One day in early September 1980, as he boarded a plane from Shanghai Hongqiao Airport to study in the United States for the first time in his life, he recalled with indescribable complexity of emotions the extraordinary and poignant saga of the past three years.
From 1977 to 1980, China underwent a transition from a closed society to an open and reforming society. During this transitional period, the destinies of thousands of people also experienced significant changes.
In the 1970s, in an impoverished and secluded village in China, a rural teenager was compelled to quit school after completing fourth grade due to his family's black five categories background. However, against all odds, he miraculously taught himself English without the guidance of a teacher or access to English radio lectures, all within the confines of a closed society.
In 1977, China resumed the college entrance examination, which brought hope to millions of young people and changed the fate of countless individuals, including himself. He took the entrance exam for a large state-owned enterprise and the college entrance examination with the intention of giving it a try.
It was a daunting task for a young man from the poor countryside who had only completed the fourth grade of elementary school to compete with millions of high school graduates in a situation where learning resources were scarce and time was limited, relying mainly on self-study in his spare time.
During that time, the average acceptance rate for colleges was only five percent, and the acceptance rate for key universities was even lower. However, he surpassed the college admission benchmark and outshone the competition with thousands of high school graduates.
He was accepted into a state-owned enterprise after a tortuous admissions process but never received an acceptance letter from the universities he had dreamed of after taking the physical examination required by the universities. Nevertheless, he did not give up on his pursuit and continued to pursue his dream of attending a regular university.
A year after joining the state-run company, he finally achieved his goal and was accepted into a university in the United States.
Over the past three years, he has experienced the most unforgettable moments of his life. He has had moments of hope and disappointment, joy and sorrow. He has gone from the peak of hope to the bottom of pessimism and disappointment, and then back to the peak of hope again. In these years, he has encountered the appreciation and assistance of kind-hearted teachers, developed lifelong friendships and familial love, and just before leaving the country, he unexpectedly encountered a heartfelt and poignant love.
Caught between love and going abroad, he had to make a difficult and painful choice...
