Liang Heng's mother, singled out because she had criticized the party in compliance with the Hundred Flowers Campaign, was sent to a re-education camp.
Liang's father reluctantly divorced his now disgraced wife in order to spare his family the "black mark" of having a "rightist" mother.
In Son of the Revolution, Liang chronicles his participation in a Changsha street gang,[4] his time sent to live in the remote countryside, and his experience as a child member of the Red Guard.
Liang became a factory worker and then a star basketball player, navigating the "back door" system of bribery in hopes of gaining admission to university.
The movie was based on a New York Times article by Judith Shapiro, "The Rocky Course of Love in China," describing her relationship with Liang Heng in Changsha.