Only plant sons

Author: Li Jing
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-11-01
Features: Three elderly Party members spoke up. Today, Lujia Village owes everything to Secretary Cai Min. They asked the village's old carpenter to make a plaque with walnut wood. The principal of Lujia Village Primary School wrote two large red characters, "Public Servant," and were preparing to parade it to the county committee with drums and cymbals. Upon learning this, Cai Min immediately notified Zhang Laifu to intercept the crowd, saying, "Don't deliver any banners or plaques. Today, we made a mistake, and we've corrected it. The people should be asking for our apology, yet they have shown us immense tolerance. How can we have the face to accept their imperial decree?" Cai Min arrived at Lujia Village and asked the principal to add two more characters, "For the People," and hung it in the village committee's office. He said to Zhang Laifu and the village's Party cadres, "Remember this. This is not a plaque of merit, but a warning sign. It can even be called a ' of Shame.' Let it educate us and our future generations."—The Choice
This book is a collection of six short and medium-length stories. The author uses the smallest grassroots units in China—villages and towns—as a starting point to portray the diverse personalities of contemporary Chinese society during the period of political democracy and economic transformation. It is a microcosm of real-life social conditions. The writing is simple and straightforward, filled with a sense of reality and morality, making it highly thought-provoking and readable.