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.
温岭民主恳谈会
发轫于1999年温岭市松门镇的“民主恳谈会”制度，在2003年成为第二届中国地方政府创新奖候选项目，并最终获得“2003—2004”年度“中国地方政府创新奖”优胜奖。这种新生的民主决策方式，经过20多年的发展，已渐成体系，别具一格。
1999年6月的一天，温岭市松门镇的大礼堂内坐满了村民。会议进行过程中，参会的干部突然走了下来，将手中的话筒塞给了其中一位村民。大家很吃惊，因为之前几乎没人会来过问自己的意见和看法。这是具有非常重要意义的一天，也是温岭民主恳谈会探索的开始。此次“农业农村现代化教育论坛”改变了“干部对群众说教”的传统做法，转而采取“干部与群众的平等对话”和“群众之间的平等协商”相结合的方式，对话和协商的内容是针对本地的一些热点、难点问题。温岭“民主恳谈”机制由此发轫。在“农业农村现代化教育”中建立起来的干群关系和对话形式，引起了温岭市委的高度关注，这种干群关系和对话形式不久被概括为“民主恳谈会”，进而很快地从“农业农村现代化教育”工作迅速扩大到政府工作的其他方面，最后把“民主恳谈会”的重点放在政府的民主决策上。经过一段时间的摸索与实践，这一机制形成了比较成熟的协商流程：镇里提前五天在每一个村以及镇里的闹市区等处张贴公告，告知群众何时、何地召开何种主题的论坛，请群众自愿参加。会议召开时，群众就他们关心的且与主题相关的问题向镇里的主要党政领导、职能部门等负责人提出意见，干部解答，当两者意见相左时，通过协商达成一致。
这种干部与群众之间的平等对话已初具“民主恳谈会”的雏形，它实际上将过去干部和群众之间的管理与被管理关系改变成干部和群众之间平等的协商关系；在决策上也将干部向群众单向式发指令的传统转变成干部和群众之间的双向协商，这正体现和合文化的个体独立平等、整体联合协作的核心内涵。可见，“民主恳谈会”在其萌芽时就具备了“和合”的基本特征。作为党委政府与人民一种全新的交流模式，“民主恳谈会”在化解矛盾、提高决策效率、增加人民满意度等方面发挥着不可取代的作用。
