Orchard Days in the People's Commune

This collection of documentary-style stories is rooted in rural China in the 1960s, focusing on life in the orchards of a production team in a people's commune on the Loess Plateau. In an era of scarce supplies and primitive technology, fruit farmers like Wang Mancang use their rough hands to tend the sprawling apple groves. From thinning blossoms in early spring and keeping pests at bay in summer, to draining water after autumn rains and harvesting in late fall, they pour the toil of every season into every tree.

The book vividly recreates scenes of collective labor: commune members trudge between the trees with heavy sprayers, applying pesticides; they dig drainage ditches in the rain to protect the roots; they gather in the orchard to sort green apples wrapped in bags; and they drive carts to haul bright red apples to the county supply and marketing cooperative... Every scene is steeped in sweat and laughter, capturing the spirit of cooperation unique to that era.

The stories recount the farmers' anxiety and efforts when pests and disease strike, their united response to torrential rain and flooding, and their joy and anticipation when the harvest is divided. Above all, they show the warmth of neighbors helping one another as if nothing belonged to just one person. The clash of ideas between sent-down youth Li Xiuying and the veteran fruit farmers, the team leader Zhang Jianguo's careful coordination, and old technician Uncle Li's passing on of experience all weave together a vivid portrait of rural life.

From crisp green fruit to plump red apples, from cooking smoke in the orchard mingling with the scent of wheat, the book reveals not only the natural rhythms of growing fruit trees but also the resilience and optimism of ordinary people amid the tides of history. These stories of hard work and harvest, of devotion to the land and hope, still let readers feel the vigorous vitality of the yellow earth and the simple wisdom of working people.