In his letter, Mr Li revealed the bleak situation in Qipan township. Almost all the young people in the township had left to find work in cities and 65 per cent of the farmland had been left idle. A family of five paid at least 350 yuan (HK$329) a year for each mu (0.07 of a hectare) of farmland they looked after, and 85 per cent of farmers were losing money.

Citizens over 45 years of age were exempted from military service.

Of course, as much as he suggests that this offers a window into the intentions of the transumer, he is a good enough historian to recognize that this slide often happens by pun, by misreading, by free association.

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