This is a 260,000-word documentary literary work in which the author recounts her 72 years of life experiences. Through detailed events, genuine emotions, sincere feelings, and simple yet humorous language, the book vividly portrays a real chapter of Chinese history. It depicts the life of an ordinary person, her family, and the living conditions of the many people around her.
This work serves as a unique form of historical record, transforming the abstract and weighty of general historical book into vividly living people and events. Through one individual’s life journey, spiritual reflections, and feeling and emotions, it reflects the social landscape and spiritual ethos of an entire era.
The author’s preface, along with the foreword written by her university classmate, offers the best introduction to this book. They are included below.
Preface
By Liu Mingqiong
She was a teacher, dedicating forty years to education. She was also once an "educated youth" (zhiqing 知青), laboring in the remote and impoverished mountains. She is a passionate lover of music, art, and other forms of creativity. She has also been a patient battling cancer and numerous other illnesses.
She endured countless hardships in life, yet, inspired by Love, she overcame all of them one by one with unyielding perseverance. After seven years of illness and recovery, she stood up again and picked up her pen to write about her life experiences and reflections.
She says, "Why do I want to write my story? Because I need to write—I need to speak. I hope young friends can learn from my experiences and mistakes. I want them to find happiness!"
She writes in the book: "My heart is a babbling brook, singing songs of joy and sorrow alike. I flow and flow—I want to bring joy to others, I want to ebb all sorrows away! My heart is an untamed river, roaring and calling—I long to change the injustices and ugliness of this world, I want to surge forth into vast openness!"
This book flows directly from the author's heart. It carries the curling smoke from distant mountain villages, faintly echoes with gunfire and artillery from battlefields fifty years past, and unveils the breathtaking landscapes of the American West alongside and Canada's fiery red maple leaves. Yet even amidst northern ice and snow, it yearns for the springtime of her southern homeland...
In this book, the author, with a passionate and sincere heart, calls for the light of education to illuminate our next generation. Through decades of exploration and reform in her educational career, she has been a tireless pioneer and a leading advocate for progressive educational philosophies.
In this book, the author's soul resonates with an ardent hymn to kinship, friendship, and love—a passion that blazes like wildfire, yet runs clear as a mountain brook. "Love" is the leitmotif of her existence.
Here, she performs an unflinching vivisection of her own soul, confronting life's stony path with philosopher's eyes. These pages form her spiritual testament—a legacy of hard-earned wisdom bequeathed to future generations.
Come, wander through the landscape of her heart.
Come, listen to the anthem of her soul—the Londonderry Air.
July 24th,2025
Echoes of History and the Struggles of an Individual
By Yu Ci
Among the many memoirs I have read, most simply recount events. Rarely do they blend the styles of prose, fiction, and poetry to enrich the narrative and bring stories vividly to life—but Liu Mingqiong’s new work, The Song of Londonderry Air, achieves just that.
Liu Mingqiong was my classmate at Southwest Normal University, though we were in different classes of the same grade. Recently, one of her classmates shared several of her memoir essays published on "Jianshu " (简书)with me via WeChat. From the moment I started reading, I was captivated, devouring them one after another. This led to a brief reunion between Liu Mingqiong, two of her classmates, and I. Only then did I truly begin to "know" her. Later, Liu Mingqiong sent me all of her recent writings. With each piece I read, I jotted down my thoughts. She told me she was preparing to publish a book compiling her works from recent years, primarily those written in the past year. Having worked as an editor for nearly two decades, I volunteered to proofread and edit the book without remuneration. Why would I take on such a task? Because her writing moved me deeply—her characters and stories resonated with me profoundly.
Mingqiong’s book spans an astonishing 72 years. She lays bare the joys and sorrows, the triumphs and struggles of her life journey, presenting them in the form of compelling narratives. Through her words, the people from different eras come alive—flesh and blood, vibrant and expressive—as if I were watching a vivid film unfold before my eyes.
In the memories of childhood, Shangqing si(上清寺), Lianglukou(两路口) in Chongqing, and Shanyicun(山益村)where she once lived... These descriptions of the old - fashioned scenes make me seem to return to the 1960s and 1970s. Her hunger when going to school in those days brings me back to those unforgettable famine - stricken years. The scenes of the armed struggles during the Cultural Revolution she experienced, with the rumbling of guns and cannons, make me seem to see the Mountain City filled with the flames of war again.
The author uses a large amount of space to recall the life of educated youth when living in the mountain area countryside. "Fighting with flees", “cutting trees and thorns, hoeing up corn weeds”, rolling down a mountain slope... These scenes depict the hardships of a girl fighting against nature in the “vast world”. When she entered her middle - aged and young - adult years, her experiences of living separately from her husband and going to university bringing her son with her show her “strong - woman” side. Her dedication and hard - working spirit in teaching make me hold her in great respect.
Mingqiong also shows the tenderness and charm of a woman in the book. This is vividly shown in the chapters describing her gentle obedience to her husband and her trans - national love with Dennis,an Australian gentle-man later. Mingqiong mentions many times in the book that her parents did not give her a beautiful appearance, but where does a woman's attraction lie? It's not just in her face! Temperament and tenderness are the real charm of a woman.
The most prominent feature of the book should be Mingqiong's portrayal and description of characters. In this regard, I unreservedly believe that she has reached the level of a "great master". There are many characters in the book, including her family members, relatives, friends, lovers and classmates. Her portrayal of each character is " vivid" and "lifelike": her dear grandma's "silver thimble" and story "An'an sending food to his mother"; her father's enthusiasm, kindness and hospitality, as well as his old-fashioned gramophone; her mother's beauty, diligence and sense of comedy; her younger sister's hard-working and frugality , embodying the saying that "children from poor families take on responsibilities early"; her youngest brother's sense of comedy and his vivid imitation of other people; her good friend Zongyuan's beauty and intelligence, Zhuan Ruis dignity and elegance, Ailin's knowledge and wisdom, Xiaomin's excellent ballet dancing and her strong will fighting against sickness... All these are vividly presented to the readers and are unforgettable.
What I admire most is that after retiring, Mingqiong was repeatedly attacked by illnesses: cerebral infarction, cancer, hypertension, heart disease, lumbar disease... However, she overcame all kinds of diseases with tenacious perseverance and stood up again! In the past two years, through her own exercise and conditioning, she has basically recovered her health. She writes while balancing work and rest, treating writing as a pleasure. Thus, she has written one touching article after another, which is admirable to all.
Liu Mingqiong's new book is not only a recollection of her 72 years of life, but also an epitome and portrayal of the major events that have taken place in New China over the past 70-odd years. Starting from her family in the early 1950s, it covers the natural disasters in the 1960s, the unprecedented Cultural Revolution, the movement of educated youth going to the countryside and mountain areas, the reform and opening-up of China, and the new era where people are gradually becoming prosperous. Therefore, I believe that this book not only shows the surging forward of the magnificent river of history, but also reflects the sparkling surges of personal struggle.
In this book, the author not only provides readers with a wealth of readable stories, but also reveals such a truth: People will live a meaningful life if they love their motherland, love their career, love truth and goodness and have courage to strive on.This is the precious wealth that Mingqiong leaves to young friends!
Yu Ci
February,2021
Note: Yu Ci ， a member of the Communist Party of China and a member of the China Association for Promoting Democracy. He graduated from the English Department of Southwest Normal College (now Southwest University) in 1982. He holds the title of senior journalist and is one of the sixth batch of "National Top 100 Journalists". In September 2008, and was awarded the title of "Advanced Individual in the Beijing Olympic Games and Paralympic Games" by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council, enjoying the treatment of a national model worker. In September 2019, he was awarded the "Medal Commemorating the 70th Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China" jointly issued by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the State Council and the Central Military Commission.
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