Abstract

The annual Work Reports of governments in Mainland China at different levels have been regarded as the significant records for the processes of national modernization. Researching their political logic is of very importance for us to understand the real operation of governments and public administration in China. Unfortunately, however, there have been only a few of archives which study on this theme so far. This study is focused on the Annual Work Reports of State Council from 1993 to 2007. These reports are analyzed after the relative assumptions are proposed. The analysis framework integrates the theories on political stability and political legitimacy. The United States President’s annual State of the Union Message is also compared with these reports. As a result, the political logic that is implicated in the governments’ work reports is investigated. Two finds are argued that the efforts are demonstrated in order to maintain the stability and order, on the one hand, and, to pursuit to political legitimacy, on the other. It is reasonable to believe that most of conclusions in this study can be expanded to understand the work reports of the governments at other levels in Mainland China, since all the other reports are similar with the State Council’s in the basic style.