Public roles trump nervous tension

After waiting more than three hours in a TV studio near Beijing's Fifth Ring Road, I finally got to meet Wang Zhenyu, deputy mayor of Linfen city, Shanxi province.

Wang had just finished delivering his business pitch on The Impressive Scenery of Shanxi, and he was still full of adrenaline. "I was nervous, very nervous, trying to remember my speech all the time, including when I was standing by," he said.

"But now, I've forgotten everything. My mind has gone blank," he added, with a laugh.

As a participant in the popular TV program, Wang has been on tenterhooks since May, constantly rehearsing and studying his speech.

"I had to deliver the pitch in my own words, to vividly explain to the public why the city is a good place to visit. It's not the same as speaking at media conferences," he said.

Far from the stereotype of a Party official, Wang, who was born in 1973, looked enthusiastic and was willing to talk frankly to journalists about his participation in the program and his aspirations for Linfen.

"The pressure came from the time limit of the speech. I tried my best to finish it within five minutes, because being timed out would influence our team's score and I didn't want that," he said. "I also worried that mistakes or flaws in my pitch would affect our team's performance."

He said the program is an effective way of attracting visitors to Linfen and it also gave him the opportunity to get closer to the public and hear their concerns.

Like Wang, Zhang Jifu, Party chief of Datong city in Shanxi, was still nervous after his monologue, but the 52-year-old said that he wouldn't pay too much attention to the score his team was awarded: "It really doesn't matter who wins; it's more important to help the people of our city."

Zhang became a minor internet celebrity after he wore a blue T-shirt to promote his city during the first round of the program. "The shirt is emblazoned with the two characters for Datong, which means I am always with my team," he said. "It also made me feel like a visitor, seeing the city with other people."

The day we met, he wore a black suit and white shirt "because this time I will make an official invitation to the public, welcoming them and inviting them to travel to our city".

Both officials told me that they had spent a lot of time preparing their speeches and studying gestures and facial expressions to improve their performances.

Yu Hongyan, a retired teacher from Datong who was a member of the city's delegation, said she was delighted to perform with Zhang. "I had only seen his name in the newspapers and never thought I would see him at such close range. His leadership encouraged us and gave us a warm feeling," the 56-year-old said.

Shortly after we spoke, Zhang and Wang returned to the stage to wait for the scores to be announced and a sense of nervous tension descended on the studio once again. I know which city won the contest, but the program's production team swore me to secrecy because the show won't be broadcast until later this month. All I can say is that it makes compelling viewing.