Tuning the Zither

In July 1988, Lin Haixiong had just graduated with a degree in Chinese from a teachers' college and was assigned to teach at Gaoli Junior High, attached to Gaoli Village Primary School in Dongyuan Township, a mountainous area of Jiuli County. New to the job, he was appointed homeroom teacher and Chinese teacher for Class 1, Grade 7.

At first, he felt a trace of worry. But when he saw the children's innocent faces and their eyes, eager for knowledge, some of that worry seemed to ease. From that moment on, he carried the hopes of fifty-six children from the mountains and the expectations of fifty-six ordinary farming families on his shoulders. The mountains limited the children's view of the world, and he would be the lens through which they could look beyond them, a ray of sunlight that would let them see a larger world outside. This heavy responsibility instantly stripped away his youth and uncertainty, giving him a direction to follow on what had seemed a confusing journey through life.

At the school, he met Li Yingzhen, a girl in Grade 9. He also fell in love with Zhou Danmei, the English teacher who taught the same class.

From then on, his life began to experience all the bittersweet ups and downs: the hardships and joys of work and daily life, as well as the knots and heartache of love. What became of him in the end? Read Tuning the Strings.