A movement for change

After the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the central government faced an economy in crisis and struggled to deal with mass unemployment among young urbanites.

From 1955 to 1962, these youngsters were encouraged to establish farms in remote towns to make use of the land. Then the government began to more formally organize the movement of young urbanites to the countryside.

During the "cultural revolution" (1966-76), university entrance exams and school classes were suspended. Vast numbers of school graduates and students could neither go to university nor get jobs.