At that time, the country called on the youth "to go to the most difficult revolutionary places and the greatest parts of the motherland." Influenced by the Yimeng Old Area, 17-year-old Li Zhenhua responded to the call, left the gates of Nanjing Normal School, and went to the remote and impoverished Yimeng Old Area to support.
Upon entering Yiyuan, there was a detour. Because he came from the city and was young, the authorities worried Li Zhenhua would not adapt to the harsh conditions and assigned him to Weifang instead. But with the rashness of youth, Li Zhenhua pointed at the map and requested to go to the mountain-heavy, harsh Yiyuan Mountain Hanwang Primary School. Li Zhenhua told reporters:
"When I actually arrived at Hanwang Village, I found the local area so poor, it was hard to even find a tile, there wasn't even a square meter of mud ground."
