The Production Team

Through the controversies surrounding the murder of an old shepherd, this book portrays life in a rural community in the 1970s. Using the format of a suspense novel to tell a traditional story, it depicts the era's classic rural characters: the production team leader who wielded absolute power, the storekeeper who abused his position for personal gain, the militia platoon leader who dreamed of joining the army, the village girl abandoned by an educated youth, the no-account who managed to make a success of himself, the shaman with an impressive repertoire of scams, the shrewd old scholar, the timekeeper who flaunted her charms, the deeply entrenched head of the Poor Peasants' Association, the lonely and destitute refugee woman, the silver-tongued matchmaker, and the honest soul who suffered oppression... This book recreates the distinctive scenes of life in that era: school breaks during the busy farming season, recommendations for university admission, military field exercises, educated youths sent to the countryside, coal mine recruitment, digging tunnels, grain returned to rural areas, the chicken-bottom savings bank, pig purchasing stations, supply and marketing cooperatives, medical stations, community-run teachers, criticism meetings, meetings to recall past hardship and appreciate present happiness, and the vast divide between town and countryside...