Jiang Hongzhi is a male educated youth who has admired Yan Naqian for a long time. He suggested the shared work points system and the idea of uniting as a group of educated youths, saying that twisted fibers make a strong rope. He is protective of Yan Naqian, angrily defending her against Jia Xiaohong's accusations and telling her to remove herself from the group if she disagrees with shared work points. He is perceived by others as being biased toward Yan Naqian, particularly by Jia Xiaohong who accuses him of approving Yan Naqian's leave requests while scowling at others' sick leave requests.
