My Gentle Grandmother and the Sacrifices of the Chinese Countryside

Li Jingkui reminisces about his grandmother and her generation of kind, gentle souls who survived through wars, famines and heartache. The indomitable spirit of the rural folk played a key part in China’s meteoric progress. As today’s generation overlooks these unsung heroes and economists tinker with models and facts, we should never forget the kind, gentle souls of the countryside, he says, for their sacrifice provides a moral compass for the country.

This photo taken on April 24 shows a farmer walking along terraced rice paddy fields in Congjiang, Guizhou province, China. Photo: STR/AFP