Family Story: The dilemma in 1978 - return to Beijing or go to college

Head of the household: Liu Kongxi (57 years old)

Family members: wife and two daughters

Current address: Wangfu Road, Changping District

Liu Kongxi could choose only one of the two slips of paper.

One of the slips read "return to the residence in Beijing," and the other said "go to university in Shenyang."

Early in 1978, in Beidahuang, a young man who had been through 9 years of schooling was at a loss.

After lot drawing, the decision was made to go to the university.

In the past 30 years, no matter what he recalled, his mind always got fixed on this page in his book of memories.

Was it he himself who made such a perfunctory decision for his future?

Go to Beidahuang

In 1966, the “Children’s Home” was smashed.

During your childhood, the quadrangle house was a sanctuary for learning to paint. But when your classmates smashed it, you, as a political director for the school’s Red Guards, could not utter a word of complaint, though your heart was full of sorrow and pity.

You enjoyed doing painting there. When you were in fourth or fifth grade in primary school, all your classmates expressed their wishes to become a worker, a peasant or a soldier in their composition titled “My Ideal,” which was assigned by the teacher, and you were the only one who wanted to be a painter. Some said with a smile that you were not active and revolutionary enough.