The Official Path

普扬Culture and Art Publishing House · ChinaApr 2026

Rating 3.9
Word count
181K words
Chapters
68
ISBN
9787503948961

Tags

Social Fiction Social ObservationWorkplace RelationsPortrait GalleryPolitical CareerPower Game

Summary

They say officialdom is enviable, but who knew it is also full of struggles—a deputy mayor's yearly salary of just over twenty thousand can hardly support himself; one must walk in small, hurried steps, perpetually trembling with fear as if treading on thin ice; a single day in office means constant torment... Ning Zhiyuan, a mere scholar, yet burdened with worries for the world. By chance, his reform ideas win the favor of the municipal party secretary, and he throws himself into officialdom. Serving in Jiangnan, in charge of education, major scandals erupt repeatedly, and he finds himself sitting on a powder keg. Overseeing tourism, a chaos of eighty thousand people shakes his position. Leadership reshuffles, companion elections, petitions, temptations of beauty... challenges rush head-on, provoking his political wisdom. He publicly criticizes Zhang Yimou and soaring housing prices under his real name online—what is his true aim? His lightning departure—is it because he is weary of officialdom, or has officialdom abandoned him? About China's real officialdom, there is even more you do not know, more difficulties, more incredulities!

Editor's review

"Official Path" is a realist novel by Pu Yang set in the early years of Reform and Opening Up. Through the career ups and downs of protagonist Li Xiangnan, it presents a picture of the Chinese officialdom in a particular historical period. Employing traditional narrative techniques, the work has a rigorous plot structure and typical characterization, offering a detailed portrayal of official rules, the exercise of power and the complex interweaving of human nature.

In literary terms, the novel inherits the realist tradition of documentary-style writing, captures the conflicts of a society in transition with considerable accuracy, and bears a distinct mark of its era. Pu Yang has long worked in cultural affairs and observes official culture closely; his restrained, steady brush avoids over-dramatization. The book's exploration of power and human nature and its presentation of the clash between ideals and reality remain relevant today.

Reading this work requires some historical grounding; readers are advised to understand it within its specific historical context. Although published early, the official phenomena and patterns of human nature it reveals still have reference value. The language is plain and unadorned, the narrative pace steady, suited to readers interested in realist literature and social change in a particular historical period. Note that, given its early composition, some plot elements and ideas may need to be considered dialectically from today's perspective.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Not a good fit for

Reading tips

  1. It is advisable to first learn about the social background of the early Reform and Opening Up period
  2. Compare with other realist works of the same period
  3. Focus on the interplay between characters' fates and the changes of the times

About the publisher

Culture and Art Publishing House China · Founded in 1980

Culture and Art Publishing House focuses on culture and art publishing. Its library holdings comprise 19 titles, covering categories such as essays and miscellaneous works, historical fiction, foreign literature, social fiction, and time-travel and alternate-world fiction. Representative books include Jian Zhen's "Only Because I Am in This Mountain," Cai Dongfan's "Romance of Song History" and "Romance of Later Han History," Thomas Hardy's "Hardy's Love Stories," as well as "Sea Sprite," "Chaos of Empresses and Concubines," "Official Career," and "Noise." Its author resources include Jian Zhen, Cai Dongfan, Fan Ka, and Thomas Hardy, along with translators such as Liu Rongyue and Jiang Jiansong. Judging from the books held, the publisher's output spans literary creation, historical romance, and translated foreign literature, and also touches on genre fiction. As the available data is limited, a full account of its publishing directions and features awaits further confirmation from public sources.

Contents

  1. 版权信息
  2. 自序 真不知道什么时候我会被“双规”
  3. 第一章 我的官样年华，遭遇黑色幽默
  4. 反讽？踌躇满志时悲情离职
  5. 权谋潜规则下单纯的我
  6. 第二章 赴任江南，见识官场潜规则
  7. 博士书记空降云梦市
  8. 网上发帖意外获“乌纱”
  9. 你所不知道的“官场讲究”
  10. 挂职江南，赴任之时遭“冷遇”
  11. 官员，并不像想象中的那么风光
  12. 第三章 分管旅游，绝境之中求生存
  13. 旅游局全是“党组”，我彻夜难眠
  14. 投资商让我饱受“官场式屈辱”
  15. “空手道策划”激活江南旅游
  16. 第四章 主管教育，混乱局面用强力
  17. 迅速化解两起“校园要案”
  18. 惩治关系网，我撤了俩校长
  19. 教育乱收费逼我出绝招
  20. 拒绝美色，果断解决医保问题
  21. 校长竞聘，我与“内鬼”博弈
  22. 第五章 投票遭误解，“官位”起纷争
  23. 究竟是谁寄的举报信
  24. 无遮掩投票毁了我的政治前途
  25. 本土化与空降系的官位之争
  26. 第六章 重掌旅游，面对困难如斗士
  27. 旅游局的困难如何解决
  28. 保卫银砂我孤掌难鸣
  29. 八万人大混乱，我从政的惊险时刻
  30. 没部门敢审批漂流项目吗
  31. 副市长：夹在书记、市长间的“酸菜馅”
  32. 这份“贱约”是哪个签的
  33. 第七章 官场式人际中的虚伪与真诚
  34. 你以为书记心里真有你？
  35. “官场式暗算”
  36. 任职？挂职？俩书记分歧大
  37. 挂职副市长：挨骂专业户
  38. 名士“进谏”，让我大吃一惊
  39. 悲情的检讨
  40. 第八章 内幕重重，目睹官场怪现象
  41. 第一次亲历政府换届
  42. 陪选，副市长们惊出一身冷汗
  43. 人大任命，需要我去打点？
  44. 第九章 “市长经济”与官员的灰色收入
  45. 书记做不了人事安排的主？
  46. 江南新农村为何越扶越贫？
  47. 现在是“市场经济”，不是“市长经济”
  48. 揭开官员灰色收入的“红盖头”
  49. 第十章 私生活：美色在左迷信在右
  50. 美女局长竟成了我的绯闻女友？
  51. 红颜知己让我差一点出轨
  52. 领导迷信到底为哪般
  53. “易经大师”的“精准预测”
  54. 第十一章 高房价：政府与开发商博弈
  55. 政府和开发商，究竟谁绑架了谁？
  56. 炮轰高房价，加速了我政治前途的灭亡
  57. 走进凤凰卫视，被房地产商歧视
  58. 第十二章 其实，官场中也有弱势群体
  59. 知道吗？官场也有弱势群体
  60. 扒掉“官袍”，我就一铁杆网迷
  61. 第十三章 在“事故”中完成我的华丽转身
  62. 反讽？踌躇满志时悲情离职
  63. “炮轰”让我很受伤
  64. 暂时沉默，但不会永远沉默
  65. 我，以自己的方式作别江南
  66. 江南VS我：我们都没能改变对方
  67. 在“事故”中，我完成角色了转换
  68. 后记 挂职五年，我竟然还不是公务员

FAQ

What are the main literary merits of this book? The work demonstrates the documentary power of traditional realist literature, truthfully portraying officialdom and social conflicts in a particular historical period, with typical characterization and a rigorous, complete narrative structure.
What is the author Pu Yang's background? Pu Yang has long worked in cultural affairs and has deep observation of official culture; his style is restrained and steady, emphasizing objective presentation of social reality.
How does this work differ from contemporary officialdom novels? Written in a particular historical period, it focuses more on the link between the changes of the times and individual fate, with a more traditional narrative style and less dramatization, bearing a distinct historical imprint.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

普扬 Author

Pu Yang is a Chinese author about whom limited public information is available; what can be confirmed comes mainly from the two works published under this name. The library holds two titles by Pu Yang, the representative work being Guan Lu (Official Career Path), commonly classified as social fiction. This suggests that Pu Yang's writing focuses on social realist themes, using a title that evokes workplace and official career connotations to present human relationships and life circumstances within social structures. The two works share the same title and may belong to the same series or be different editions, though this requires further verification. Beyond this, the author's nationality, dates of birth and death, educational background, and writing career cannot be confirmed and should not be speculated upon. For readers interested in social fiction, Pu Yang's works offer a perspective on real life, but a fuller assessment of the author's style and literary influence would require more materials and textual support.