Team leader Wang is not the stuff heroes are made of. A seasoned farmer, he is willing to serve, but reluctant to lead. The background of his family–opium addiction, secret societies, illiteracy, patriarchal authority, female suicide–is not uncommon.
What makes him remarkable is that he is the leader of a collective of 84 families. Established under Mao Zedong, the commune must now transform itself according to the new leadership's vision.
This book tells what happened in a Chinese village during and since Mao's long leadership. Based on interviews with scores of villagers right up to 1988, as well as on Chinese government documents, local records and newspapers, this study reveals the dynamics of China's revolutionary social, economic, and cultural change through the microcosm of village life.