Chinese authorities repeatedly urge local cadres to cut bureaucratic “formalism” and reduce the burden on officials, but some local implementation still struggles, according to reporting drawing on state-linked media. A report published by Banyuetan, a biweekly magazine affiliated with Xinhua, says many officials are caught in a cycle of doing more work while producing fewer concrete results. The report frames this as a “busier-but-emptier” problem and links it to difficulties in fully applying the principle of “error tolerance,” which is meant to protect cadres as they attempt reforms and take on responsibilities. The accounts describe how compliance pressures and administrative routines continue to weigh on officials, even after directives from Beijing call for easing burdens and encouraging more effective governance. Overall, the reporting highlights a gap between central policy goals and local practices, suggesting that although “error tolerance” is promoted to encourage initiatives, bureaucratic systems and risk-avoidance behaviours can still limit progress.