At that time, the country called on young people to "go to the most challenging places of revolution, to the greatest places of the motherland." Influenced by the spirit of the Yimeng Old Area, 17-year-old Li Zhenhua responded to the call, leaving Nanjing Normal School to go support the remote and impoverished Yimeng Old Area.
Upon entering Yiyuan, there was a twist. Since he came from the city and was young, the relevant department worried that Li Zhenhua wouldn't adapt to the local hardships, so they assigned him to Weifang. But with "youthful ambition," Li Zhenhua pointed at the map, mentioning the mountain-rich and toughest Yiyuan Mountain to assign him to Hanwang Primary School. Li Zhenhua told reporters:
"When I truly reached Hanwang Village, I found the place was too poor, couldn't even find a tile, there wasn't even a square meter of mud ground."
