Word: tuonan
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...from the bottom up. Some skeptics say village elections are merely a means of siphoning off local discontent before it percolates to the national level. But even so, it is proving insidious; already the principles of accountability have penetrated higher levels. In Mancheng county, the next level up from Tuonan township, posts are tightly contested even in indirect elections. Candidates for nomination are grilled by their peers who want to know what they have done to advance local prosperity. To get on the short list for selection by the village representatives, "we really make the candidates sweat," says Li Xiumin...
Looking across her lush orchards, Li Dongju says her aspirations are fulfilled. "We feel like we're free here," she says. Free to get rich, if they can. Free to focus on family matters, village problems, the immediate society, without interference from the government or the party. But Tuonan township is not ready to stretch its new thinking to national politics. Li Dongju credits her achievements to Deng's "wise opening," and she resents it when outsiders say China's ways are all bad. If there is a rising tide of nationalism, it lies less in dreams of hegemony than...
...each small step, says Li, makes the Hebei women want to expand their horizons further. So she invites speakers from the provincial capital and even Beijing to give lectures about the world beyond Tuonan township. "Only if we liberate our minds can we liberate the country," says Li. Shi Meirong, 52, who lives in the hill village of Lingnan, would like to believe her, but Shi is still on the very first rung of economic development. "Only when you have money can you be master of your fate," she says. "When you're just struggling...
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