Spring Returns to Every Tree [1970]

(The female-led mystery next door, He, is now available. Click into my author page to read it.) In 1950, Tang Guoxing was eight years old. The others called her Little Tang, and she'd correct them solemnly: "I'm eight. I'm too old for a childhood nickname. From now on, call me Tang Guoxing." Her grandfather wanted her to learn carpentry and become a carpenter. Tang Guoxing: "I don't want to be a carpenter. I want to be the grain depot director!" In 1970, twenty-eight-year-old Tang Guoxing was the grain depot director. The depot was desperately poor, and as its director, she was better at carpentry and basket weaving than anyone else. That year, Yulan Town was hit by a hailstorm. Their goal was to work hard and overcome hardship as they struggled to provide disaster relief. In 2018, Tang Guoxing and her close friends lived in a nursing home. They had plenty to eat and drink, and the fields they'd once farmed had turned into forests. Still, she wanted to go back and watch over that land. Through Tang Guoxing's life, this story follows the changes in rural China. The local customs and traditions, policies, and institutions in the story are based on historical sources and interviews with real people. A portrait of rural women. P.S.: The main story alternates between three eras for comparison. Feel free to pick whichever period interests you most. First event: 1953 and 2018, "The Person Tang Guoxing" Second event: 1953 and 1972, "On Being a Director" Third event: 1973 and 2018, "The Movie Projector Team and the Cinema" Fourth event: 1953 and 1973, "Road Construction" Fifth event: 1954 and 1974, "Basic Education" Sixth event: 1954 and 1974, "Intergenerational Relationships" Seventh event: 1954 and 1974, "Rural Healthcare" Note: My abilities are limited, and the story spans a long period, so there may inevitably be omissions or mistakes. Readers are welcome to point them out. I'm very grateful. Other completed works by the author: In This Land, a story about women in the early years of the People's Republic of China Ongoing work by the author: Looking Toward Spring, passing on the strength of women Theme: Depicting the development and transformation of rural life and thought from multiple perspectives and at different levels, and showing the great enthusiasm of Chinese rural women for building a new socialist countryside.