The BBC has been given rare access to the life of one of the thousands of local Communist party officials who carry out the policies decided in Beijing.

As head of the local government in Yongning County, in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Li Jianjun is in charge of 205,000 people.
Here he is preparing to give a speech to about 200 officials.

Text and pictures: Michael Bristow

Fidgety audience
Li Jianjun certainly gives the audience their money's worth.He talks for one-and-a-half hours.
The audience of mostly men fidgets as he speaks. Afterwards, they are told off by the meeting's host for making too much noise. The meeting goes on for a total of three-and-a-half hours, after which Mr Li declares himself satisfied.
"We've achieved our expected aims, unified our thinking and defined our tasks," he says, using the language of Chinese officialdom.

Second speech


After changing his Western-style suit for a military jacket, Mr Li speeds off in his four-wheel drive vehicle.His next stop is the village of Huo Zhai to formally launch an autumn irrigation project. On the way, Mr Li chats on the phone, and to his (male) secretary.
Welcoming music starts up as soon as Mr Li steps out of his car. But it stops abruptly when the electricity is cut.
When it is restored, Mr Li gives his second – shorter – speech of the day.

Village crowd


Despite the cold, dreary weather, several hundred people turn out for the launch of the project.Most are civil servants, who line up neatly behind placards that display the names of their departments.
The printed programme for the ceremony makes it clear why so many of them have made the effort to attend.
Senior officials, it says, will be exposed on television and publicly criticised if they do not ensure their underlings turn up.

Digging


After Mr Li's speech, a burst of firecrackers declares the project officially launched. It is then time for the county magistrate to get his hands dirty. He joins several dozen others digging a ditch.As he shovels earth, the 45-year-old explains what makes his job worthwhile.
"As long as ordinary people are happy and my bosses are satisfied, it's all worth it," he says.
A few minutes later he is speeding away from the village back towards the county town.

Eating


The county's top leaders live in an apartment block behind the local government offices. They have their own, small dining room, where they can talk politics while eating.Here Mr Li and the local communist party secretary, Xia Xiyun, discuss the day's events.
As party secretary, Mr Xia is the most powerful man in the county and outranks Mr Li.
The two leaders enjoy a relatively simple meal of green beans, cabbage, fish and soup.

No-choice election


Mr Li's main task of the afternoon is to oversee the inauguration of four new deputy chiefs for the county.Strangely, the candidates are introduced to senior party officials as new leaders before their election.
They are duly elected unanimously by delegates.
The ballot paper contains just four names for four positions.
As he leaves the voting room, Mr Li reveals that delegates have never rejected a candidate.

In the distance


The county magistrate hits the road again for more visits to factories and farms.He hears about specific problems and promises to do what he can to help.
Mr Li says he has a wide degree of autonomy from the central government, but it is also clear he knows the party line.
Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought and Deng Xiaoping Theory are his guiding principles, he says.