 Mao was from the countryside and wanted all educated youth to have experience there.This was a way for high school students to better integrate themselves into the working class.“In the beginning, the Cultural Revolution exhilarated me because suddenly I felt that I was allowed to think with my own head and say what was on my mind.” While many believed that this was a great opportunity to transform themselves into a strong socialist youth, many students could not deal with the harsh life and died in the process of reeducation.