The character Jiangnan during the factory layoffs in the nineties is not an isolated case in China.
He is more like a classic character, representing the group of university graduates affected by the times, laid off, and without opportunities to develop again.
They often have good learning abilities and knowledge, but due to family environment, personal cognition, or perhaps character flaws, they eventually end up struggling for decades at the bottom of society like other laid-off workers.
However, they differ from ordinary workers in one obvious way: they are unwilling to resign, yet unable to change their circumstances, thus developing a habit of criticizing and complaining about the times, and some even begin to boast and exaggerate to cover their inner emptiness.
In the pavilion, Uncle Liu eloquently narrated his life story, also revealing his character and behavioral habits.
