In the early years of the People’s Republic of China， as the rapid liberation of South China and the complexities and urgency of urban takeover and political power construction became increasingly evident， the severe shortages， uneven competence and tangled internal relations within the cadre corps thus stood out， which further weakened the stability and governance capacity of urban grassroots political power. Against this backdrop， retaining and remoulding former staff， especially Baojia保甲 personnel， emerged as a pragmatic measure for the new regime to maintain social order. Taking Guangzhou’s unique context and the characteristics of Baojia personnel into account， the new regime adopted a phased approach to abolish the Baojia system while denouncing its backward and exploitative nature. Recognizing that Baojia personnel served as instruments and accomplices of the old ruling order， the new regime made the most of the prevailing situation to retain and remould them. Ultimately， old grassroots institutions and former staff were replaced by residents’ committees and a new cohort of worker cadres. This set of remoulding strategies and practices secured a smooth power transition during the institutional shift and fostered greater recognition among the people， laying solid political safeguards and mass foundations for the advancement of other urban undertakings.