The Wenling Seminar

The Wenling seminar system, which was introduced in 1999 in Songmen Town, Wenling, became a candidate project for the second Chinese Local Government Innovation Award in 2003, and finally won the 2003-2004 Annual Chinese Local Government Innovation Award. After two decades of development, this novel method of democratic decision has grown into a mature system.

On a day of June 1999, the Songmen Assembly Hall was crammed with villagers. As the meeting went on, one of the officials suddenly walked down from the rostrum to the villagers. He passed the microphone to one of them and invited him to offer his thoughts. All the villagers were dumbfounded, as no one had ever asked them what they thought before. That day was a watershed. It marked the beginning of the Wenling seminar system. The Agricultural and Rural Modernization Education Forum that day changed the traditional practice of officials preaching to the people, and instead adopted a method that combined dialogue on an equal footing between officials and the people and consultation among the people on an equal footing, to solve thorny issues and challenges. The Wenling seminar system was thus initiated. 

The Wenling Municipal Party Committee paid great attention to the relations between the officials and the people established during such dialogues in the drive of developing agricultural and rural modernization education. The seminar system was soon applied to other areas of government work as a means of promoting democratic decision-making. 

After a period of exploration, a relatively mature procedure for deliberation was formed: The town government would post announcements five days in advance in every village and in the town center, informing residents of the time, location and theme of the seminar. Participation was voluntary. At the appointed time, the people would exchange opinions with leaders of the local Party committee, government and functional departments on their most pressing issues related to the theme. When the two sides had different opinions, they would try to reach a consensus through consultation.

These early discussions were the prototype of today's flourishing Wenling seminar system. It has transformed the old top-down, one-way official-to-people monologue into a dialogue in which both sides can negotiate to reach a consensus and make decision together. This is consistent with the core values of Hehe Culture which promotes individual independence and equality as well as overall coordination and cooperation. It can be seen that the Wenling seminar system has Hehe Culture in its genes. As a brand-new form of communication between the government and the people, the system plays an irreplaceable role in resolving contradictions, enhancing the efficiency of the decision-making process and increasing the satisfaction of the people.

溫嶺民主懇談會

發軔于1999年溫嶺市松門鎮的“民主懇談會”制度，在2003年成為第二屆中國地方政府創新獎候選項目，并最終獲得“2003—2004”年度“中國地方政府創新獎”優勝獎。這種新生的民主決策方式，經過20多年的發展，已漸成體系，別具一格。

1999年6月的一天，溫嶺市松門鎮的大禮堂內坐滿了村民。會議進行過程中，參會的干部突然走了下來，將手中的話筒塞給了其中一位村民。大家很吃驚，因為之前幾乎沒人會來過問自己的意見和看法。這是具有非常重要意義的一天，也是溫嶺民主懇談會探索的開始。此次“農業農村現代化教育論壇”改變了“干部對群眾說教”的傳統做法，轉而采取“干部與群眾的平等對話”和“群眾之間的平等協商”相結合的方式，對話和協商的內容是針對本地的一些熱點、難點問題。溫嶺“民主懇談”機制由此發軔。在“農業農村現代化教育”中建立起來的干群關系和對話形式，引起了溫嶺市委的高度關注，這種干群關系和對話形式不久被概括為“民主懇談會”，進而很快地從“農業農村現代化教育”工作迅速擴大到政府工作的其他方面，最后把“民主懇談會”的重點放在政府的民主決策上。經過一段時間的摸索與實踐，這一機制形成了比較成熟的協商流程：鎮里提前五天在每一個村以及鎮里的鬧市區等處張貼公告，告知群眾何時、何地召開何種主題的論壇，請群眾自愿參加。會議召開時，群眾就他們關心的且與主題相關的問題向鎮里的主要黨政領導、職能部門等負責人提出意見，干部解答，當兩者意見相左時，通過協商達成一致。

這種干部與群眾之間的平等對話已初具“民主懇談會”的雛形，它實際上將過去干部和群眾之間的管理與被管理關系改變成干部和群眾之間平等的協商關系；在決策上也將干部向群眾單向式發指令的傳統轉變成干部和群眾之間的雙向協商，這正體現和合文化的個體獨立平等、整體聯合協作的核心內涵。可見，“民主懇談會”在其萌芽時就具備了“和合”的基本特征。作為黨委政府與人民一種全新的交流模式，“民主懇談會”在化解矛盾、提高決策效率、增加人民滿意度等方面發揮著不可取代的作用。