Hu Huang Bids Farewell to the Old Year and Embarks on a New Journey in Science

This book is set in Liuxi Village deep in the North China Plain. Through the memories of centenarian Lin Wanqing, this book unfolds the changes in rural society around the belief in the Five Immortals of "Fox Yellow, White Willow Ash" in the decades before and after the founding of New China. Before the founding of the People's Republic of China, Liuxi Village and surrounding villages were deeply mired in feudal superstition. When villagers encountered disasters, asked for food, clothing, and safety, they all prayed to the Five Immortals Temple and asked the gods to perform dances. Many families lost their wealth and life due to superstition. The belief in the Five Immortals became a shackle that bound the villagers' thoughts and lives. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, work teams were stationed in villages to preach scientific knowledge, break feudal superstitions, and lead villagers to build water conservancy, prevent and control epidemics, and develop production. From the initial resistance and doubt to witnessing the practical results of science, the villagers of Liuxi Village gradually abandoned their blind worship of the Five Immortals, stepped out of the fog of superstition, and established the belief that "man can conquer nature". Under the leadership of the Party, they cultivated the land with their hands and created a better life. The work uses realistic brushwork to restore the rural landscape and the transformation of people's thoughts in a specific historical period. It has both a sense of historical significance and positive energy, and praises the victory of the scientific spirit and the original intention of rural revitalization.