Born in 1979 during the reform and opening up, he grew up during the 40 years of China's rapid development and experienced the leap from a small mountain village in the west to the big Shanghai in the east.
I try to show this extraordinary 40 years in Chinese history from my perspective.
The development of these 40 years has been too fast, so fast that we have to face new things every day, so fast that we have no time to think, and so fast that our souls have not caught up with material development.
In these 40 years, the Chinese people have gained a lot, but also lost a lot; our lives and materials have been improved, but at the same time, the Chinese people have also lost their happiness, the unfettered happiness that comes from deep within.
What do people live for? When we lack material things, we think that if we get them, we can get everything; but 40 years later, we have no shortage of food and clothing, but we are alienated from our relatives, we have no true friends, and we are confused about the world; anxiety and uneasiness slowly hollow out our bodies, and our souls have nowhere to rest; the spirit that supports our inner world seems to be slowly collapsing, and we are drowned in the fear of death all day long.
Reader comments
As the years pass ruthlessly, the childhood in my memory becomes increasingly blurred, so I have always been eager to record the various aspects of my childhood.
It can be said that this book is a precious memoir of my childhood. When I was writing, I pursued documentary wholeheartedly, so entertainment and storytelling were lacking, but a sense of reality filled the lines.
When writing this book, I never thought about how to attract readers' attention. I just wrote down the fragmented fragments in my memory truthfully. I wrote wherever I thought, without any attempt to exaggerate the various storylines.
I was born in the west and grew up at the foot of the Qinling Mountains. Every plant and tree there will always be the deepest concern in my heart. Even when I am old and dying, I firmly believe that some fragments of my childhood will still linger in my mind.
For those of us born in the 1970s and 1980s, childhood is both beautiful and full of hardships. Only people of our generation can deeply understand the hardship of extreme material scarcity. While I was writing, I sometimes smiled and then burst into tears. It fully reveals the life of that era, including moments of joy and unbearable hard times.
This book has neither a grand historical vision nor an attempt to expound a profound social philosophy. It is merely an observation and narrative from my perspective. Maybe I have some biases or short-sightedness, but this is indeed the truest thought in my heart, and it is my look back and remember those heavy years.
As the years pass ruthlessly, the childhood in my memory becomes increasingly blurred, so I have always been eager to record the various aspects of my childhood. It can be said that this book is a precious memoir of my childhood. When I was writing, I pursued documentary wholeheartedly, so entertainment and storytelling were lacking, but a sense of reality filled the lines. When writing this book, I never thought about how to attract readers' attention. I just wrote down the fragmented fragments in my memory truthfully. I wrote wherever I thought, without any attempt to exaggerate the various storylines. I was born in the west and grew up at the foot of the Qinling Mountains. Every plant and tree there will always be the deepest concern in my heart. Even when I am old and dying, I firmly believe that some fragments of my childhood will still linger in my mind. For those of us born in the 1970s and 1980s, childhood is both beautiful and full of hardships. Only people of our generation can deeply understand the hardship of extreme material scarcity. While I was writing, I sometimes smiled and then burst into tears. It fully reveals the life of that era, including moments of joy and unbearable hard times. This book has neither a grand historical vision nor an attempt to expound a profound social philosophy. It is merely an observation and narrative from my perspective. Maybe I have some biases or short-sightedness, but this is indeed the truest thought in my heart, and it is my look back and remember those heavy years.