The Secretaries

Name: The Secretaries
ISBN: 9787539935263

王清平Jiangsu Phoenix Literature and Art Publishing House · ChinaJun 2026

3.2

Word count: 206K words
Chapters: 56
ISBN: 9787539935263

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Summary

The novel unfolds around the secretarial corps of a municipal government, revealing their workplace survival and power struggles through conflicts in routine affairs—drafting official documents, arranging leaders' schedules, and handling receptions and inspections. With Ma Daoyuan, Niu Decao, and other secretaries as the main threads, interspersed with episodes such as "gift-giving" and "extramarital affairs," it portrays the moral dilemmas and clashes of interest the group faces when responding to emergencies and preparing major events, exposing the interwoven state of power networks and individual desire. With a realistic touch, the book dissects the professional landscape of the secretarial class navigating between rules and unwritten rules, reflecting the evolution of roles and the choices of fate within officialdom.

Editor's review

Secretaries is a realistic novel centered on the secretarial corps of a municipal government. Author Wang Qingping turns his gaze to routine affairs—drafting documents, arranging schedules, handling receptions and inspections—unfolding conflicts within seemingly trivial workflows and showing how the secretary navigates between rules and unwritten rules. The intertwined storylines of Ma Daoyuan, Niu Decao, and others, together with episodes of gift-giving and extramarital affairs, present individual moral dilemmas and clashes of interest beneath power networks. The book's value lies not in novelty-seeking but in its meticulous delineation of the secretarial class's professional landscape and fateful choices within officialdom—a meaningful reference for understanding how administrative organs operate and how human nature deforms under pressure. The narrative is realistic in pace with a high density of detail, suited for close reading by those interested in workplace politics and officialdom themes.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in officialdom fiction and workplace politics
Those who want to understand the working ecology and operating logic of government secretaries
Literary readers who enjoy realistic style and group character portrayal
Readers concerned with the relationship between power and morality who prefer social observation

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer lighthearted, sweet, or healing stories
Those who find officialdom themes and power-struggle depictions oppressive
Readers expecting fast-paced suspense or strong plot twists

Reading tips

Clarify the relationships among Ma Daoyuan, Niu Decao, and other main characters first; the plot will then flow more smoothly.
Pay attention to details in descriptions of routine affairs—conflicts often hide between procedures and dialogue.
When encountering moral dilemmas, pause to consider the circumstances and costs of the characters' choices for deeper understanding.
After finishing, you can make simple comparative notes by observing organizational operations in real life.

About the publisher

Jiangsu Phoenix Literature and Art Publishing House China · Founded in 1958

Jiangsu Phoenix Literature and Art Publishing House focuses on literary publishing while also covering the humanities, social sciences, and books on art and daily life. Its approximately 1,535 titles in the database span social novels, world history, design, science fiction, classic works, and film and television: they include modern Chinese literary classics by Lu Xun such as A Madman's Diary: The Complete Short Stories of Lu Xun, Call to Arms, Four Generations Under One Roof, and Teahouse, as well as foreign literary memoirs like Stefan Zweig's The World of Yesterday. In science fiction it offers Asimov's Galactic Empire series, while in architecture and art it publishes Liu Dunzhen's Classical Gardens of Suzhou and design titles from Phoenix Space. Its authors are concentrated among classic writers such as Lu Xun, Zweig, and Asimov, with translators including Liang Xijiang, Zhong Haonan, and Ye Lihua. Its overall character is built on classic works while embracing genre fiction and visual culture. Public information is limited, and this introduction is based on the titles in the database.

版权信息
一、闹事
二、重任
三、彷徨
四、困惑
五、换笔
六、揽过
七、结盟
八、猜疑
九、恩爱
十、动静
十一、送礼
十二、寒心
十三、说请
十四、分歧
十五、舞伴
十六、斗酒
十七、要官
十八、争宠
十九、出卖
二十、背叛
二十一、苗头
二十二、逍遥
二十三、关机
二十四、“炸弹”
二十五、丢魂
二十六、返乡
二十七、请客
二十八、玄机
二十九、“地震”
三十、较量
三十一、生病
三十二、偷情
三十三、险棋
三十四、顶牛
三十五、荒政
三十六、闯祸
三十七、投资
三十八、拉钩
三十九、威胁
四十、“婚礼“
四十一、暗斗
四十二、去意
四十三、测心
四十四、请托
四十五、犯贱
四十六、阴谋
四十七、放弃
四十八、暴露
四十九、决裂
五十、通气
五十一、考察
五十二、赴任
五十三、分手
五十四、获胜
后记

FAQ

What is this book mainly about?

The novel revolves around the secretarial corps of a municipal government. Through conflicts in routine affairs such as drafting documents, arranging leaders' schedules, and handling receptions and inspections, it reveals the secretaries' workplace survival and power struggles. Using character threads such as Ma Daoyuan and Niu Decao, it portrays the group's moral dilemmas and clashes of interest during emergencies and preparations for major events.

Are the plot elements fictional or based on real cases?

This book is a novel; the characters and plot are literary creations, and the available information does not state that it is based on specific real cases. Readers may treat it as a realistic-style novel and observe the literary presentation of the secretarial class's professional landscape and officialdom ecology, rather than directly mapping it onto specific real events or persons.

Can someone without government work experience understand it?

Yes. The novel is driven by narrative, and routine affairs and character relationships unfold gradually with the plot; no government work background is required. If you are unfamiliar with procedures such as document drafting or receptions, simply pay a little attention to the context while reading—the focus remains on the characters' choices and circumstances.

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About the author

王清平 Author

Wang Qingping is a Chinese author known for social fiction and political themes. Publicly available information about him is limited, and his nationality, dates of birth and death, and educational background are not clearly recorded. Five of his works are currently included in the collection: Secretaries, Promotion, Cadre Family, First Political Achievement, and Official Relatives. These titles point consistently to themes such as life in government offices, cadre families, and career advancement, showing the author's sustained interest in interpersonal relations and the workings of power within the system. His writing is generally classified as social fiction and political fiction, and he tends to use a realistic style to depict the everyday ecology of the workplace and officialdom, reflecting social reality through specific characters and family relationships. Because materials on his life and his own statements about writing are lacking, the origins of his style and his literary influence are difficult to describe in detail; readers may turn to the works mentioned above to understand his thematic focus and narrative characteristics.