The 1977 高考, the first after 10 years of the Cultural
Revolution, took place around October/November. At that time I was one
of a small group of four 知青s. We were called
土知青 as we grew up locally while those from
Shanghai, Wuxi or Nanjing were 洋知青. The reason
that we were still 知青, instead of just farm boys, was
that our parents were state employees, middle school teachers in my
case. In Jiangsu province that year, 高考 was done in two
stages: students had to pass the preliminary test to take the final
one. I did progress to the second one though most of my friends did
not. The acceptance letters from colleges started to appear in the
local postal office in early January. Those lucky ones who got a letter
became an instant hero and celebrity. I waited and waited for my turn
but no letter appeared. By the end of February 1978, I had enrolled in
our middle school's preparation class for the 1978 高考. In
March, however, Deng called on the colleges to expand enrollment. Soon,
three students in my preparation class got their letters. One was from
Nanjing Institute of Technology (now Southeast University), one from
XuZhou Teacher's college and one from a college in Wuxi. The one who
was admitted to Nanjing Institute of Technology had become my good
friend. His immediate departure and my huge disappointment in myself
made me feel very bad. Three days later, however, a classmate shouted
at me during lunch break: there is a letter for you. I rushed to the
postal office. Instead of joy, I was crushed: the letter came from YC
衛生學校. That year my first choice was Nanjing
Univserity, second choice Nanjing Institute of Technology and third
Nanjing Institute of Telecommunication. But I also marked yes to the
question if I would consider other places if my choices did not choose
me.

My neighbors all thought I should enroll, noting that many would
happily grab my letter. My mother, feeling a little guilty about
"sending me down" at age 16, also urged me to go. But I resisted,
unwilling to give up my dream and unwilling to become a third class
citizen among my peers. Shortly before the enrollment date, however, I
watched the movie “Young Generation” about a group of college
graduates from Shanghai exploring mines in remote areas. The hero, Xiao Ji-yi,immediately returned to work after one of his legs was amputated due to cancer. I felt ashamed of myself and decided to answer the Party’s call. So in April 1978, I reported in YC
衛生學校.