Yang (center), his cousin and their friend at Mount Langya, Hebei province, in 1967. [Photos provided to China Daily]

He later worked full time at a factory, earning $400 a month. His monthly salary at the Beijing plant was only about 38 yuan. Despite that gap in wealth, Yang says, his heart was still in China.

Whatever advancements he saw, his first thought would often be: What if China had that?

The hostility between workers and employers in the US often made him miss his days in the timber plant where people could communicate as equals. After a four-month nostalgic trip back to China in 1977, Yang again went back to the States. This time he started life on a different track.

He attended college part-time in 1981 and received his doctorate, after which he started teaching at college. He also got married, and had two daughters. But he still found it hard to totally assimilate into life in the US.

Having grown up on the antics of the Monkey King, he could not appreciate Donald Duck. He did not like rock 'n' roll and jazz, which for him, was "fingernails screeching against a blackboard". He had no interest in partying or alcohol. But the fundamental problem, he says, was the lack of like-minded friends.

"We cared about different things. I have always thought of America as an imperialist state, but obviously a lot of Americans don't think so. Besides, it's really complicated for me to think of anything with a careful racial perspective," he says.

He repeatedly considered moving back to China, but decided against it out of consideration for his family.

In 2007, his plan to come home became reality after he got divorced, and his two daughters entered college. Yang returned to Beijing, where he now teaches at the University of International Business and Economics.

For five years now, in addition to teaching, Yang has persevered in his studies of the politics and economics of the Mao Zedong era. He is also trying to trace the memories his parents left behind, which he says, is an important part of the reasons why he came back.

His unique experience growing up in a China of dramatic changes has also made Yang a popular guest at lectures in various universities and colleges, and he never tires of sharing his story with his young audience.

As China gradually regains its economic confidence, Yang says he hopes his story can inspire young Chinese to foster "a stronger sense of ownership", and a stronger sense of social responsibility.

Wu Guanghan, a former student, has remained in close contact even after graduation. Wu says nothing can be more inspiring than the admirable character Yang demonstrated.

"He knows what he wants and what happiness is. He has respect for labor and insists one should support oneself with one's own effort. He believes real happiness comes from harmonious interpersonal relationships and making contributions to society," Wu says.

Contact the writer at hanbingbin@chinadaily.com.cn.