"I cannot guarantee that all our problems can get prompt solutions, but we all feel your pain, and I'm sure our common understanding, including that of the comrades at the hospitals, will push things forward," Yu wrote.

Yu's response was retweeted nearly 10,000 times within two hours.

"I have never, never imagined he would give me a response and the problem could be solved," Qin said. His father was eventually accepted by a hospital.

Yu always took a laptop when on tour. He surfed the Internet every day to keep informed of daily news and learn what the online community were talking about.

"The Internet offers us a good platform to check and improve the government's work. It's also a very important tool to respond to public's concerns," Yu said.

For some Shanghai officials, however, Yu was a tough boss. In front of the inquisitive Party chief, they had to be well prepared to answer his questions about work. Any vague response would probably result in criticism from a cold-faced Old Yu.

When he served as minister of construction, Yu put quality of projects as the foremost task of the ministry.

"Buying an apartment may cost all the savings of a family. If we do not prioritize quality control as our top concern in work, or hesitate to stamp out quality risks, how can we be worthy of our roles?" Yu told his colleagues.

Reformer

A year after Yu arrived in Shanghai from Hubei Province, the economic hub of China began to feel the bite of the global financial crisis. The city also faced challenges in economic transformation, as required by the central government.

The economic growth in Shanghai saw a drop from previous double-digit increases during his five-year tenure in the city. Old Yu, however, asked local officials to remain calm and not to be envious of other regions.

"We must push forward economic transformation, but transformation is not as easy as strolling in a park or sunbathing on the seashore," he told local officials.

"We should throw away the concern of our personal gains and losses and have courage to endure temporary days without the spotlight. We must break through barriers one by one to facilitate transformation."

Despite the economic slowdown, the transformation strategy began to work as the city saw rising fiscal revenue, the tertiary industry's account in gross domestic product and other indices that are taken as symbols of economic quality.