Years Like the Bright Moon

In the mid-to-late 1990s, Liu Ye and Tang Hongmei, both laid off from factories, become friends with Fan Lihua, who has taken unpaid leave from her public-sector job. This is the story of three women striving to make their way amid the tide of reform. They start out selling goods at roadside stalls to make a living, then rent shops and search for a direction to grow their businesses. Their journey is fraught with danger, but they push through every obstacle. When a childhood friend travels a thousand miles to track down a killer and entrusts a child to Liu Ye, she takes on debt to acquire a garment factory and later establishes two clothing brands. Tang Hongmei opens one shop after another and gets divorced. She launches an online “shell company,” first attracting scammers who nearly cost her her life, then a genuine export trader. A dangerous trip in search of vegetables leads her to become his supplier, and she goes on to open her own online store and start a business processing agricultural products. Fan Lihua hones her flower-arranging skills, combining floral art with daily life and traditional culture to build a thriving enterprise. After twenty years of spreading their wings, the three women achieve success. Their fields of work blossom, as does China itself in the wake of reform. Over those two decades, they experience society’s darkness and light, the good and evil in human nature, and the ups and downs of family and friendship. They witness the changes in policy, society, and the economy. Their stories reflect the many women who built businesses from scratch and stood on their own during the reform era, as well as the era itself. Liu Ye is loyal and courageous, Tang Hongmei bold and fearless, and Fan Lihua kind and resilient. Together, they form a portrait of women as both a collective and as individuals.