Jiujiang is a port city in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River. With a total population of 4.5 million, of whom about one-fifth are urban residents, it is the largest city in central China's province of Jiangxi. The famous scenic mountain resort Lushan nearby gave it added attraction and fame.

When I first visited the city in 1988, I was drawn to its fabulous history, its friendly people and its beautiful scenery. Last summer, on a trip there to renew contacts, I was impressed by the significant changes I witnessed. Jiujiang has always benefited from its convenient access to east and west China via the Yangtze. With the completion of the double-decker Yangtze River Bridge and the Beijing-Shenzhen Railway, it is now linked by rail to north and south China as well. Several super-highways, radiating towards nearby and far-away cities, make travel much easier than before. To reach there by air from Beijing, one need only take a two and half hours' flight to the closest airport in the provincial capital Nanchang. Jiujiang thus becomes a major entrepot and commercial center in central China.

But, what struck me most was Mayor Liu Jifu whom I heard so much about from the local people. Many agreed that they were fortunate to have such a man to head the city government. "He really cares for us. Wherever there's a big problem, you're sure to find him there," commented one local cadre. "He's a good fellow," said the driver taking us from the airport to the city.

And as proof of their evaluation, they invariably cited the case of the great Yangtze flood of 1998, when thanks to Liu Jifu, then newly posted as Jiujiang's acting mayor, the city narrowly escaped being submerged under water and all the accompanying damages and destruction.

Liu himself did not want to talk much when I interviewed him about his role in fighting the 1998 flood. He merely said that his first two years in Jiujiang were mainly spent on dealing with "the water problem."

"In the first year, it was the big flood, and in the second, water-logging in the surrounding countryside. Only in the last two years have we been free to concentrate our energy on developing the economy," Liu said.

Yet, the success of the Jiujiang people and the army personnel sent to assist them in blocking the big breach in the river dyke is truly one of the most dramatic stories I have ever heard. Liu Jifu was on site to lead the battle.

There had been an unusual amount of rainfall that winter and spring. But come summer, water seemed to be pouring from heaven, non-stop. The mighty Yangtze was in full spate and the dyke, which normally protected the city from inundation, faced a real test.

Suddenly, at noontime on August 7, first a hole and then a 10-meter-wide breach appeared on the embankment. When informed of this dangerous situation, Mayor Liu rushed to the spot, wading through water up to his waist, and disregarding danger to his own life. He issued orders to rush construction supplies to the site to stop the fast expanding breach. But so powerful was the onrushing water that when a truck loaded with rocks was pushed into the gap, it was immediately swept away "just like a match box." Two small barges also proved useless for the purpose. By this time, more embankment collapsed and it was clear that a much bigger barge with heavy load was needed. Fortunately there was one such barge down the river not too far away. It was a 75-meter barge loaded with 1,600 tons of coal. But it had no motor. So, they had to find a way to bring it to the site of the breach. It was decided to send two tugboats, one to pull and one to push, and together maneuver the barge to the right location. Mayor Liu and the PLA commander themselves boarded another tugboat to direct the operation. Liu drew a map and issued detailed and exact orders, shouting as loudly as he could through the megaphone till his voice went hoarse. When the huge coal barge finally pulled up several meters from the breach, it was made to sink half way down to form a protective wall and block the water from rushing into the city through the breach, which was now as wide as 50 meters. As the flow visibly slowed down, seven other smaller tug-boats were sunk on both sides of the coal barge to stop further leaks. The danger of Liu's decision to use the barge to stop the breach was obvious. First of all, nothing like it had ever been done before in the history of water conservancy. In view of the urgency of the situation, he had no time to ask for expert advice or seek permission from higher ups. Secondly, if the coal barge was not guided correctly and crashed onto the embankment, the consequences would be disastrous. Liu, the decision-maker, would surely be held responsible. Yet, as many who participated in the operation testified later, they found Liu in no way hesitant. The orders he issued were clear. They knew then that this man was not afraid to assume responsibility in times of crisis. People remembered he did not rest a minute for three days and nights.

Of course, the blockage merely gave the engineers and PLA men a respite. For five days onward, they worked night and day to install a series of steel cages filled with cement blocks to close the gaping gap. By this time, government and Party leaders of the province were on hand to direct the operation while Liu turned to take charge of logistics, guaranteeing supplies to the dyke repair site. They finally succeeded in saving the city from the Yangtze floodwaters.

When I interviewed Liu Jifu, I asked him what assurances he had for advancing his city since Jiujiang is still behind the coastal cities in the east. He answered, "Being in central China and rather isolated in the past, we really have to work hard to catch up. I was recently in Shanghai for a conference to attract investment for Jiangxi Province. One reason we selected Shanghai is because there we have many close ties with people who had been sent to the Jiangxi countryside during the Cultural Revolution (1966-76) and are now officials or business people. Many of them are still emotionally attached to the place where they had spent the best years of their youth. We were very successful and over a hundred contracts were signed between Jiujiang and Shanghai companies."

He said that over time Jiujiang must make full use of its advantages. And he listed three aspects Jiujiang should pay special attention to. First, education. Liu mentioned that Jiujiang had historically produced many famous scholars, yet there is only one university in the province at present. "The city has only a teachers' college. As a result, many high school graduates go to the coastal cities to receive higher education and eventually find jobs there. This situation must be changed. We plan to work with higher educational institutions in coastal cities or even in Beijing to elevate the teachers' college to university."

Second, he said, is environment. "Jiujiang has many lakes, reservoirs and forests. There is plenty of water and other resources. We can develop fishery, aqua-culture and hydro-power and other environment-friendly industries. We also have many minerals which can be exploited.

"Third, tourism. The famous mountain resort Lushan is close by. It has wonderful scenery, ancient temples and academies, and over a thousand villas of diverse architectural styles built by foreign businessmen and missionaries in the early part of the last century. We have now built good roads and all we need to do is to publicize its facilities to attract tourists from home and abroad. Of course, we need to greatly improve our services."

After Liu was elected Jiujiang's Communist Party Secretary, he set still higher goals for his city. Jiujiang's GDP will be increased by 13%, while the average income of the city residents will be 6,000 yuan (US$724.64) and that of the rural population will be 2,100 yuan (US$253.62), both representing increases of more than 7 percent. Notable among his measures to realize these goals is to attract investment from Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan as well as the more prosperous coastal regions. Besides improving government efficiency, Jiujiang will experiment with new forms of mixed ownership to speed up industrial development. There will be comprehensive planning for the reconstruction of the city. In agriculture, horticulture, vegetable-growing, silkworm-breeding, fishery and the cultivation of other specialized commodity crops will be encouraged. Once again he stressed the full use of local talents as well as bringing in professionals from outside.

Of medium stature and speaking with warmth and self-confidence, Liu Jifu retains traits of one who rose from the ranks. Born of a peasant family, he joined the army while in his teens. After returning to civilian life, he took up the job of a local court official. A few years later, he went to a Party school for advanced education. Before he was posted as mayor of Jiujiang, he had served as mayor in two smaller cities, including the city of Jinggangshan, a famous mountainous revolutionary base from the l930s and now a scenic tourist attraction.

Liu is full of ideas about ways to upgrade his city's economic and cultural status and improve the residents' living standards. Yet he is very realistic and quick to learn from others' successes. For example, while talking to me, he cited the successes of Kunshan in Shanghai municipality. The officials there, he noted, paid close attention to the welfare of Taiwan merchants with investment in the area and that includes housing for them and their families, kindergartens and schools, and recreational and sports facilities. From that, Liu concluded that it is the human touch and not profit alone that attracts the entrepreneurs from outside.

I found that Liu Jifu is not given to high-sounding rhetoric. Rather it is his action which demonstrates his dedication to the people and his ability to lead them forward. After all, that is the basic criterion in judging whether a person is a true public servant or not.

(China.org.cn by Lin Wusun, March 7, 2002)