The Golden Age of the Forties

This novel chronicles the changes across China during the more than forty years of reform and opening up. Thanks to the Party's sound policies, people across the country joined forces to help drive the nation's reforms and development, throwing themselves into economic construction. Farmers received the household responsibility system for land management. Later, as the country continued to deepen its reforms, rural farming shifted toward diverse crops, then toward industrialized and commercial cultivation. In 2000, the compulsory grain procurement system for farmers was abolished entirely and replaced with a market-based grain system, under which households could sell their grain to purchasing stations. Large numbers of farmers went to the cities to build them. The towering buildings, rows of high-rises, elevated roads and overpasses, power stations, high-speed railways, and tunnels through mountains all stand as a testament to the tremendous contributions of migrant workers. Some farmers who started out as small-time peddlers rode the wave of reform and opening up to become major property developers and heads of large industrial groups. Those with grit and the courage to build businesses became billionaires. Later, they invested in schools and nursing homes, giving back to society by donating their earnings to charitable causes. They began with nothing and earned a reputation as great philanthropists. Across China's 9.6 million square kilometers, high-rises stand everywhere. New rural communities are dotted with villas, with private planes and cars parked beside them. Bustling rural streets are lined with flower-filled potted plants in vivid reds and greens. Down the road, yangge dancers leap and twirl, young men and women work at home producing agricultural goods, and children study in their villas.