Chapter 14: The bidding incident (Part one)
The Kailai Hotel welcomed another day of honor, once again serving as the city's banquet hotel and the venue for a municipal government bidding event.
Ever since the Kailai Hotel had established itself under the guidance of the previous Municipal Party Committee secretary, it had become the city's banquet venue for economic and trade negotiations and exchanges, enjoying boundless prestige. It was a glorious era for the Kailai Hotel.
The attractive attendants at the entrance wore matching purple silk qipaos, while the staff inside wore confident smiles, welcoming every guest who entered.
Outside the hotel hung a red banner reading, "Wishing the Xiahai City economic and trade bidding Q&A session complete success!" Though the lobby inside was lavish and glittering, an air of tension had nevertheless crept in.
The heads of all the economic administration departments were present, and preparations proceeded in an orderly fashion.
Mayor Hong Xiaotian looked at this seemingly excellent state of affairs with some emotion. Ever since the previous Municipal Party Committee secretary had left the economic portfolio in his hands, he had felt somewhat out of his depth. He had carried out several bold reforms, but they had achieved little.
For one thing, Xiahai City lay deep in the western interior and had always been a region inhabited by multiple ethnic groups, with a fierce local temperament. In the days of ancient Shu, it had been a land rife with tribes, tigers, and vermin, defying central rule. Even an army of a hundred thousand sent in might have vanished without a trace. Although it had long since embarked on modernization, the local customs and temperament bore an imprint that even a thousand years could scarcely erase.
The people of Xiahai City generally tended to close ranks locally and