In the past few years, there has been a lot of controversy about the post-80s generation. Many people describe those born in the 1980s as the "Beat Generation" and have been criticizing them both verbally and in writing for many years. Later, with the emergence of the more "degenerate" post-90s generation, the crusade against the post-80s generation became slightly less intense.

However, no matter what, the post-80s generation still stepped onto the stage of history. Among the outstanding ones, some have become mayors, some have successfully started their own businesses and are worth hundreds of millions, and some have become professors and scholars.

Actually, I think it is meaningless to talk about the post-80s generation in general terms. The post-80s generation of the second generation of officials, the post-80s generation of the second generation of rich people, the post-80s generation of urban citizens, and the post-80s generation of farmers have different living environments and different personal experiences. Their achievements and destiny after 30 years will be very different.

However, the so-called post-80s generation in the mainstream media actually mainly refers to the urban post-80s generation. At one time they described those born in the 1980s as "little emperors" and "little princesses", and at another they said they had collapsed. When these people look at the problem of the post-80s generation, the sample selection is biased. They only focus on the urban post-80s generation.

But they ignore that the vast majority of the post-80s generation in China is not the urban post-80s generation, but the rural post-80s generation. For those born in the 1980s in rural areas, although their living conditions are much better than those born in the 1970s, they rarely enjoy the treatment of "little emperors" and "little princesses", and there is no such thing as being defeated. If a foreign enemy invades, I think most of those who can go to the battlefield will be from rural areas.

Due to household registration restrictions, those born in the 1980s in rural areas are restricted from the mainstream world. In developed areas, it is possible to gain wealth and enter mainstream society through doing business. But for the post-80s generation in rural areas in the vast central and western regions, getting into college is almost the only way out. Otherwise, no matter how good he is, he cannot change his identity as a farmer. Even if they get rich, they are still called "rich".

The fate of the rural post-80s generation is largely determined by whether his parents were willing to invest in education in their early years. Too many people around me who are more talented than me, especially girls, are forced to drop out of school early, get married, and have children because their parents are unwilling to pay tuition.

Except for a few talented and outstanding children who are fortunate enough to be supported by their parents in studying, most of them cannot compare with urban children who have received a good basic education. After years of struggling, I ended up attending some less-than-ideal schools. Vocational colleges, private schools, and low-level undergraduate colleges are almost exclusively populated by rural children. The final destination is nothing more than waiters and blue-collar workers.

Even after receiving the same higher education, I had to choose my own career again. The so-called independent choice of career has today evolved into a game of "fighting for one's father". Rural children were once again completely defeated. Most people with bachelor's or master's degrees can't find easy jobs. State-owned enterprises, civil servants, and public institutions basically do not have many opportunities.

I finally settled down in the city and caught up with the sharp rise in housing prices, so I lived in a snail's nest. Every day, I care about regulatory policies and loan interest, and hope that housing prices will come down or not rise. Some Phoenix men fell in love with girls in the city, but found that this also came at a certain price, and their lives were not very dignified. Therefore, most rural people born in the 1980s still choose to marry a rural wife, rent a house in the city, and work hard from dawn to dusk to make ends meet.

I am an ordinary rural person born in the 1980s, and my parents don’t want me to continue to be a farmer. They tried their best to get me out of the countryside. Since junior high school, I have been studying in the city, and then I went to a bigger city to study at university, and then I became a city dweller.

This book is a memoir. It fully presents the childhood of the post-80s generation in our rural areas and my journey of struggle. While sharing some interesting stories, it attempts to explore a more profound topic - the growth of the post-80s generation in the rural areas. I think the early rural life was very interesting, but it has been exposed to the ears and eyes of farmers for a long time, and the accepted ideas and consciousness may also be out of the mainstream cultural circle, which will greatly restrict future life. After entering the city, except for a few outstanding ones, most rural children will experience low self-esteem, confusion, and hesitation, and a considerable number of them will be beaten to the point of being unable to recover. But there are also people who develop a strong mindset in the process.

I entered the city in junior high school and experienced a disastrous three years. I didn’t even get into high school. Fortunately, I later repented and completed my self-salvation in another high school. After that, I experienced college students, university teachers, masters, doctoral degrees, and will become university teachers in the future. I think my experience is very representative, and many people can see their own reflection in me.

I believe that most of the plots I recall can arouse the excitement of those born in the 1980s who were born in rural areas, later entered the city, and worked hard in the city.

This book is dedicated to the post-80s generation in rural areas who are still struggling in cities.