"Rekindled in 1975: My Life of Reform" tells the story of Lu Weiguo, a poverty-alleviation official who died in the line of duty in 2024 and is reborn in a rural village in western Sichuan in 1975. With a deep understanding of the four decades of reform and opening up ahead, he starts as an accountant for a production team and learns to seize the moment amid the tide of history. Through major developments such as trials of the household responsibility system, the restructuring of township enterprises, and the campaign to alleviate poverty, he transforms remote Qingshan Town into “China’s Number One Town.” Amid the sweeping course of reform and opening up, he makes up for his past-life failure to save his younger sister and joins hands with the like-minded sent-down youth Lin Xueqing to drive change. Guided by the principle, “Never fight the tide; make every moment count,” he witnesses and takes part in landmark events such as the conclusion of the Third Front construction, the return of sent-down youth to the cities, and Deng Xiaoping’s Southern Tour. With foresight, he opens up a path to prosperity for the people and growth for the town in the narrow spaces between the currents of the times.
