Abstract:The first secretary system with the characteristics of complexity and diversification in the practice of grassroots governance is an institutional exploration and innovation in the field of poverty alleviation in China.The introduction of the first secretary system into the village has realized the integration of national governance and grass-roots autonomy at the village level,forming a differentiated governance structure and practice.The survey of villages found that there are three modes of interaction between the first secretary system and the village society:arranged substitution,cooperative assistance,and passive alienation. This practical difference is shaped by the village’s resource base and governance capabilities,local government’s village positioning and resource matching,and the first secretary’s personal resource network and career pursuit. The first secretary system has produced problems of accuracy and sustainability in practice. Optimizing the performance of the first secretary system should be carried out from the aspects of organizational system reconstruction and accurate resource docking in order to promote the endogenous poverty alleviation and independent development capabilities.