A party-wide study campaign has been actively underway in China, researching a correct understanding of governance performance. In other words, how officials should define success and what kind of achievements should count. The campaign comes as the 15th Five-Year Plan gets underway and reflects a broader effort to judge officials not only by economic growth but also by people's livelihoods, ecological protection, long-term development and ability to solve difficult problems. So what does a correct understanding of governance performance mean in China's system of governance? Why is GDP alone no longer enough to measure the work of officials? And how does China's understanding of governance performance differ from political accountability and the election promises in the West?