Li Qiang, pictured, is a sophomore majoring in journalism at Tsinghua University. Students at Tsinghua are encouraged to use their vacation time to conduct independent research, so Li, who grew up in the city, used his winter break to look at life in small towns in Shanxi Province. He wrote up his results as a report for class.

The report was brought to the attention of Premier Wen Jiabao by the dean of Tsinghua's School of Journalism and Communication, who used to be the editor of People's Daily.

In a letter which was later printed on the front page of People's Daily, Premier Wen both praises the report and uses it as an example of the type of journalism he would like to see:

Eight Stories from the Countryside is a rural survey rich in content and recommendations. The matters it records are accurate, detailed, and moving. It is enlightening to those who read it, and it helps them understand the actual situation of the countryside. For a college sophomore to be so concerned about the countryside is quite unusual. In the practice of journalism, I feel that the most important thing is to have a sense of responsibility, and that this responsibility stems from a deep understanding and fervent love for the country and the people. Only with this sense of responsibility can one truly investigate diligently, reflect diligently, speak diligently, and write diligently.

Prior to this, in April, People's Daily printed a portion of the report detailing how even relatively well-off rural families still have expenses greater than their income, primarily due to the high cost of education.

Li says that he was inspired by two previous reports on peasant life in China: Fei Xiaotong's From the Soil 《乡土中国》, first published in 1947, and Cao Jinqing's China Along the Yellow River 《黄河边的中国》, from 2000.

In an online chat hosted by People's Daily, Li and two professors from Tsinghua took questions from readers. While many comments were supportive and encouraging, there were quite a few complaints about the report's self-importance and lack of depth. These feelings seemed to stem from a sense that too much attention was being accorded to what is essentially an unusually well-written undergraduate report; Li Qiang himself repeatedly stressed that he is merely a college sophomore with much to learn.

No reason to let that get in the way of spinning the image of public figures, however. China Youth Daily has the official line on Premier Wen's response to the report:

Premier Wen Jiabao's letter has stirred up a strong reaction at Tsinghua University. Everyone agrees that this letter demonstrates Premier Wen's encouragement, care, and concern for young scholars, and clearly points out to us all the goal we must work toward.