It gave her just three years to prove the magazine commercially viable or close it down. In three years, Xie paid back the loan, covered her taxes, paid the salaries of six people from the newspaper and made some extra money besides. And it paid off. Circulation stands at 230,000 and is rising steadily. Xie promotes it at every village she visits.
Readers often turn to the publication as their only friend.
She was torn between her desire to leave home and her concern for her mother. The truth cannot be hidden indefinitely, the magazine advised. In life there are always these difficult and unavoidable issues, but in the end there is always a solution. The upheaval and disillusionment of the Cultural Revolution made many people like Xie leery of new political movements and their leaders. Lately Xie has turned to the plight of urban unemployed women, especially those around the age of 40.