This book is a continuation of Lu Yao's classic "The Ordinary World". It outlines Sun Shaoping's spiritual practice and rural reform epic after returning to his hometown in the new century in a profound way.
In 2007, the middle-aged Sun Shaoping left Dayawan Coal Mine due to injury and returned to Shuangshui Village, which he had always dreamed of. Faced with the decline and confusion of his hometown in the torrent of the times, he gave up his personal comfort, was elected as the village party secretary amidst doubts, and resolutely embarked on a road of exploration full of thorns.
The work delicately demonstrates how Sun Shaoping dissolves grand ideals into the hard local reality. From the initial construction of roads to gather people's hearts, to the application for the "Xiaguang" trademark to start branding exploration; from the fight against devastating frosts to achieve risk sharing, to the development of rural tourism and handicrafts to achieve industrial diversification; from the establishment of mutual pension funds and education funds to nourish rural roots, to the response to the impact and opportunities brought by high-speed rail in the new era... Every step is intertwined with the fierce collision of new and old ideas, the game of interests between individuals and collectives, and the difficult negotiation between ideals and reality.
The novel not only continues Lu Yao's sincere concern for the fate of ordinary people and his epic narrative style, but also deeply explores the contemporary proposition of how Chinese rural areas can protect their spiritual home and achieve inner revitalization under the wave of marketization and urbanization. With his tenacity, wisdom and responsibility, Sun Shaoping proved that in an ordinary world, ordinary people can live an extraordinary life value by taking root in the land and serving the people, and become a warm spark that illuminates the land and water. This is a soulful work about the immortality of ideals, endless struggle, and rural China's search for spiritual return in nirvana.
