In April 1973, when the State Council tried to restore the college entrance examination system and restart the program of selecting talents, Zhang Tiesheng, who was only 23 years old, also ushered in his opportunity to embark on the road to university. Zhang Tiesheng's life began not glamorously, he was born in Xingcheng, Liaoning, and after graduating from junior high school, he was assigned to the local commune brigade, and then followed his mother to the Zaoshan brigade of the Baita Commune in Xingcheng. Despite his young age, he was full of passion for agriculture.
Zhang Tiesheng worked diligently in the brigade, and even in the face of various difficulties, he adhered to his principles and refused special treatment. At that time, the child of a deputy party branch secretary cut the inner tube of a rubber wheeled car, and he insisted that the other party pay compensation. Zhang Tiesheng also insisted on fairness, and if some cadres did not go to work despite meeting during the day, he would deduct their work points according to their actual working hours. He was one of the most attended players, attending more than 340 days in 1972.
However, while he was actively working in the brigade, in April 1973, the admissions policy of colleges and universities was changed, and the content of cultural examinations was added. This gave Zhang Tiesheng the opportunity to obtain a university entrance qualification. But, as a busy captain, he doesn't have much time to review his homework. However, the prefecture introduced a policy of unified review three weeks before the exam, which seemed to provide him with an opportunity.
Unfortunately, this policy was later canceled without Zhang Tiesheng's knowledge. It was not until June 27, when he hurried to the county seat, that he was told that the language test would be held tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow was the mathematics, physics and chemistry test. Only then did he realize that he didn't have any review materials. He hurriedly bought a pen, but still did not review the materials. Luckily, his classmates and friends helped him with junior high school textbooks.
The first exam is Chinese, and the essay topic is "On the Experience of Studying the Essay "Serving the People". However, due to years away from school, Zhang Tiesheng misestimated the time of the exam and did not have time to transcribe the essay on the answer sheet. The math exam takes place the next day, and the invigilator will give some inspiration during the exam. But for Zhang, who barely reviewed, it was still a huge challenge.
During the midday break, he sat on a park bench, desperate for his prospects. However, as a young man with ideas, he decided to take another approach to achieving his college dreams. He wrote a letter explaining to the relevant leader why he had not been able to review, hoping that the leader would understand and give him a chance.
However, as he wrote this particular letter, he unknowingly fell asleep. When he arrived at the examination room, he found that the mathematics, physics and chemistry test had already begun for 20 minutes. In a hurry, he had to jump out of the window and enter the classroom. Because his alma mater knew him, the proctor tolerated the behavior. However, he found that the questions on the test paper were almost impossible to answer, and except for the first few questions, the other parts were like heavenly books to him.
He then flipped to the back of the test paper and began to transcribe the letter he had written on scratch paper, explaining his previous shortcomings, but at the same time expressing his wishes. Although there are many typos and grammatical errors, and the structure of the writing is chaotic, this letter truly reflects Zhang Tiesheng's heart.
After the exam, his results came out: 38 points in Chinese, 61 points in mathematics, and 6 points in physical chemistry. Obviously, this grade was not enough for him to enter college. However, he did not know that his letter writing on the examination paper was learned by Mao Yuanxin, the superior leader.
Mao Yuanxin, political commissar of the Shenyang Military Region and deputy director of the Liaoning Provincial Revolutionary Committee, decided to give Zhang Tiesheng a chance. He instructed the formation of a joint investigation team to investigate in Xingcheng. After some investigation, the investigation team believed that Zhang Tiesheng deserved attention. His first choice is veterinarian, and his second is farmland water conservancy, indicating that his goal is not to leave the countryside, but to build the countryside better. In addition, the investigation team found his letter to be well written and full of insights.
So, on July 15, the Xingcheng County Admissions Office notified Zhang Tiesheng to take the make-up exam. In addition to answering general questions, he wrote a critical essay entitled "University Gates, To Whom." After this series of events, Zhang Tiesheng successfully obtained the university admission qualification. He was assigned to study at the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine of Liaoning Agricultural College in Tieling and successfully joined the Communist Party of China.
In March 1974, he and his teachers and students went to the countryside to help the production team treat livestock diseases and train a group of barefoot veterinarians for the countryside. Zhang Tiesheng's reputation gradually emerged and he was received by the central leadership. He has become a famous "white roll hero".
However, Zhang Tiesheng's fate changed dramatically in 1976. Despite his college graduation, he returned to Zaoshan to work as a farmer. Soon, criticism of him began, and he was not only removed from his posts inside and outside the party, but also expelled from the party. In 1983, he was sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment and three years' deprivation of political rights, starting in 1976.
From the beginning of 1984 he worked as a hygienist, then taught himself to become an outpatient doctor, and passed the provincial village physician examination in 1990. On 16 October 1991, he was finally released after completing his sentence. He married his college classmate Dong Liping and started a new life.
Soon after, he was hired as the director of the Shenyang office of Hefeng Animal Husbandry Co., Ltd., responsible for procurement and public relations. He worked hard to help the company expand its market share. With his efforts, Hefeng Dairy has developed rapidly and become a large group with 17 subsidiaries.
In 2012, Hefeng Animal Husbandry Co., Ltd. issued a prospectus, revealing that Zhang Tiesheng was the fifth natural person shareholder of the company. He holds more than 32 million shares and is worth 189 million yuan based on the issue price.
Zhang Tiesheng insists that he is just an ordinary person who works hard not to prove anything, but to live an ordinary life. He recognized the importance of knowledge and relied on it to change his destiny. He said with emotion: "In the examination room of the market economy after the reform and opening up, I did not hand in the blank papers! ”
However, in 2012, an article about Zhang Tiesheng was published in the magazine "Part-time Work", claiming that he had become a multimillionaire. This has attracted widespread attention from the outside world, but Zhang Tiesheng believes that the information in the article does not match the facts. He sued the magazine and journalist Cheng Longhua for infringement.
Although wealth and reputation accompanied Zhang Tiesheng's life, he remained humble and ordinary, emphasizing that he was just an ordinary person. His story teaches us that perseverance and hard work can overcome adversity and change destiny.