A World Remade

"Wooo!"

The locomotive let out a long, low whistle.

"Ka-thunk! Ka-thunk! Ka-thunk!"

The old green train rumbled along the winding tracks, straining forward until it emerged from a deep, damp tunnel.

The view outside suddenly brightened, revealing the quintessential landscape of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau.

Nearby, layers of terraced fields, like bands of dark jade, embraced a village.

Farther off, cone-shaped peaks of curious forms rose from the ground.

These mountains were unlike the endless ranges people usually imagined, stretching like heavenly gates. Each hill stood alone, disconnected from the others, rising at varying heights from the plains planted with rice.

Zhou Shang and Li Qing instinctively turned to look out at the familiar scenery they had not seen in so long.

How alike it was to that scene! Though decades had passed, a feeling both strange and familiar welled up in an instant.

As Zhou Shang watched, his thoughts began to drift. In a daze, he seemed to hear again the exuberant, rhythmic songs that had once filled the hard-seat carriage.

"We workers have strength, hey! We workers have strength!"

The powerful tune seemed to pierce through time, echoing faintly in the quiet lower-level carriage, carrying the collective passion and vigor unique to that simple, spirited age.

"Big brother, look! Those mountains over there look just like graves."

Yang Fengchui pointed out the window and shouted.

"Fengchui, sit down, sit down. Don't go saying things like that. You've talked more than anyone else this whole trip." Xie Yutang tugged at the Fengchui beside him, afraid the kid would blurt out something careless and cause trouble.

Zhao Qingming smiled at Xie Yutang. "Leave him be. He's a country bumpkin who's never traveled before. Everything he sees gets him all worked up."

Then he turned to look at the mountains outside.

Trees