Riding the Tide

Riding the Tide is a representative work by Ruigen, a platinum author on Qidian Chinese Network. It was first serialized online under the title Riding the Tide and in 2011 set a record for the highest online click rate; when published in print, it was retitled The Helmsman, with the subtitle "To Be an Official, One Needs Great Wisdom," and readers and booksellers alike refer to it as Riding the Tide (The Helmsman). Set against the backdrop of China's social transformation from the 1990s to the early 21st century, the novel follows protagonist Zhao Guodong, originally a grassroots police officer who, through a chance encounter with Liu Zhaoguo, the incoming municipal public security bureau chief, is drawn into his circle and thus embarks on a career in officialdom. On one hand, he carefully cultivates connections and helps his friends rise step by step, while using this network to advance in tandem—starting from Jiangmiao Township and passing through county party secretary and municipal posts all the way to a key position in Anyuan Province. On the other hand, he acts decisively amid the economic tide, first making his fortune in the stock market, then, with policy and leadership support, leading relatives, friends, and classmates from sand mining and brickmaking into a mineral water plant, real estate, and mining development, ultimately forming a sizable corporate group. The book reflects an era of change through individual destinies, interweaving officialdom maneuvering, capital operations, and human relations, and portraying the ambition, tactics, and costs of the "tide riders" of the reform era. It is also regarded as one of the more realistic works in the officialdom genre for its detailed depiction of policy operations and the difficulties at the grassroots level.