That Matter of Returning to the City

In 1968, the sweeping movement that sent educated youth up to the mountains and down to the countryside began in earnest. Graduates from the Old Three Classes traveled to rural areas and border regions across the country to join the labor force and settle down. Two years later, they gradually began returning to the cities. This novel focuses on the intense inner struggles and conflicts the educated youth faced as they returned. It portrays their firm resolve and open-hearted dedication to building new socialist villages, and celebrates their heroic deeds in battling nature and transforming the countryside. Educated youth represented by Zheng Fangtong, Ma Xiangfeng, Hu Feng, and Li Mengmeng were sent to the Aogan Brigade of Hongqi Commune in Ming County, Beifu City. Torn between returning to the city and putting down roots in the countryside, they hesitated and wavered, but ultimately threw themselves into building the new countryside. Giving up respectable jobs and comfortable lives, they carved out a place for themselves in the countryside and led their fellow villagers toward a brighter future. Others exhausted every means to return to the city, their efforts playing out in stories of joy and sorrow, reunion and separation. This novel promotes positive values, condemns evil, inspires people to kindness and self-improvement, and encourages them to strive forward and contribute to building socialism with Chinese characteristics.