Become A Successful Chinese Bureaucrat, In 5 Easy Steps
Forget Fifty Shades of Grey. In China, "bureaucracy lit" is flying off bookstore shelves. With the books' stories of Machiavellian office politics, they're read avidly, both as entertainment and as how-to guides for aspiring civil servants.
So what is the secret to success in the corridors of power?
Here is a five-point guide to success, with tips gleaned from the pioneers of bureaucracy lit.
Lesson 1: Cultivate your connections.
A friend of mine is a lower-level civil servant. His boss had a passion for soccer. And so the entire office was soccer-mad, playing games every week, watching overseas matches together, talking about the sport constantly.
All of a sudden, the boss was transferred and a new one appointed. His love was photography. Immediately, all the underlings were snapping photos and buying expensive camera equipment with office funds. Soccer was never mentioned again.
Wang Xiaofang, the author of 13 bureaucracy lit books, describes why cultivating official connections is so important.
"Even the dogs and chickens of government officials go to heaven. Our officials, once they get power, they have power for life," he says. "This system of bureaucracy and power worship has become our cultural tradition. It is inside our bones."
Lesson 2: Learn to compromise, even if it makes you uncomfortable.
The ultimate example is described in Wang's book, The Civil Servant's Notebook. The fictional Old Leader is a fan of the "urine cure." To show loyalty, his unfortunate underling overcomes his own disgust and drinks his own urine for five years. He's rewarded with a promotion.