From the EastSouthWestNorth blog (link):
In Lanzhou, the new city leader decided to clean up the city image by making the persons in charge of the various city departments appear on television to answer questions.
“It is not acceptable to squat on the toilet space but refuse to defecate!” At the end of March, Lanzhou city party secretary Chen Baosheng declared openly on CCTV that he intends to go after mediocre official acts. Such a powerful declaration of an open criticism of the culture of mediocrity that has troubled Chinese government organizations is truly rarely ever heard.
Lanzhou is the capital of Gansu province. It is located in northwestern China. No matter from the viewpoint of region or economics, this city is located in the marginal fringe of China. But Lanzhou enjoys a special position in Chinese politics. The current Chinese Communist Party chairman Hu Jintao and the State Council Premier Wen Jiabao both started their careers here. Therefore, the Lanzhou officials had a reputation for being ‘clean.’
