Source: CCTV.com

03-08-2008 18:29

A discussion 27 years ago
7 months of turmoil 
60,000 readers' letters
The 1st spiritual love of a generation

The fifth issue of China Youth was published in the summer of 1980. Printed on white paperboard and costing 22 cents, it had on the cover the image of a blooming white yulan, looking graceful and serene against the blue sky. The thin pamphlet caused a sensation in China.

Lei Yi, former Student of History of Jilin University, said, "The article produced huge repercussions. Everyone on campus was talking about it."

Zhao Lin, former Student of Philosophy of Wuhan University, said, "I was so excited. The author was voicing my opinions, things I really felt."

The excitement was caused by what was purported to be a reader's letter. Under the title Why My Life is Shrinking. the author wrote: "I always feel pain. Why does the education I've received always conflict with the reality? I keep asking myself, 'Do I believe the books or my own eyes?' I'm so confused."

Ten years ago,
I ran crazily through the red street,
Shouting in the wilderness,
But later,
I found I'd lost my key.

In its October 1980 issue, Poetry magazine published a poem by Liang Xiaobin, called China, I Lost My Key.

Four years had passed since the end of the "Cultural Revolution". During that period, a series of reflective films had been produced, including Evening Rain and Legend of Tianyun Mountain. With the publication of novels such as Dean, Scar, young authors also began reflecting on the ten-year revolution.

China Youth had already been brought into the debate when it published a reader's letter, which read in part: "Dear editor, young people are still shaping their world outlook. What kind of role model should they learn from, Lei Feng or Chen Jingrun? This is really a question worth considering."

 The reader's question had been provoked by a feature article entitled, Goldbach's Conjecture. The article made famous a young, gentle looking man who wore thick spectacles and devoted his time to solving mathematical problems. His name was Chen Jingrun, and his depiction as a "pious and talented" workaholic excited immediate controversy.

In response to the debate on "Should we learn from Chen Jingrun", which lasted four months, an editor with China Youth, Ma Lizhen, decided to launch a broader investigation. So she visited the Department of Public Affairs, where she obtained permission to read the letter submitted by young people.