I am Yunlan Cuiwei, formerly known by the pen name Yunlan Xiaoxiaosheng. I was born in the 1980s. Smiles Through Wind and Rain begins on the Loess Plateau of southern Shanxi in 1976. Spanning the forty years of reform and opening up, it paints a true-to-life portrait of three generations of rural Shanxi residents. The marriage of the protagonists, Wu Rensheng and Ai Xuemei, is summed up by combining their surnames: Wu Ai, meaning “without love.” The author’s beloved heroine is given the surname Ai, meaning “love.” Ai Xuemei is like mugwort in the warm sun, and like wintersweet that cannot be crushed by snow weighing down its branches, blooming alone in the bitter cold. Through her, we feel the resilience, optimism, tenderness, self-reliance, kindness, selflessness, and generosity of an ordinary yet extraordinary mother. The story focuses on Ai Xuemei, a rural woman at the bottom of society whose marriage brings her misery and whose life is full of hardship. Yet she faces a bleak existence with a smile and an unselfish love, never giving up on herself. Through every storm in life, she refuses to bow her head in shame and continues to love her children with all her heart. With hope in her heart, she bears every burden on her frail shoulders, becoming a steadfast mother who leads her family through years of hardship and into a peaceful, prosperous life.
Grounded in the story of an ordinary family’s struggle, this work brings to mind our parents’ generation and the countless ordinary people around us. By showing the big picture through the small, it vividly reflects the changes and struggles of China, especially its rural communities, over the forty years of reform and opening up.
No matter how fierce the storm, keep moving forward with a smile. We invite you to enjoy Smiles Through Wind and Rain!
