The flames of war have briefly died down, but the soldiers have yet to shed their uniforms. The stunning finale of the TV series Big Yangko is the grand opening of this epic sequel, Big Yangko: Kindling the Prairie.
In 1945, victory in the War of Resistance against Japan brings the people of Hutou Bay new choices to make. Hai Mao takes on a new mission and heads northeast with the army, to a strategic region of ice and fire. Wu Ruoyun and Zhao Xiangyue remain in war-scarred Hutou Bay, shouldering the heavy burden of rebuilding their home. From the troop transport routes of the Liberation War to the land reform turmoil in Hutou Bay; from the cheers at the founding ceremony of the People’s Republic to the smoke of the Korean War, where they fight to uphold the nation’s honor; and then to the pride and emotion of the 1955 military ranks ceremony, their fates beat in time with the pulse of the new republic.
This is not only the final destination of the love shared by Hai Mao, Wu Ruoyun, and Zhao Xiangyue. It is also the moving story of how one generation, swept along by the currents of a great era, transformed the revolutionary “yangko spirit” into a “prairie fire” that helped build a new China. Continuing the rich Jiaodong flavor and family feuds of Big Yangko, this novel takes a broader view to tell a story of national memory, from war to peace and from ruin to renewal, exploring the timeless themes of devotion to both home and country, and faith that never dies.
