At the beginning of the last century, foreign countries blasted
the Chinese people's dream of being the center of the world. The self-styled
emperor of China proclaimed emperor of the Chinese dynasty was defeated several
times by tiny Japan. The Chinese felt ashamed and hated。 The calling for saving
the country and strengthening the people was heard throughout the country. Many
tough guys, such as Kang Youwei, Li Dazhao, Chen Duxiu, Sun Yat-sen, Chiang
Kai-shek, Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, and other famous figures were born.
They are a group of highly capable people who have essentially
controlled the political, economic, cultural, ideological and scientific direction
of China for nearly a century. Nearly three generations after them, are covered
by their glory, are no voice under their control. It wasn't until the death of
Deng Xiaoping in the 1990s that they completely retired from the Chinese stage,
and their influence gradually faded away, allowing the talent born in the late
1940s and 1950s to enter the mainstream society.
Among the three generations covered, if there are some outstanding
people among the college students in the 1950s, there may be also several outstanding
figures in the generation that were rebelled in the 1970s, then college students in
the sixties are truly an unknown generation. They were frightened by the anti-rightist.
They fully listened to the party’s words for life, made themselves as party’s taming
tools and as never rusted screws, and tried to join the party. Even more pitifully,
their golden age was a time when class struggle was at its peak, so they racked their
brains to curse the exploitative class parents, draw a line with them, and expose the
so-called reactionary views among their classmates and colleagues.
Now that the irrepressible era has passed, and these people are in
their twilight years, what feelings do they have in mind?
They are truly sad and poor generations.