In 2002, Hu Jintao introduced his concept of a harmonious society (和諧社會) in which he introduced the concept of putting people first (以人為本), a guiding principle for many of the policies to come, including new resettlement regulations governing water resources and hydropower projects published in 2006. Drawing on fieldwork conducted in resettlement communities along the Lancang River in Yunnan province, this article analyzes the manner in which the local government manages the implementation of a more socially-oriented resettlement policy. While formerly local cadres tended to use force in order to fulfill policy requirements demandedfrom above, in line with new upper-level requirements, local governments have begun to devise a variety of strategies including soft coercion, negotiation, and propaganda work to implement resettlement policies, thereby providing evidence of a softer type of authoritarianism at the grassroots level.