Gao Mantang & Li Zhou 
Chinese Old Peasant 

In 1948, a land reform in the northern countryside triggered a grudge story that lasted for more than half a century. In Maixiang Village on the North Bank of the Yellow River which is home to a group of peasants who lived on the land for generations. Niu Dadan, son of the family of long-term hired hands, and Ma Renli, son of the landlord, reversed their positions overnight in the vigorous "land reform" movement. The peasants became the masters and felt proud and elated; however, landlords bowed and scraped, and had to accept the transformation. Niu Dadan and Ma Renli did not bow their heads to each other and fought with each other. Niu Dadan set his affections on Yang Deng’er, daughter of his "enemy"; however, he married Qiao Yue, Ma Renli’s fiancee. Ma Renli had to accept the fact and smiled obsequiously when facing them. He lived a miserable life. In the years of reform, the peasants were not steady since the instruction from the superior changed every three years or five years. In order to feed themselves adequately, Niu Dadan and Ma Renli exerted their utmost efforts to work on the land in the Maixiang Village. They went through mutual-aid groups, cooperative, elementary agricultural producers’ cooperative, advanced agricultural producers’ cooperative, the Great Chinese Famine, the Cultural Revolution and finally enriched themselves in the reform and opening… In 2006, the State Council cancelled the agricultural tax which lasted for more than 2000 years. Chinese peasants can live a good life steadfastly. This massive work vividly reproduces nearly 60 years’ course of trials and hardship of rural areas in China, depicts the nature of Chinese peasants, namely perseverance, hard work and thrift, and greatly enriches the gallery of the images of Chinese peasant characters!