122: Chapter 122 Vice Governor Meng held a private meeting

Sun Ning was called away by the leader.

He did not feel surprised at all.

Vice Governor Meng Guangming had his own political motives for leading a team to Gongfan County for a study tour.

As for what those political motives were, Sun Ning was not entirely clear.

Sun Ning followed the secretary into the room.

Seeing Sun Ning arrive, Vice Governor Meng Guangming showed no airs of a leader.

"Comrade Sun Ning, sorry to disturb your rest. I'm an old guy who doesn't sleep much, and I wanted to have a chat with you."

"You're too kind, Leader. We young people are all night owls; this is the time for nightlife."

'Night owl' was a new term, but it was easy to understand and very descriptive.

Vice Governor Meng Guangming laughed heartily: "That 'night owl' term is very descriptive. Now that our material living standards have improved, young people are starting to pursue spiritual civilization as well."

"This signifies that our common people have climbed out of the quagmire of poverty."

"However, we still have a long way to go before we can eradicate poverty."

"That cave-dwelling project of yours in Mingyue Village is very meaningful!"

"From positioning to promotion, and from the goals to the beneficiaries, it is all very forward-looking."

"I came here this time entrusted by the leaders of the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial Government to learn from you."

Sun Ning quickly said modestly: "I wouldn't dare. You are a senior, and I should be the one learning from the leaders. Furthermore, our Party Secretary has always had a beneficial influence on me; without our Party Secretary coordinating in the middle, Mishui Township would not have achieved such great development."

"Since it's just the two of us, stop being modest! If you don't say something today, I won't let you off the hook."

Vice Governor Meng Guangming was not lying; Governor Yu Shaobo had communicated with him before he arrived.

Governor Yu Shaobo had explicitly told Vice Governor Meng Guangming that Sun Ning was a great talent with significant achievements in economics.

He also highlighted Sun Ning's personal contributions to the Great Western Development.

Combined with what Sun Ning had done since coming to Mishui Township, Governor Yu Shaobo believed that Sun Ning was not just someone with empty theories.

After their conversation, Governor Yu Shaobo had also jokingly said: "Secretary Yao even wants this young comrade to give us a lecture!"

Although this was mostly a joke, it was also a near-explicit indication to Vice Governor Meng Guangming that Secretary Yao of the Provincial Party Committee attached great importance to Mishui Township, and that it was entirely possible for him to call Sun Ning in for a private report.

In fact, the reason that prompted Vice Governor Meng Guangming to make this trip was tourism.

Last year was a year of rapid growth in tourism performance.

According to statistics from relevant departments, the total national tourism revenue was 768.6 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 12.4%, with various statistical indicators hitting record highs.

The tourism industry had also entered the sights of the bigwigs in each province.

Before coming, he had specifically asked someone to collect information about the cave-dwelling project in Mingyue Village.

After the comrades from the Tourism Bureau delivered the materials, the unique tourism style of Mingyue Village and the effect of the heated online discussions gave Vice Governor Meng Guangming a different perspective.

At this moment, it seemed to further confirm Governor Yu Shaobo's praise of him as a great talent.

Therefore, he was here today to learn with an open mind.

Sun Ning also felt that Vice Governor Meng Guangming's attitude was quite firm, and that he couldn't get away without saying something today.

Although Vice Governor Meng Guangming was not in the Provincial Party Committee leadership, he was still a high-ranking official at the deputy ministerial level.

Rashly offending him would be an irrational act.

However, the extent of what he said would depend on what Vice Governor Meng Guangming's true motives were.

"You're joking, Leader. I just graduated, so it's inevitable that I'm a bit young and frivolous. Please help me keep things in check."

"Haha, you little rascal! Tell me about your Mingyue Village—why control the scale and limit the number of tourists? This is completely contrary to the current philosophy."

Sun Ning didn't know how many times he had explained this question from Vice Governor Meng Guangming to other leaders.

He had even specifically written a paper and sent it to his teacher, Elder Shang, for guidance.

After reading it, Elder Shang stated directly that this article had guiding significance and that he would organize some old friends to conduct a review.

Once his old friends had reviewed it together, they would help Sun Ning publish it.

As for where it would be published and who would see it, Elder Shang didn't mention it.

But Sun Ning knew that the target audience for this paper was definitely the policy-making level.

This was also one of the jobs of the think tank members like Elder Shang.

These things were not just about getting into a newspaper.

It was just that Sun Ning's current rank was too low.

When he reached the rank of a substantive deputy department-level position or higher, all these things he had accumulated would become his capital for entering the special list of the Organization Department.

Within the system, once one reached a certain status, certain outstanding leaders would be admitted into the organization's special inspection list.

Those who could get on this list, as long as they didn't do anything stupid, were mostly candidates for becoming high-ranking regional officials.

Thinking about going even higher was not impossible.

However, getting on that special inspection list was too difficult.

Achievements, political maneuvering, age, and so on—not one could be lacking.

Sun Ning spoke incessantly to Vice Governor Meng Guangming for about half an hour.

Of course, there were questions from Vice Governor Meng Guangming in between.

The conversation between the two did not feel like a subordinate speaking to a superior leader; rather, it was a discussion on tourism issues between two people who loved tourism.

After this discussion, Vice Governor Meng Guangming gained a lot.

Because at some point, a notebook had appeared in his hands.

After chatting about the Mingyue Village project, Vice Governor Meng Guangming's attitude changed from that of a fellow traveler to that of a student.

And Vice Governor Meng Guangming's address to Sun Ning changed from 'Comrade Sun Ning' to 'Sun Ning'.

His appreciative attitude was evident.

"Sun Ning, what problems do you think our tourism industry in Heyang is facing? Which aspects need to be corrected?"

This question was big, especially big—so big that Sun Ning was considering how to answer after hearing it.

If the conversation between the two ended with just them, or if the two giants of the province knew about it, that would be fine.

Once Vice Governor Meng Guangming brought it up in public, the public opinion storm he would face would definitely be significant.

Not to mention the attitude of the Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, how would the deputy mayors in charge and the Tourism Bureau directors of the eighteen prefecture-level cities view it?

"You're the only smart one?"

"We're all just useless sacks of rice?"

Because Vice Governor Meng Guangming's question was aimed at finding faults.

And Vice Governor Meng Guangming seemed to realize Sun Ning's hesitation.

He laughed loudly: "Sun Ning, don't have any burden; we are just having a pure discussion."

'I don't believe that for a second, you old rascal.'

Sun Ning just complained internally; he sorted out his thoughts and organized his language.

"Leader, I personally feel that the most prominent problem with our province's tourism industry is that it is large but not refined, numerous but too scattered, and everyone is fighting their own battles!"

"The combination of cultural and natural landscapes is not good enough, and the integration of cultural and food culture is not very good either."

"There is another point, which is 'pampering fans.' 'Pampering fans' is a term from the entertainment industry, but it is also appropriate when applied to the government. We need to pamper travelers; for example, the most basic parking problem."

"Nowadays, the problems of arbitrary charges and few parking spaces near scenic spots are common."

"Yet our relevant departments turn a blind eye."

"This aspect is closely related to a service-oriented government."

"I will take Mingyue Village as an example."

"A tourist said online that she likes to travel alone and likes to take photos, but she has social anxiety."

"It is very inconvenient to be alone, and the family she stayed with didn't know how to take photos."

"Our Mingyue Village company's publicity staff saw this news and immediately organized several relatively young villagers in the village to learn photography together."

"After the villagers learned it, the company sent a car to Zhongzhou to pick up that tourist and bring her back to Mingyue Village, and arranged for the villagers who had learned it to help her take photos and check in again."

"Later, she posted this experience online, which caused heated discussions on the internet."

"Our government received high praise, and the netizens responded with one voice."