The years 2006 and 2007 are changeover years for Chinese officials at a provincial level.

Since May, the central government has been reshiuffling the party and municipal leaders in Tibet, Shaanxi, Guangxi, Gansu, Guizhou, Xinjiang, Liaoning, Hunan, Hebei, Jiangxi, and Yunnan provinces and autonomous regions.

The newly appointed leaders at a provincial level are much younger than before.

It has become common for officials to rotate between the eastern, central, and western parts of China. Officials from the prosperous coastal provinces are appointed top officials in the central, northeastern and western provinces, in the hope that their experience will help narrow the concept gap between regions and in turn the economic gap.

Much importance has been attached to people's standard of living and scientific development during this round of adjustment. Most of the officials have been rotated to posts within the same province, which is conducive to the comprehensive development of that province.

By People's Daily Online