Wang Lixian said, "My family doesn't want me to work too hard. But the villagers trust me. How can I let them down."

Chen Hui, Vice Mayor of Fuding City, said, "The advantages of the direct election include, first, the elected head must be capable; second, the team will be stable for at least three years, then no one else would spare energy to strive for power. This will undoubtedly promote rural development."

Drawbacks still exist in many places, including election irregularities, and a lack of supervision, but nothing can stop the desire for progress in the farmers' minds.

The strong desire was clearly conveyed when the election committee of Jiangmei village counted more than two thousand ballots despite the humid weather. The result was given out after two hours of counting. Miao Yougao was elected as the new head.

Miao Yougao is elected Head of the village Committee, Miao Yongda is elected Deputy head, and Zhu Lixian is elected member of the committee. That's all. Set off the firecracks!

There was not even a smile in Miao's face. Maybe he was embarrassed by the camera, or maybe he realized the heavy burden of his new position.

(CCTV September 16, 2009)