In mainland bureaucratic lingo, yibashou, which literally translates into 'first hand', is the popular, informal and reverent word used to address the chief leader of every department or jurisdiction from the village all the way up to the state president.
While the exact origin of the term is unknown, some Chinese scholars speculate that it may have evolved from the hierarchy of bandits in the era of feudal dynasties, while others say it may derive from the confusing rankings of party officials in the early years of the People's Republic.
Then, there were several party secretaries for each province or city, with their ranking distinguished by sequence, as in first, second, third and so on.
Whatever the origin, the term signals absolute power, as any official addressed with it has effective control of human resources, business operations, finance and budgeting and promotions and salaries, according to the definition of the term in various Chinese dictionaries.
Within this context, it is not hard to understand why there has been a growing debate within the party leadership and in the state media over how to effectively monitor and control the yibashous, or the party secretaries of various departments or regions, following the downfall of Bo Xilai, the party secretary of Chongqing .
That touches upon one of the most important but also most sensitive aspects of the political system, which must be thoroughly and systematically reformed if the leadership wants to curb rampant official corruption and, more importantly, to make sure there will not be another Bo to split the party leadership in the future.
Bo was the typical yibashou when he was the Chongqing party boss, as he effectively controlled the sprawling metropolis like an overlord. There were no checks or balances to control him. His previous membership in the 25-member Politburo had made him even more powerful, as only the nine members of the Politburo Standing Committee were higher-ranked than he was.
After his fall from grace, the mainland leadership said he broke the rules by sacking Wang Lijun as the Chongqing police chief without consent from the Ministry of Public Security, among other irregularities.