Springtime in the Wilds Above the Kiln

In 1990, the spring of reform and opening-up spurred the rapid growth of township enterprises. Zheng Guangwu, the second son of the Zheng family, had spent more than a decade in business, but all his efforts away from home had come to nothing. After returning, he resolved to build something for himself and opened a brick factory in his hometown. The thriving factory was the first of its kind in the village and the township. Workers came from nearby villages and even from the county to find jobs there. Zheng Guangwu and his wife, Wang Ling, ran the brick factory with great success, remaining honest and hardworking and conducting business with integrity. The years passed, the times moved forward, and eventually the brick factory was left behind. For more than twenty years, it had grown alongside the Zheng children and witnessed the development of the township. It watched the county shed its poverty, while the family remained the same hardworking, honest farmers...