From Mao's Red Guard to conscription into the Chinese People's Liberation Army (476)

Bing recounts his formative years in Maoist Beijing, where he initially participated in the Red Guard before the Cultural Revolution devastated his family, leading to his parents' exile and his sister's permanent injury. Following these events, he was conscripted into the People's Liberation Army in Manchuria, where he endured brutal conditions and military training near the Soviet border. His journey eventually shifted from industrial labor to higher education, leading him to the United States for doctoral studies. This transition allowed him to fulfill his grandmother's dying wish by reuniting family members separated by the Chinese Civil War. His narrative provides a firsthand account of the political volatility, social upheaval, and personal resilience defining life in China from the 1960s through the late 1970s.