The overthrow of the “ gang of four ” in the autumn of 1976 gave rise to I a flourishing of literary themes untouched for many years in China. The first major sign of thematic breakthrough appeared with the short story “ The Wounded ” in 1978. Written by Fudan University student Lu Xinhua, “ The Wounded ” was an indictment of life under the harsh policies of the “ gang of four.” The young writer presented a moving portrayal of one young woman's tragic misfortune due to her blind faith in the regime's rigid policies. From this story blossomed a great number of similar emotional exposures of the cruelties suffered under the “ gang,” and thus emerged a new genre of literature called “ literature of the wounded.” Although usually technically immature, these stories were very well received among the general populace thrilled to read at last truthful, if overdramatized, portrayals of what they themselves had seen or experienced all those years.