflict.
- Treat the events in the book as narrative samples rather than real cases, and after reading compare them with public knowledge about institutions.
- If you feel there are many characters while reading, focus first on the main characters and then fill in the circumstances of secondary officials on a second pass.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 第一章 突发事件（一）
- 第二章 突发事件（二）
- 第三章 迷雾重重（一）
- 第四章 迷雾重重（二）
- 第五章 别无选择（一）
- 第六章 别无选择（二）
- 第七章 轩然大波（一）
- 第八章 轩然大波（二）
- 第九章 云山雾水（一）
- 第十章 云山雾水（二）
- 第十一章 风起云涌（一）
- 第十二章 风起云涌（二）
- 第十三章 迷雾渐开（一）
- 第十四章 迷雾渐开（二）
- 第十五章 急转直下（一）
- 第十六章 急转直下（二）
- 第十七章 大局为重（一）
- 第十八章 大局为重（二）
- 第十九章 精诚所至（一）
- 第二十章 精诚所至（二）
- 第二十一章 痛击腐败（一）
- 第二十二章 痛击腐败（二）
- 第二十三章 百年大计
- 尾声
FAQ
Is this book mainly about campus or officialdom?
From the materials, the story begins with the university president's "double designation," after which events such as campus land requisition, asset restructuring, foreign investment, and university enrollment expansion unfold in succession, drawing in multiple provincial- and department-level officials. So it has a starting point in university management but also extends to a broader level of officialdom and public affairs; it cannot simply be classified as a single campus theme.
Are the characters and events adapted from real cases?
The materials do not state whether the book is adapted from specific real cases, nor do they provide information about the author's relevant experience. When reading, it is best not to identify the characters in the book with specific real institutions or individuals. A safer approach is to read it as realistic narrative and focus on the causality between events and the institutional environment rather than looking for real-life prototypes.
Will it feel like there are too many characters and complex clues when reading?
The book involves multiple levels of characters, including a vice governor, an education department director, a deputy head of the organization department, and a deputy director of the public security department, so the clues are indeed dense. It is suggested that when reading, first grasp the starting point of the president's "double designation" and sort out the order in which characters appear as the events advance; there is no need to remember all the names at the beginning. After finishing the whole book, look back at the relationship network, and the understanding will be much clearer.
Is it suitable for workplace newcomers to understand organizational operation?
It can serve as accessible reference, but it should not be treated as a textbook on organizational operation. What the book presents is narrative conflict and interest struggles, which can help readers feel hierarchical interaction and chain reactions of events, but it lacks systematic institutional analysis. If workplace newcomers want to understand organizational operation, it is advisable to also read basic works on management and public administration, and avoid substituting stories for common knowledge.
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About the author
Xu Kaizhen
Author · China · 1966
Xu Kaizhen, born in Gansu in 1966, is a contemporary Chinese novelist and a contracted writer with the Gansu Provincial Literature Academy. He previously served as a government secretary and a deputy general manager of a state-owned enterprise before resigning from public office in 2002 to devote himself to writing, an experience that gave him close insight into the workings of officialdom and state-owned enterprises. His works are mostly drawn from real social life, commonly categorized as social fiction, fine fiction, and war and military fiction. Representative works include The Political and Legal Secretary, The Provincial Party Committee Team, Crackdown on Organized Crime, and Past Events in Liangzhou. In 2011 he ranked 22nd on the sixth Chinese Writers Rich List, and several of his works have been adapted for film and television. The library holds 30 of his works, noted for their realistic observation and narrative tension.
